Can I still produce milk if I lose weight during breastfeeding? Will losing weight during breastfeeding affect breast milk?

Many mothers want to lose weight quickly after giving birth, so they start to lose weight during breastfeeding. However, mothers who lose weight during breastfeeding are worried about affecting their milk supply. So how can you lose weight during breastfeeding without affecting your milk supply? Here are some methods for you.

Can I still produce milk if I lose weight during breastfeeding?

With milk.

New mothers will gain weight after the confinement period, but if you want to lose weight during breastfeeding, you can use scientific and correct weight loss methods. This will not have any effect on breast milk and will not affect the baby's development and growth.

In addition, if the new mother adopts unreasonable weight loss methods, such as dieting, the nutrition in the breast milk will not keep up, which will have a certain impact on the quality of the breast milk, and may even lead to a decrease in milk supply. This will affect the baby's development and the recovery of the mother's body.

Breastfeeding mothers should not lose weight through strenuous exercise. This is also wrong. Some metabolic products of the body will enter the breast milk. After exercise, the breast milk will become acidic, which will affect the baby's health. Therefore, it is best to use scientific and effective methods.

Lose weight while breastfeeding

Many people mistakenly believe that breastfeeding prevents weight loss. In fact, on the contrary, breastfeeding is beneficial for weight loss. During pregnancy, mothers of normal weight will store several kilograms of fat to prepare for milk secretion. If the mother is overweight or obese, there is actually no need to store this fat, because the fat on the mother's body can be mobilized to produce milk.

What exactly is in breast milk? It contains 1% protein, 4% lactose, plenty of calcium, multiple B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin D, and a variable amount of fat.

When mothers are seriously deficient in protein, the amount of breast milk secretion will decrease. However, as long as the basic nutrient needs are met, even if the mother does not eat meat at all or does not add oil when cooking, the amount of nutrients such as protein, lactose and calcium will not change much, and the amount of breast milk will remain basically stable. Therefore, if the mother eats a lot of fish and drinks a lot of broth, the protein in the breast milk will not increase significantly.

However, if the mother's food is "greasy", the fat content in the milk will increase, the breast milk will be thicker, the baby will get more fat, and it will be easier to gain weight. However, this kind of weight gain is limited to the subcutaneous fat, and it does not mean that the height, internal organs, and brain development are better than other children.

Taboos for weight loss during lactation

After giving birth, many mothers are eager to regain their figure and blindly start to lose weight. This will not only harm the body, but also affect the healthy growth of the baby. It is generally not recommended to lose weight immediately after giving birth. It is best to consult a doctor in advance.

1. Don’t take diet pills and slimming teas

These weight loss drugs are excreted through breast milk, so babies indirectly consume the drug ingredients. Infants have poor liver detoxification ability, and large amounts of weight loss drugs can cause reduced liver function in infants, leading to abnormal liver function.

2. Don’t do strenuous exercise

Vigorous exercise after childbirth is likely to interfere with the recovery of the uterus and cause uterine prolapse and muscle ligament relaxation. Vigorous exercise will also produce lactic acid, and feeding breast milk containing lactic acid is not conducive to the healthy growth of the baby.

3. Don’t go on a crazy diet

Crazy dieting is not an acceptable method for postpartum women, because new mothers have to bear the burden of feeding their babies. Crazy dieting will cause the body to be malnourished, which will also harm the baby. The baby cannot get adequate nutritional supplements, which is not conducive to the healthy growth of the baby.

4. Don’t use acupuncture to lose weight

Acupuncture for weight loss will cause women to eat less, which will affect nutrient absorption, resulting in insufficient breast milk nutrition and interfering with the normal development of the baby. It is recommended that you try acupuncture for weight loss after your child is weaned. In particular, women who are menstruating or have not recovered their menstrual periods after giving birth or abortion should not try acupuncture for weight loss.