Excercising while BFing

S

southside852

Registered User
My OB has given me the OK to hit the gym 3 months after giving birth via c-section which will be January. I didn't do this with my first son as I didn't have extra help, but since we have a helper, I plan on definitely getting my body back in shape earlier.

I am concerned about running while bfing. I have larger breasts so even bigger while nursing and I am concerned about the discomfort. I don't even know if I can find a supportive enough bra(!), but I have heard from some that running while BFing decreased their milk supply....I am also concerned about the lactic acid. I have been advised to take a shower immediately after working out and of course hydrating more than normal before, during and after workout.

Would love some feedback/tips/advice on getting back into the gym. Thanks!
 
i exercised while breastfeeding with my first born and will do it with again with my 2nd. i also had a c sec. basically i just listened to my body, stopped when i felt discomfort.

started off with light weights and brisk walking - 3x a week, 30mins each time. so that solves the discomfort in breasts and them being too huge to run first. i hated the feeling of being too full at the breasts while running and had zero stamina to run. also brought the baby out to parks and did lotsa brisk walking every day. i bought a good sports bra for support.

about a month into it, i shed a little size and improved stamina, reduced discomfort in the breasts while running. i started to up the regime to jog, light weights - 4x a week, 45 mins each time. by this time, i bought new sports bra for better support.

stuck with this regime up till i was able to resume to pre pregnancy workout. slowly shedding off body size helped me cope with breasts discomfort. i was concerned with decrease of milk supply and lactic acid. but exercising did not affect them at all in my experience. i just bathed after workout, hydrated myself well throughout the day. back then, i checked with my gynae and he said it was alright to workout and breastfeed, there isnt any issue.
 
I'm a fitness instructor and went back to work after 8 weeks with my first (breastfed until he was 7 months).

I just made sure I drank LOTS of water to keep myself hydrated. I also read up about the lactic acid thing online and apparently there's no scientific proof to say that lactic acid affects your milk. It just started when some woman went to her doctor about her baby rejecting her milk and the doctor "hypothesised" that it MAY be because of the lactic acid build up from her workout and it just spread from that. Plus, you'd have to be doing some serious workout before your body starts producing lactic acid...

My concern was that I might damage breast tissue with all the bouncing around (!?) so I just bought the high impact sports bras from M&S and wore two every time I did any cardio!
 
I started working out 3 months after my second. I also had a c-section. Like you, I have rather large breasts and with milk, they were out of control. I actually stayed away from running initially. I rode the bike and did the elliptical machine - cardio where my breasts wouldn't be bouncing around too much. I also gradually eased back into the whole exercise routine doing pilates more often in the beginning. To help with the discomfort, I pumped a little right before working out. Sports bras didn't work too well for me since they made me even more uncomfortable. But I definitely showered after each workout and drank lots of fluids. I didn't notice any change with my supply. Good luck!
 
Hi Southside, you say your doctor just gave you the okay 3 months after your c-section. Was this because you just asked him/her after 3 months or did they advise you not to exercise before 3 months. I had read that you could exercise after 6 weeks and was hoping to be able to start in a week's time...
 
Hi Liquorice,
I had a c-section 7 weeks ago and my doctor gave me the ok to start exercising again 2 weeks ago. He told me to start slowly, but otherwise didn't give me any restrictions. I guess it depends on how well you've recovered, but in general, resting for 6 weeks should be enough. To be on the safe side, better check with your doctor.
 
i asked my doctor after a month during my post-natal check up. He said I could start going back to the gym at around 10 weeks, but I just waited until 3 months to be on the safe side.

Thanks for everyone's experiences - very helpful! I think I will stay away from running and just do the bike, ellipitical or brisk walking on the treadmill and with my little bub outside when it's not to darn hot here in singapore. I just ordered my sports bra from the US b/c Asia just doesn't have my size!
 
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