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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Rosebud

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. 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! ), 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.

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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.

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!!

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