Hi everyone!
My name is Cara Hanson. I’m busy finishing my junior year in
nursing at the University of North Dakota and have enjoyed reading all
of your Lactnet messages the past three weeks. Since I was very young,
I have had an interest in mother/infant health care, including BF. As
we learn about the endless benefits of breast milk in childbearing
class, I often think about what a wonderful and important experience
breastfeeding was for my mother, to the point she felt she
was “poisoning” me when I was given my first formula after she returned
to work at 5 mos. We still smile at the ridiculousness of the fact
that, upon hearing that my grandmother had decided to breastfeed
despite its great unpopularity in 1940, her doctor frowned and
replied, “What do you think you are, a cow?” The lack of support
didn’t sway her but it’s hard for me to believe breastfeeding was
actually discouraged for someone who was perfectly capable and willing.
Recently, I have become interested in maternal dieting and weight
loss during lactation and the effects on her newborn’s nutrition.
Since adolescence, I’ve heard girls expressing concerns about pregnancy
weight gain and postpartum retention of excess pounds. Considering
this can contribute to the development of obesity in some women, I can
understand the new mother’s desire to reduce intake and begin
exercising in order to return to her pre-pregnancy weight.
In my research, I learned that although marked reduction of
caloric intake can result in fussiness and decreased weight gain some
babies, moderate weight loss can be sustained during lactation without
compromising mother’s milk supply or content (Auerbach & Riordan,
1999). I came across an article in which Lonnerdal, (2000) notes that
while it is generally believed that breastfed infants are protected
against most nutrient deficiencies, there has been some recent concern
that sub optimal maternal nutrition may impair the mammary gland’s
normal metabolic secretion of essential nutrients into milk. I also
read a recent study that provides strong evidence that moderate weight
loss between 4 and 14 weeks postpartum in overweight, exclusively
breastfeeding women does not impair infant growth (Lovelady, Garner,
Moreno, & Williams, 2000). The women who were studied already had
adequate fat stores but I wonder how many fit/athletic women,
especially those who saw quicker weight loss as an incentive to
breastfeed, are willing to limit dieting and exercise during
lactation. Do you think risks associated with restricting intake while
breastfeeding have been adequately evaluated? I was also wondering how
you as professionals respond to women who initiate early or prolonged
dieting. Do you ever find that this is relevant in the insufficient
supply cases you see?
I had no idea there was so much to learn about breastfeeding!
Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
Cara Hanson, Student Nurse
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND
Auerbach, K.G. & Riordan, J. (1999). Breastfeeding and human
lactation. (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Lonnerdal, Bo. (2000). Regulation of mineral and trace elements
in human milk: exogenous and endogenous factors. Nutrition Reviews, 58
(8), 223-229.
Lovelady, C.A., Garner, K.E., Moreno, K.L., & Williams, J.P.
(2000). The effect of weight loss in overweight, lactating women on
the growth of their infants. New England Journal of Medicine, 342 (7),
449-53.
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