Nursing question

[HollyM_WA]

Does anyone know if this diet has any effects on the baby you're nursing? I don't have a newborn--she's older (20 mo), but still nurses about 5-6/day and most of the night. Since most of her nutrition is coming from solid foods--should I be concerned at all about my milk quality?

Holly

[lkonzelman]

It is recommended while nursing that you not be excreting ketones.

I personally would try to keep my carbs higher just in case.

[fairchild]

If you are in ketosis and nursing stop one or the other. During pregnancy, and nursing Dr A says you can not be in the weight loss phases of Atkins.

[coolazchic]

With my past experience being in ketosis while nursing caused me to not produce as much milk. Don't know why?

[HollyM_WA]

Well--I'm not going to stop nursing or ketosis. I'm sure Dr A means newly nursing newborns for nutrition. I'm not nursing for nutrition anyways. She's all comfort nursing. She may not be getting much milk--but I don't feel any different.

So she would not be getting any fat from me because I"m in ketosis? What's she getting then? My protein?

Is it more that it's bad for ME or HER?

Holly

[Rosebud]

It may be bad for her, not you. They simply don't have enough information on the effect of ketosis on babies.

I agree with other posters here that you should, for your child's sake, either increase your carbs a little, or stop breast feeding.

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

[larissab]

Hi Holly! How great that you're nursing your 20 month old. :) It seems many mothers wean too soon these days.

As your body loses fat, it also releases all of the toxins stored in that fat. When you are in ketosis, nearly everything that you are burning is fat, so the amount of toxins being excreted is high. While in general this is a good thing, don't forget that the toxins will be excreted via all bodily fluids, including breastmilk. It is not dangerous to you if you breastfeed while in ketosis, however, it may be dangerous to your developing baby.

I see your point when you say that you are not nursing a newborn and therefore may not need to follow the same guidelines. I agree with you to some extent. There is a point when you are nursing a toddler (or young child) when you have to resume your life! :) I personally made the choice to do Induction when my nursling was 2 *but* she was nursing only 1-2 times per day for no more than 10-15 minutes total per day. She has commented many times on the change of the taste of my milk (she says it's sour like lemons) - one of the "benefits" of having a nursling whose third birthday party I'm in the process of planning. :rolleyes: A younger, less verbal child might simply start to push away from nursing due to the change in taste, resulting in an earlier weaning than you anticpated.

You mention that she's nursing 5-6 times per day, plus throughout the night. Most people in the West consider that to be full-time nursing at newborn levels. I don't mention this fact because I agree with it (because I most emphatically do not think that only nursing 6+ times a day is sufficient for a baby under a year old) but rather because researchers are looking at this amount of nursing when they make recommendations.

I have been where you are now and I may even know how you feel right now. You sound like you want to nurture your child in the best way possible, but you are probably also tired of carrying extra weight. I think you can have what you want, but you might not be able to have it as quickly as you were hoping. You might find that it is best to settle for a slower weight loss whilst preserving your breastfeeding relationship with your daughter.

If I was in the same situation (which I am not, so feel free to ignore me! :D), I would switch plans to something that is low carb without encouraging ketosis until your nursling is older. I would not wean - not that you're seriously considering it. The long-term benefits of breastfeeding to both you and your growing child are greater than any benefit derived from losing weight more quickly. I would tweak the carb levels in my diet so that I was losing no more than 6-8lbs a month. I wouldn't up my carb levels with pizza, but I would definitely add more vegetables and allow more carby veggies like tomatoes, carrots, low-glycemic fruits, and maybe even the odd bit of corn.

Again, as I pointed out earlier, this is what *I* would do, not what you should necessarily do. This is your choice that you need to make for both you and your daughter. I wish you all the best as you make your decision. :)

[HollyM_WA]

Thanks!!
You do know what I'm going thru. Besides the fact I don't want to wean--I really can't. She doesn't know how to sleep on her own at night. She never has taken a pacifier or her thumb.

I've actually increased my carbs and added berries and nuts. I'm still in ketosis--but gained 2 lbs this week!!

I'm thinking about forgetting the whole diet and go low-fat instead. Maybe I'm just depressed this week.

Holly

[MamaSara6]

Holly,

Nursing a 20 mo is a wonderful thing---congratulations! You got a great answer from Larissa; she really covered all the points! I'm with you, thinking that nursing a toddler is way different from nursing a newborn, which I think is what Atkins was thinking.

I started induction when my baby was 6 mo and boy did I lose my milk supply! She was so happy when I started adding carbs back! I'm sorry I did that to her, but after 13+ years of pregnancy and nursing and no weight loss, I was desperate. But I immediately went up to more than 60g per day and have been there ever since.

She is now weaned and just turned 16 months. Even though she was nursing 5-6 times per day, when we accidentally went 48 hours without nursing I DID NOT GET ENGORGED! I was shocked at how little milk she was actually drinking!

Anyway, as an experiment, you might try expressing some milk and dipping the ketostix in it to test the amt. of ketones. I'd do it several times a day if possible to see if there is a worse time of day. Also check your urine to see how they compare.

One last point....I don't mean this to sound harsh...in fact, I know what it is like to have a child that needs you to go to sleep....but children are very adaptable and they *will* adapt to any situation. If you decide to teach her to go to sleep on her own, she will do it. Of course, she will fuss and cry and make you feel horribly guilty, but if you stand firm, she will learn. We say that a child can't do this or that, but it is really because we don't stick to our guns!

I don't fault you at all for continuing to nurse her to sleep or try baby-led weaning---those are beautiful examples of loving parenting---but there may come a time when your needs outweigh the benefits of that type of parenting. For us, with 6 children, it finally got to the point where I couldn't do what I did with the other 5 and remain sane and meet my husband's needs at the same time. She gets plenty of lovin' during the day still, but she goes down with the other little ones now!

Good luck!

[HollyM_WA]

Thanks Sara!!

She is my 4th and last baby. My others nursed for only 9-12 mo. My only one who has ever co-slept. She doesn't have a room to go to. So her crib is in my room--but she's in my bed. I use it as a guard rail. We can't let her cry at night with us laying right there next to her.

I didn't think the ketostix would work with milk--because the stix are for urine. I will try them though. I actually tried to express some onto them and no color change. I may not have had enough milk on it.

My thing is I'm not losing any weight and gained 2 lbs last week. At least this week I stayed the same. I guess my body doesn't like nuts and strawberries. I'm trying to stay on induction--but because I'm nursing--it's probably not the best.

Holly

[MamaSara6]

Holly, our baby was in our room until just a couple of weeks ago. I started by putting her in the crib at bedtime---8ish---and she cried herself to sleep. That was one of the hardest things I ever did! She learned to go to sleep without crying very quickly. What a joy that was! I still nursed her in the middle of the night for a while. We did let her cry at night a couple of times---dh managed to sleep through it! But you couldn't do that if she's actually in the bed with you. Finally we just moved her into her brothers' room. Her clothes are with her 13 y/o sister (where we hope to move her in a few more months) and she sleeps in the room w/ her 2 brothers. It's crowded, but they actually seem to like having her there. And she still cries in the night and we'll bring her to our bed, but she doesn't ask to nurse. I think she just misses me!

[Ryansgirls]

Hi ladies,

I am new to this forum and actually joined because I wanted more info from other nursing mom on this WOE. I have a two month old girl as well as 3 other girls. Sara did you say you had 6? Bless your heart. We tried for that elusive boy still with no luck.

I decided to not do induction but drastically alter my carb intake when I found myself eatin 3 donuts one evening last week while reading my email. I have always been a big eater but never stuggled with weight until after I gave birth prematurely with our third child. Instead of loosing the extra 20lbs I gained an additional 20lbs.

It seems that I have been a carb binger every since then. I never in my life had wanted bread and sweets all day and night. Like I said I was a big eater but nerver a big carb eater until the past two years. This last pregnancy came at a point when I had resigned to lose the extra weight and I began working out regularly. I only gained 15lbs ( I normally average 50lbs per pregnancy) the entire pregnancy although eating the same as always and decided that I would have no problem with returning to my workout regimin and cutting back on calories UNTILL I weighed in at my 6 week postpartum visit 10lbs heavier than after I gave birth.

I have decided to kick out all of the refined sugars flours and most fruits. I have already lost 4 pounds since Tuesday. I'm not in ketosis but I have to belive that eating less carbs has to be far better for me and baby Olivia than the way I had been previously eating.

Anyone else have a nursling on LC? I'd love to know how you are progressing.
I

[redawn]

I too am a co-sleeping, late nursing mom. . .I loved that stage of my kids lives! I would think www.lalecheleague.org can answer your Q?'s about the whole low cal vs. low carb thing while nursing. . .don't be depressed. . .it is really a fleeting time. ~blink~ and it's gone. And if you are feeling like it is time to wean. . .than it is. . .it's on your schedual AND the baby's schedual. Takes two to tango! And have a nursing relationship! redawn:)

[oregano]

I don't know whether I am in ketosis or not -- but I think it's likely. My son is 2.5 and is a very verbal little guy. I've asked him several times about the taste of the milk since I've started low-carbing, and he says it tastes the same as ever. He has commented on the flavor in the past when I've eaten a ton of garlic, however, LOL!

I personally don't believe nursing while in ketosis is dangerous. Our paleo ancestors nursed their babies, of course, and I doubt they would have had very many carbs in the wintertime (or in some places, at all). We are 99.99% like them, so I figure not having a lot of carbs while nursing is just fine!

Best of luck to you. There's something really special about the relationship with a nursing toddler.

[HollyM_WA]

Today when I checked my urine--I was in high ketosis. My milk ketosis didn't even show up any color. I'm not too worried anymore about nursing.

My co-sleeping toddler will go to her crib and fall asleep on her own--when she's really tired. Last night---she did a "milestone"----climbed out of the crib!!! Everytime I put her back--she climbed right out. One time--while shewas crying --it sounded pretty close to us---she was standing at the door. So sad!! :cry:

I wish she had her own room. Her clothes are in her 3yo brothers room and that was the plan in the beginning--put her in there. Now we can't the way my son is. He's extremely aggressive/destructive, and would probably throw her out of the crib during the night. He won't even let anyone in his room. He's a handful!!!

Holly

[SaturnStar]

Hi Holly,
I am nursing my 22 month old about 3 times a day. Mostly once at naptime, once at night and very early a.m. (around 4:30am) like your child she's also a co-sleeper and only nurses for comfort. I have been averaging about 1 lbs a week, I am happy with that. I asked my pediatrician if I could start dieting to lose weight and she said go ahead, just don't take any pills or potions. If your weight loss is not radical I can't see what the problem is. Women lose weight all the time while nursing. What I am putting into my body now is a lot healthier than it used to be, I average about 30 or 35 carbs a day. Best wishes to you!
Saturn

[Deej]

I am in total awe of all you moms nursing your toddlers - way to go super moms! Over here in the UK you are kind of looked on as an alien from outer space if you are seen nursing a baby over the age of 12 months and I live in an area with particularly low levels of breastfeeding. There seems to be a national obsession with women mutilating their breasts to attain perfect mammaries and yet they think it's icky to use them for what they're supposed to be used for! It's so sad. I am currently breastfeeding my 3rd child and hope to continue until she's at least 18months old. She's 5 months old and has had 2 teeth since she was 12 weeks - ouch! she has a little bite to let me know when she's had enough milk.

I've read interesting stuff about obesity and links to non-breastfeeding. A recent study of obese adults in the US concluded that 95% of them had not been breastfed. Breastfed children are much much less likely to suffer weight problems, coronary heart disease and other health issues than their formula fed cousins. We are doing our children a great service by breast feeding them as long as possible, just like we are meant to. I think it's a real shame that the sexualisation of the breast in modern times and the cynical promotion of formula milk as a superior product has reduced breastfeeding so dramatically across the western world. It's a wonderful experience which I will always treasure.

[Yaelle]

I am also nursing and on Atkins. My baby is 4 months old. I researched it first. There is "somewhere" online a transcript of a speech Atkins himself gave before a woman's group in which he actually tells the women that Atkins while nursing is FINE for the baby, although in his books he does recommend NO WEIGHT LOSS PLANS for preg or nursing moms. I guess he had to say that in his book.

Well, what I decided to do was to proceed to OWL rather than do induction. I go for about 35-45 g carbs a day. I eat absolutely NO starches of any kind, but I eat veggies and also about 1-2 cups of fruit, almost always berries, a day.

Here is what happened to me: I lost 5 lbs right away, then slowly lost a couple more in about 2 weeks, and then took about 3 weeks more to lose 2 more. Kind of slow, but I am 11 lbs less than when I started, about 2 months ago. And I LOVE this way of eating. It is coming naturally to me now, and my LIFELONG cravings for cookies, etc. are GONE. When I see them now, I think "I know those taste good, but I don't personally want them." I never have to worry about willpower!

Anyway, I have also lost enough inches to lose one dress size (into 14s FINALLY).

I exercise by walking and not even enough of that. I plan to do more.

Oh, and my baby is well-fed, as anyone who looked at him could see. I breastfeed him exclusively around the clock. I do not check for ketones at all so I don't know if I am or am not excreting them. I eat HEARTILY all day long.

I will have an omelette with butter and whatever else I feel like throwing in (avo, cheese, etc.) for breakfast, a little bowl of berries and cream for snack, NACHOS for lunch (jicama cut into chip-like pieces and covered with grated cheddar and bits of jalepenos, them nuked), an Advantage bar for snack, and then a big hunk of some kind of meat for dinner with a nice salad. Dessert will be either more berries and cream OR "ice cream" (frozen berries with cream in the Cuisinart, I don't miss the sugar!).

Baby is thriving and has no tummy problems like other babies do. I am not as engorged as I remember being with my other two sons, and for that I am grateful. I always felt that I had too much, enough for triplets, and this time around, it seems to be just right. He always seems full after his meals. He sleeps through the night, waking only once to eat. I feel comfortable and not engorged.

I do drink the right amount of water; I can't imagine a nursing mom NOT drinking it because you are so thirsty all day and night!

Anyway, I believe you can do LC while nursing even a newborn for nutrition, just on the basis of how well it is going for me. I never intended to lose lots fast, but just not to gain. The truth is that I always lost the preggie weight right away and then GAINED 20 lbs due to the nursing HUNGER! This time around, I am losing weight, still eating a lot, but the RIGHT FOODS. G-d bless America! LOL.

Good luck to all my nursing LC Mommy buddies.

Yaelle

[Yaelle]

I just wanted to say that I too am a co-sleeping Mom and I too nurse through toddlerhood. I nursed my first son til he was 3 1/2! My second son nursed until 2 1/2. I hope to nurse this little guy long too.

I absolutely love sleeping with my babies and nursing them. They love it too, and seem so secure since nighttime never means separation for them. Mommy is always there, and I am glad I am able to provide for them in that way. Of course, the pay is bad and the hours stink, LOL. But I wouldn't trade it.

I always have to LOL at the people who think that nursing = automatic weight loss. For me before it meant automatic weight GAIN because I could eat a MOUNTAIN of bad stuff. There was one period after I had my first son when I literally ate about a box of cereal in a day. THinking about it now in terms of LC, I was like a pig fattening myself up for market.

Yaelle

[SaturnStar]

Yaelle - I know what you mean about nursing & weight, with my second child nursing, I was hungry ALL the time. I didn't gain any weight, but I certainly didn't lose any weight until I started low carbing last summer (not doing any specific program). With my first daughter I only could nurse 3 months (medical problems) and after that 3 months the weight fell off - my second baby is almost 2 and the weight has been a struggle, but is slowly but surely coming off. I have a question for you - you mentioned that you were nursing baby #3 and that all your babies were co-sleepers, my questions is: do your first 2 children co-sleep w/you now that they are older? My older daughter (she's 3.5) still sleeps with my husband & I and our youngest daughter. She has her own room w/her own bed, as does our youngest but they both prefer to sleep with us (22 month old still nurses once at night ). I love that they sleep with us - my oldest has a twin size mattress on the floor next to our queen size mattress (that is also on the floor) and it works out perfect. She has been told that she is welcome to sleep in our room for as long as she wants to. When I was growing up - we did not ever think to sleep in my parents bedroom, it was not allowed. I am so happy that my daughters feel that love & security that comes from co-sleeping.
It's funny, when my oldest spends the night at my parents they are more than happy to let her sleep in their room - funny how you change when you become a grandparent :)
Saturn

[redawn]

till I became pg with the 3rd. . .both daughters were in the bedroom with us. . .we needed a new mattress. . .so dh and d1 had the new queen and d2 and I had the old mattress. . .all of us in the same room. At age 4 for d1 and 2 for d2 . . .they got their own bed. . .a double which they shared. . .still co-sleeping with each other. I ended up singing to them for a half of an hour until they feel asleep. Now they all have their own room. When they are sick or have bad dreams they can come in. . .they rarely do anymore ~sigh~ my son (7yrs) had a fever about 4 months ago so I decided to sleep with him. . .I just like being close in case they need me when they are sick..redawn:)

[ernefam6]

I too, had found that same thing online, where Dr. Atkins said it was ok for nursing mothers. He did state that weightloss would be painfully slow though.... I have been doing my research too on this before I begin... I think that if you are drinking enough (i read to drink half of what you weigh..in ounces of water...), taking adequate vitamins, and eating well you should be fine. It can't be any worse than binging on BigMacs, supersize fries and cokes!! If anything, it would be healthier for you!! :baby:

[lynntexs]

Yea another nursing mom with a child older than 1!!! I nursed my 1st daughter until she was almost 3 and I am currently nursing my 2nd daughter and she is 21 months. I also co-sleep and nurse throughout the night. I did so much research and didn't find anything about ketones and nursing until I found this board! Thank you for all of the advice! I don't feel as bad now. Originally I was struggling with weight watchers and didn't lose anything I was eating total junk! I started low carb about 2 months ago. I was first on the south beach diet and lost about 6 pounds. I switched to atkins and I don't feel as if I am losing at all.. I try to stay below 20 grams but I eat nuts so I think I am going over a bit. I usually have about 30 pistachio's a day and some slivered almonds at night. I also drink an iced decaf coffee with a lot of cream so I may be adding on the carbs that way. Any advice? Should I follow induction more closely? That will probably help me more huh?
Thanks,
Lynn in Texas
(originally from NYC):yay:

[moth]

This is interesting information for me to stumble across, even though it's a bit late.

I made a judgement call by starting Atkins when my daughter was 20 months old. She is now 23 months and she's still nursing... perhaps once during the day, then 2-3 times while she is sleeping, when I don't really hear much swallowing. There have been no complaints about changes in the taste of the milk, either.

I made very sure to keep taking the prenatal vitamins regularly, if not religiously. I can't say if this has any effect on the milk, but my nails are growing at an annoying speed. If I cared for fingernails at all, I'd be pleased, but mostly they just collect the dirt when I work in my garden.

I actively want to wean my daughter so that she's off the breast just at age 2. This decision makes me somewhat sad, inside, but it seems like the best decision for everyone. Her latch has always been very shallow, which has caused many small abcesses and plugged ducts, not to mention just the general pain of being gnawed on.

Though I should mention that my situation is probably not standard -- I started seeing an endocrinologist, who is treating me for PCOS/Hyperinsulemia with Glucophage. Apparently he considered the risk to my health to be significant enough to go ahead with treatment.

Erin

[lynntexs]

I forgot to mention I also have a thyroid problem. Also, my daughter Devin nurses quite a bit at night but it is totally for comfort. I do hear her drinking though, so I know milk is coming out.:wiggle:

[Splendid]

I am really happy to see lots of extended BF Mamas here/ some co-sleepers too...
I just want to add that when I weaned my 30 month old son, i would have sworn he was getting almost no milk, he was latching on for 5 minutes twice a day. But when we weaned, I became reallu uncomfortably full of milk and was leaky. So obviously he was still getting quite a bit efficient nurser that he was. I nursed him while low carbing when he was about a year old, no noticeable difference in milk quality or quantity. I was deffinitely in ketosis. The toxin dumping does worry me. I wouldn't do a cleansing fast while nursing for instance...

Anyway I nursed for 6 years straight between the 2 kids. We are all done now. But I'm sending love and encouragement to you other lactivists.

[jaybird]

I am a breastfeeding mother myself. I did go on induction and I personally felt like my milk supply was cut back a bit. What I've done this month is cut out all grains and starches:no bread, potatoes or corn. I eat lots of fruits, veggies and nuts. I drink small amounts of raw milk, and eat lots of steak, ground beef, eggs, and cheese. I use real butter. Since August 1st I've lost about 7lbs, so I feel I am making good progress. There are some days when my carb intake is probably induction level, but I don't do it everyday. I've also added a small amount of exercise...I think it is helping my metabolism greatly. My baby is 6 months old now, and I think the breastfeeding is finally starting to help me lost weight (along with the diet and exercise of course). I think every woman is different thought, and I think you had a good point about the paleo people nursing their babies, etc. I'm following an almost paleo diet, but I'm eating some dairy in addition. Good luck! If Jakob was 20 months I think I would feel comfortable on induction at that point.

[moth]

Maybe this will help, maybe it won't: After eating a "normal" diet for the first 18 months of nursing my daughter, my blood albumin levels tested very low. Dangerously low, or something like that. Increasing the amount of protein I eat, and replacing those hollow carb foods with some more substantial protein-laden foods has done wonders for the state of my health. My daughter just turned 2 last week, and she is still nursing. I suspect there is about 10lbs of "baby weight" that just will not come off until I am no longer lactating. In the mean time, it makes sense that since making milk takes protein out of my body, high carb foods are just not going to give my body back what it needs.

[lynntexs]

[QUOTE] Thanks for your posts everyone! I am doing induction fully now. I have been on it for 2 weeks and I have only lost about a pound. But that is ok. I am still nursing and feel a lot better about it. Thanks again! Lynn

[Manya]

I am so thrilled that I found you ladies. I too am a breastfeeding, co-sleeper mom. I just started on Atkins last week. So far I have lost 8 pounds. I feel so much better than I have in a VERY long time. However, I am a little worried about spilling the ketones into my breastmilk. I have tested my breastmilk with the strips and while I have been registering at a moderate level since day 2 of induction, just yesterday did my breastmilk even register a trace. That really freaked me out and I have been on the Internet since my baby girl went to bed looking for information.

Apparently runners have this happen a lot especially during training for long distance runs.

My sweet DD seems happy and content. My milk has not seemed to deminish. DD is almost 10 months old and is eating table food and babyfood. I can not get her to take a bottle or sip from a cup. She just loves me too much to give me up. However, I was getting really depressed feeling like I had let myself go. I know from experience that low carbing is the only way that works for me.

I would like to keep up with each of you ladies that are actively BF'ing and low carbing. Maybe we can support one another and also pass along any info we find.

Hugs to all!

Manya

[zoemom]

Hi All,

I'm bf-ing a 13 month old daughter and am hoping to keep at it til she's at least 2. I have put on way too much weight since having the baby and need to start doing something about it. I'm worried about ketosis and bf-ing, though. I did Atkins years back and lost 60 pounds, so I'm pretty hooked on it. Planning to try a few extra carbs to keep weight loss without heavy ketosis. Any thoughts on what has worked well for you and your babies?

I don't want to be selfish and risk harming her with my diet, but I think my weight is impacting my ability to keep up with her. I'm so confused!!!!

I'd love to hear what you've done.

Thanks and I'm so glad I found all of you

zoemom
PS I posted this in three places because I am really hoping someone finds it. If that is not correct protocol let me know - I've never done this before! Thanks :)

[moth]

Looking back at these old posts makes me smile.

I ended up breastfeeding my daughter until she was almost 3. That means I would have been on a low carb diet for over a year (starting with 3-4 weeks of induction, if memory serves) before she was completely weaned. Perhaps it is because I started when she was already on some solid foods.... I honestly don't see that it's had any toxic effect on her.

There was some information floating around about how ketosis affects breastmilk. I'll see what I dig up. I do know that there was an article in Mothering (in 2002, maybe?) that put my mind at ease about medications and breastfeeding, which is why I was willing to try metformin.

Cheers,

Erin

[zoemom]

Hi Moth,

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it! My daughter is on solids too, which is why I thought it might be okay to start this up again. If you do find any info I'll certainly appreciate the help :)

Have a great night,
zoemom

[MasonsMom]

I've been low carbing and BFing for over a year now. My ds will be 2 in July. I also checked my bm and my urine with keto sticks and I never get ketones in my bm. :thup:

[zoemom]

La Leche League has a comment on their site about the fact that even moms in famine conditions produce nutritionally sound breast milk. That really put my mind at ease. I'm just eating extra veggies and some whole grains to keep from high levels of ketosis. I feel so much better healthwise when I follow the Atkins diet!

Have a great day!
zoemom :wave:

[MamaSara6]

I'm not sure that ketones in breastmilk would be toxic for babies. Just think of all the babies born to obese women who don't gain any weight during their pregancies--I knew quite a few of those---those babies grew on ketones!

I've nursed 6 babies for extended periods and my milk supply dwindled to practically nothing on 20 g carbs/day. Probably following a maintenance level of carbs (60-100) per day would be fine. Just make sure they are good ones! Brown rice, whole grains, sweet potatoes, etc. When I still followed the lc lifestyle and stayed off the sugar and refined products, my milk was fine. I still didn't lose much, but I certainly didn't gain---and baby did.

[tigersue]

I don't think all women who loose weight when pregnant, (I'm one of those), are producing ketones, I eat way too many carbs to be in Ketosis, you don't have to be in ketosis to loose weight.
As for breastfeeding, you do need a certain amount to keep up your energy. I wish I could have found the right amount for me, I could never get my cravings under control no matter what I did. I hope I can figure it out with this next baby, or I will end up where I started. I don't think ketosis will hurt the baby, I'm not sure how many ketones actually transport over to bm, but maybe it could effect the taste, I know lactic acid can. Eat plenty of protein and fats, that is really what makes bm anyway, babys have a harder time growing when mom don't eat enough of that.
Tanya

[zoemom]

I agree with both of you. I'm in mild ketosis and milk seems fine (at least, my baby isn't complaining about it...) both in supply and taste. I'm just keeping some healthy fruit and grain in my diet to make sure there is a balance. Congrats on the upcoming baby, tigersue!


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[My_3_Sons]

Just my two cents here:

I am 5wks post pregnancy. I stopped breastfeeding when I began my restart on inducting. At first I did not stop breastfeeding, but my milk supply did decrease tremendously when low carbing, and my doctor and pediatrician, said ABSOLUTLEY NOT TO LOW CARB AND BREAST FEED,as you are in ketosis your body is producing toxins within those ketones and the baby is getting the toxins. It is the long term affects that we must worry about.

On another note, a great friend of mine low carb thru her entire pregnancy, with 0 carbs everyday, her baby is not fine today. And her doc told her it was ok to low carb during pregnancy.

Its well worth some sound and multi opinionated advise.
Best of luck with you and lil one with whatever choices you make.