Running and Breastfeeding
Hey everyone,
At the eve of my first race for 2019 (a 50km trail race, part of the Victoria 162 in Hong Kong) and most importantly, my first trip ON MY OWN since Sienna was born, I feel like this post is a good way to mark this milestone.
2018 was my biggest year of running so far, I completed three 100km races and two marathons (42.195 km), including a participation at the IAU 100km World Championships representing Australia.
As you might know, we celebrated our daughter Sienna’s first birthday in March 2018. Sienna has been exclusively breastfed (with the addition of solid food starting at 6 months) from birth and now at 23 months, she still enjoys her daily evening feed thoroughly. We just cut out the morning feed and as I am currently away for three nights, she is not getting any breast milk, but I am pumping to not get engorged and to keep my production going for a bit.
This means that yes, I have been training and racing long and hard while maintaining our breastfeeding relationship. Often, I have had to breastfeed her right after crossing the finish line of a race which got us a lot of positive yet rather surprised looks and comments.
This got me thinking of the misconceptions and hurdles related to endurance training (or even just regular exercise) and breasfeeding and how I got around those.
Misconception #1 Running will reduce your milk production
This is a big one! And it’s got some truth to it. Endurance training takes a lot of energy… and so does producing food for a little human! If you are not nourishing your body enough to fuel your activities, something got to give… and your milk production can take a hit.
If you are training and breastfeeding, it is not time to diet. You have to make sure you are eating enough energy and nutrient rich whole plant food: fruits, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, legumes (including tofu and tempeh) and a good amount of good fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado and coconut.
Don’t forget to also stay well hydrated. Drink to thirst and eat water rich foods such and fruits and vegetables.
Misconception #2 Your milk will become sour after you run
The taste might change a bit after exercise, due to an increase of lactic acid in the breastmilk… but this only happens after prolonged, VIGOROUS exercise. Endurance training usually being at low to moderate intensity it usually isn’t a problem. If your baby seem to be affected by the taste, for the few longer workouts at high intensity (tempo run for example), make sure to have a reserve of expressed milk to give your baby after you finish your workout while you pump and throw the “bad” milk.
Hurdle #1 I will get engorged while I’m running
On the first few months after I gave birth to Sienna, I would keep my runs to local routes and rarely exceed 60 minutes. I would also make sure to breastfeed or pump just before I left to empty my breasts as much as possible. I planned a race calendar naturally following the normal decline in Sienna’s milk consumption: In the first 7-8 months, I only raced shorter races like 10km and half marathons, with my first marathon at 8 months postpartum and first 100km at almost 11 month PP.
Hurdle #2 I feel selfish to be away from my baby/child
Mum guilt is real. Yes, exercising is time away from your children, but the benefits you reap from physical activity makes the time you spend with them better. I truly believe that I am a better mother to Sienna because I am an athlete. Running makes me happier, less anxious, healthier and more focused. I also believe that the discipline and tenacity it takes me to train for and successfully finish these races sets a positive example for Sienna.
On this, I have to go and get ready for tomorrow morning :-) This will be my first trail race since Tarawera in February 2018!
Next week, I will spill the tea about my “breastfeeding story”: from “delayed” letdown, to mastitis, blisters from hell and possessed toddler… Stay tuned!