Exercise and Breastfeeding

While nursing moms are giving their newborns nourishment, they may be forgetting about their own needs. New mothers who breastfeed their babies may need to exercise more to make up for a temporary bone loss caused by calcium depletion. This bone loss, though temporary, may contribute to osteoporosis later in life.

Researchers measured bone mineral density in 20 women 4 to 20 weeks postpartum and found that those who didn’t exercise lost around 7 percent of their lower-spine bone density.

The study released by the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that strength training -especially- can slow bone loss during lactation. In fact, women who combined strength training and aerobic exercise three days a week kept their lower-spine bone mineral density loss to just 4.8 percent – as compared to that 7 percent loss in the non-exercising group of women.

The lead researcher said that women transfer around 200 milligrams of calcium per day from themselves to their breast milk, putting them at risk for bone depletion. And while bone mineral density usually returns to normal when women wean their infants, the regular exercise routine may provide additional bone protection.

An added plus to regular weight bearing exercise…. it also helped moms trying to shed weight after their pregnancy.