Breastfeeding and fasting

(Sierra) #1

Ok, ok I know…don’t fast while breastfeeding!
Problem is, I breastfeed my kids a long time and I’ve been either preggo or breastfeeding for 6.5 years (I have two kids, 5 and 2). I spontaneously IF and eat in a 6-10 window depending on when I get hungry. I need to lose some weight because of some back pain and was wanting to do some short (1-2 days) fasts.
So, has anyone here fasted while breastfeeding? What happened to your milk? What are the arguments against breastfeeding and fasting? Thank you for any info.

#2

I have no personal experience with fasting and breastfeeding, but I understand what you mean about the “Just wait until you’re done breastfeeding” advice, since I too measured my breastfeeding time in years, not months. So, no real advice, just commiseration. For solid breastfeeding advice, Kellymom is always a good place to start: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/fasting/

It looks like it’s mostly about religious fasting. Oh, and I should mention that my kids are now Loonnngg past the bfing stage.

(Sierra) #3

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.
Since my baby is two years old now I was thinking about some fasting experiments.

#4

My son is 22 months and we’ve been winding down nursing for a while now, I naturally see us being done in the next few months.

I’m 24 hours into my first fat fast which I didn’t plan. I just wasn’t hungry at dinner last night so I didn’t eat, I had some HWC in my coffee this morning and that’s all I’ve had in the past day. It’s lunch time and I’m still not hungry and I’m not feeling ill. I’m debating on extending this out until I feel hungry and/or ill. I’m wondering if I’m just getting to the point where I only need to eat once a day.

Anyway, I’m rambling so if I do extend my fast, I’m curious to see how my son reacts tonight. My husband did ask last night if my boobs were smaller, I just said “probably” and chalked it up to losing 13lbs in the last 2 weeks. I’ll report back tomorrow and let you know how it went.

#5

I ended up breaking my fast at dinner last night, so I went only about 30 hours. I didn’t seen any changes in my supply or changes in my son last night before bed.

However, he was SUPER cranky this morning after nursing for about 30 minutes. He usually only gets about 10-15 minutes of nursing time in the morning so he had extra time and still wanted more. I do believe this was more attributed to the fact that spring has sprung around here and the whole family is feeling the effects of the bradford pear trees blooming.

(Sierra) #6

I actually got sick after I wrote that post and didn’t eat for about 36 hours. But I was sick. Then I realized that I’ve had some food allergy exposures (I’m sensitive to gluten and soy) I got some soy about a year ago and couldn’t keep any food down for four days until I got a steroid injection. I’ve heard Dr. Fung talking about fasting when sick or for medical tests.
Anyhow, I don’t think it would hurt my milk supply because those four days when I had the exposure didn’t. I don’t think I’d be experimenting though if my baby was under 9 months or so. Because she get most of her nutrition from real food now.
The other huge concern I have though is about toxins that are released from my fat going into the breast milk.

(Amanda Burton) #7

I checked Kellymom for everything breastfeeding!!! I just weaned my 2-yr-old (I also have a 3 1/2 & 5 1/2 yr old). I have also been pregnant/breastfeeding for the past 6 1/2 years. I only started breastfeeding the past few months right before my son started weaning. I was IF anyway without ever planning to be. I always struggled with supply, but fasting didn’t seem to have an impact there. I was always worried about toxins being released into my milk, but I’m not sure what the science is on that. By this time my son was only nursing before and after sleeping/nursing. The weaning was actually coincidental because my fasting and his feeding therapy began around the same time.

(Fran) #8

I know this is an older post, but I wanted to share my experience. I’m currently nursing my 6-month old and I tried a 3 day fast recently. I didn’t make it 72 hours. I made it 44.5 hours and I was fine. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t notice any change in my milk supply. I did drink lots of water during my fast. No water will affect milk supply. But baby ate normally. She seemed just as satisfied as before the fast. The reason I ended my fast was because I was feeling hungry and just generally drained. So I listened to my body and ended my fast. But up until that point everything was normal. As a result of the fast I was able to break a plateau I had been stuck on for 3 weeks. All in all I would say it was a positive experience, however, I’ve decided if I really want to fast I will do 24 hour fasts until I’m done breastfeeding.

(Sierra) #9

Hi there other mama! That has also been my experience. I’ve tried some three day fasts but they are such a struggle. It’s been no problem at all to do 24-36 hour fast a couple times a week. But also, my “baby” is now 26 months old.

(Suzy Jay) #10

hey! been doing 24 hour fasts and doing just fine. thinking of trying 48 but scared !!! encourage me pls. did you feel very weak??

(Missy) #11

I’m still breastfeeding my 2.5 year old twins. I travel for work and do not pump while I’m away. I recently completed a 96 hour fast while traveling and not pumping. I have no reduction in my supply. Hopefully I do see a reduction in my chronic insulin levels :+1:

(Rachel) #12

I know this post is older, but here was my experience: my 17-month old developed a fever 24 hours after my first 24-hour fast. Fever lasted a day (no other symptoms), and I continued fasting 16-20 hours/day for 7 days. No more fever, but he’s cranky and has a runny nose - not in peak condition. It could totally be a coincidence, or it could be his system is being burdened with extra toxins from my body. I wish I knew for sure, and I feel a little bit awful, but I’m also desperate to get a handle on my own health. Milk volume hasn’t been affected at all, BTW

(Missy) #13

At 17 months I would guess that your baby is getting most nutrition from solids. I don’t know the health issues you are trying to tackle, but I would guess it’s a coincidence. Good luck getting everything worked out. :heart:

(Catherine) #14

I am currently nursing a 2 year old and 12 month old. I fasted for three days and both my girls got sick, which I of course blame on myself. I’ve had no luck loosing the pregnancy weight (from both) and would like to water fast but I keep worrying they will take my toxins. Do anyone have any experience like this?

(Camille Yeager) #15

I’m not sure if kiddos getting sick after a short fast is a coincidence or not. Our bodies are pretty good at filtering stuff out of our milk, so not all toxins released would be able to get in. (It has to do with particle size, the smaller ones can get through, but not the bigger ones.)
I’ve done several 24 hour fasts since my LO got to the 9 month stage. I actually feel like my supply goes up a little when I’m deeper into ketosis. It’s been a month since my last 1 day fast and I’m thinking I want to do a longer fat fast. Let you know how that goes.