Hi Everyone!
Sent this yesterday but it appeared in an unreadable format after I
cut and pasted it from Word. 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 am reminded 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 that 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 in 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 the milk. I also read a
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), 223-29.
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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