Nursing Mothers: Protein Shakes

[DirtyBirdShot]

Hey ladies,

It's late and I am sitting here with the wife and she asked are there any safe protein shakes/supplements for nursing mothers? Currently she is in the gym 4 days a week, and curious if anyone has done the Body For Life program while nursing.

I will start nagging her to get a profile set-up and join you ladies.

BTW, she is 30 yrs old and we have 3 boys that are 4yrs, 2yrs, and 5 mos.

Thanks

R-

[Bluelinersgirl]

Hey ladies,

It's late and I am sitting here with the wife and she asked are there any safe protein shakes/supplements for nursing mothers? Currently she is in the gym 4 days a week, and curious if anyone has done the Body For Life program while nursing.

I will start nagging her to get a profile set-up and join you ladies.

BTW, she is 30 yrs old and we have 3 boys that are 4yrs, 2yrs, and 5 mos.

Thanks

R-

I'm still nursing too and I take Optimum Nutrition's 100% natural chocolate Whey. It doesn't have any artificial sweeteners which I would worry about a little with nursing

My sister-in-law took protein all through out her last pregnancy and now while she is nursing too.

[Eileen]

Any shake that isn't full of junk sweeteners.

Actually, there are very very few restrictions on what you can eat while breastfeeding. When you consider the huge variety of food that women all over the world have eaten all through history while breastfeeding, you start to feel a bit silly getting hyped up over a cup of coffee or a whey shake.

The breasts do a great job of filtering out anything that might be harmful to the baby before it gets into the milk. That's why nursing mothers can have a glass of wine, or take medications that are out while pregnant.

A great website for stuff like this is www.kellymom.com For specific questions, try www.drjacknewman.com

[ourmamasews]

Also, whey protien can help produce MORE milk, so she should know that going in!

When I had problems with supplying enough milk for my youngest, my lactation consultant advised drinking olvatine (not worried about dieting then, LOL) because the bit of whey in there would help...totally boosted milk supply for me!

[Eileen]

Also, whey protien can help produce MORE milk, so she should know that going in!

When I had problems with supplying enough milk for my youngest, my lactation consultant advised drinking olvatine (not worried about dieting then, LOL) because the bit of whey in there would help...totally boosted milk supply for me!

Very useful to know. Much easier than fenugreek.

[ourmamasews]

Very useful to know. Much easier than fenugreek.

AND you don't smell like maple syrup all the time, LOL

[Plainandtall]

Considering that most baby formulas are made of whey... I don't see where it could be an issue for a mom to eat it - if the mom is well nourished- that baby is getting the best !!!

[SailorSimba]

Considering that most baby formulas are made of whey... I don't see where it could be an issue for a mom to eat it - if the mom is well nourished- that baby is getting the best !!!

A lot of babies are allergic to formula, and a lot of babies are allergic to the dairy their nursing mom consumes. Dairy has been in our diets a relatively short amount of time and infant formula has only been around for about 150 years. That being said, if baby has a problem with dairy proteins, you would know it by now with green stools and tummy troubles.

[Plainandtall]

Great point Simba!!

[boychaser]

Great point Simba!!

thanks you all for your responses. I am the wife of dirtybirdshot and appreciate your advice. My son has reflux (that was diagnosed at 4 weeks) so I immediately got off dairy, strawberries, nuts, alcohol (not that I really drank anyway). I have added in small amounts of almonds and some peanut butter, but not much. I still do not eat strawberries and consume only small amounts of diary and that is recently. The only formula he gets is Soy. Simba, I never thought about the milk proteins being an issue for his reflux. So much to take in. I want to take something to assist in muscle development as I am working out 4 days a week with weights and really pushing myself to regain some of the muscle I lost in pregnancy. I'm not sure if I should wait until I am finished nursing to start a protein powder and continue to get it through leans meats/ leafy greens or give it a whirl and see if baby can handle it. Anyway, thanks for all your suggestions!

[Eileen]

Bear in mind that babies mature at an astonishing rate. Something that causes problems at 4 weeks may be gone by 8 weeks.

Also, remember that some degree of reflux is normal, and doesn't require a total diet overhaul. I had one friend and after every single feed, her baby threw everything back up again. She nearly cried, all that precious breast milk. But somehow, he was getting enough to grow just fine and has been the picture of health.

Go by your baby. If he has reflux, but is generally happy and healthy, with lots of wet nappies and nice poo, then try not to worry too much about it.

[BeezKneez87]

I'm curious, my sister is breastfeeding her 11 month old twins. Since she is feeding two babies instead of one, she has to eat more than normal. She is struggling with her weight and wants help with losing it while still providing the proper nutrition to the twins. I am suggesting she follow an iifym diet, but tweaking it a bit to make sure she is getting enough to eat. Do any of you Moms out there have any advice for her? I am planning on getting her some ON 100% Whey Protein as well (this is what I use too and swear by it)

Thanks in advance!

[TyarnaJayde]

I'm still nursing too and I take Optimum Nutrition's 100% natural chocolate Whey. It doesn't have any artificial sweeteners which I would worry about a little with nursing

My sister-in-law took protein all through out her last pregnancy and now while she is nursing too.

so the optimum whey is ok to take? cause we have that at home but ive never been too sure.

[oregonchick76]

so the optimum whey is ok to take? cause we have that at home but ive never been too sure.

Whey comes from milk. If you can drink milk, you can take whey.

[alk88]

I'm still nursing too and I take Optimum Nutrition's 100% natural chocolate Whey. It doesn't have any artificial sweeteners which I would worry about a little with nursing

My sister-in-law took protein all through out her last pregnancy and now while she is nursing too.

I am also nursing my 5 month old and the lactation said the pure protien is fine, anything like whey and casien ,just nothing with added stuff like creatine or pre workouts. I use optimum also

[louweeze]

Hi, I am a mother of 3 girls, one of which I am nursing. I've nursed all three and it seems like the baby weight only wants to shed once I've stopped nursing completely. I've planned to nurse for four more months at least, but I can't rid myself of the weight. I bought an exercise machine just to keep me active because of my inability to go to the gym. I feel as though I need to start drinking shakes to curb my hunger, and hopefully boost my metabolism to aid with the weight loss.

I'm really at a road block for how I can get on the right track to looking, and most importantly, feeling, better. I don't even know how I would go about making a shake that is OK while breastfeeding (nutrition-wise), or how often they can be consumed. Is there anyone who might have any suggestions?

[jocelyn413]

So I've been asking myself this as well. My little lady is 6 months old and I am looking to get back in shape and weight train. Your best bet is to bring in a powder you want to use (unopened if you have to purchase new and no one else will use it in your home, that way you can return it) and bring it you your pcp. That is the only way you will know for sure if it is ok to use. I noticed that a lot of people are recalling the whey protein and automatically calling it safe (if baby formula is made of it, then it should be fine right?) but they are not taking into consideration all the other supplements that go along with protein powders for muscle recovery. Mainly l-glutamine, creatine, energy enhancers like taurine and more. Biggest concern is any BCAA that is in it. You can read articles but the biggest issue with this is that, yes, these amino acids do pass through the breast milk and can cause liver issues with your baby. So please don't just takes what someone else did at face value, sometimes you can't see the damage you are doing internally to your nursing baby. An alternative although more time consuming ( by very little) is to use pasteurized egg whites. You can use the expensive Muscle Egg ones or go to costco/sams club and get the case of 6 pints and freeze them till you need them, I pull two out at a time. I mix 6-9tbls in with almond milk, berries and sometimes greek yogurt. You can also add orange juice although it has a lot of sugar in it so if you are serious about getting fit i would cut the sugar out. but that is the most natural way to get your protein shake without all the stuff you can't have while nursing. And when you are done then use whatever powder you like.

[wlb83]

Most protein shakes will advise pregnant or nursing moms not to use such supplements. Mainly because of additives, and also taking synthetic BCAAs, which are sometimes added in to the protein powders, can cause issues if your unborn child or newborn as enzyme deficiencies that don't allow them to process these extra BCAAs that you have put in your diet. I used NLA for her Whey some in pregnancy and while breastfeeding until we determined that our little one was dairy allergic. I still dabble in the protein bars sometimes for snacks, but too much will give her some stanky diarrhea!

Personally... I know we all want to hurry to get back to the gym and build muscle, but is taking a synthetic protein powder that could potentially have negative effecs on your baby really worth it??? Why not have some chicken breasts or hard boiled eggs on hand instead? More natural and safe (if you buy organic, free range)