Hello,
I am coming out of lurkdom to answer with my own .02
worth of experience with low carb diet. I was nursing
my 2nd child (she was 11 months, 1st one nursed till
22 months, 3rd one until 29 months). I decided to try
a low carb diet. I went in with the attitude that I
did not care what it did to the quality of my milk or
to the supply because I KNEW I would continue to
nurse, but also she was not solely dependent on my
milk. I was on the diet for 10 weeks with no change
in my supply or her behavior with nursing. After the
diet we CONTINUED to nurse until she was 26 MONTHS. I
think the 3 reasons I had success on the diet and on
keeping my supply was:
1. I used more calories producing the breastmilk (much
like a daily workout burns calories) and so I was able
to eat more carbs than others on the diet and I made
sure I remained only in MILD ketosis, I never let
myself go into moderate or large ketosis. I bought
ketosis urine dipsticks from the local walmart and
checked daily and somtimes 3 times a day.
2. Because I had nursed until 22 months before and
never for a moment thought about stopping at 11 months
with this one, I was not WORRIED about milk supply or
quality. I ate unlimited low carb vegetables, low fat
meat, and some cheeses. Made sure to drink plenty of
water.
3. The fact that my dauhgter was older(11 months) and
not solely dependent on me for her nutrition, and the
fact that my milk supply well established.
I hope this might help when you talk with any client
who chooses to lose weight in this fashion. If they
allow themselves to go too far into ketosis (and it
happens quickly when breatsfeeding due to the high
metabolism used), they will really feel dizzy and weak
and it makes sense from that the milk will go away
also. I dont know if I would do it again but it was
okay at the time.
Its kinda fun to come out of lurkdom and join in the
chat!
Theresa Johnson RNC IBCLC(since 1994)
Civilian American in Germany where its green and so
many flowers are blooming here in beautiful
Heidelberg!
--- Sharon Knorr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> With all due respect to Nikki, I think that any
> rapid change in a mother's nutrition can have an
> impact for some moms. Breastmilk production does
> not happen in a vacuum. It may be true that in
> time, if the mom nurses or pumps very frequently,
> her body will adjust to the change in caloric intake
> and milk production will again increase. But I have
> seen the affect of drastic dieting in some of my own
> clients and I believe that it is real. My milk
> supply always dropped like a stone when I got overly
> exhausted - this, in spite of a baby that nursed
> frequently and vigorously. Once I got a little
> rest, my supply would rebound very quickly. Now
> maybe not all moms have a exhaustion threshold, but
> I most certainly did and I think that the same thing
> can happen in relation to the diet. I would advise
> these moms to start eating more again and see what
> happens. If the supply does not rebound, then
> further investigation will be necessary.
> Warmly,
> Sharon Knorr, BSMT, ASCP, IBCLC
> Newark, NY (near Rochester on Lake Ontario)
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
>
>
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