Taking diet pills while breastfeeding

On November 12, 2011, in Tips & Techniques, by Nancy

breastfeeding and weight loss pillsNew moms often worry about losing weight as most of them will gain weight while being pregnant. Some mothers slim down gradually via eating and working out while other moms may use weight loss pills in order to lose weight.

Diet pills safety

Based on information from the Mayo Clinic weight loss pills are not controlled in the same way as medication.  Consequently while some weight loss supplements work well there are concerns that they could potentially cause harmful, negative effects.  For instance they state that Alli, a weight loss pill can harm the liver.  Ephedra as well as country mallow are the typical elements of weight loss pills that could be dangerous.

Effects on the child

The impact of weight loss pills on breastfeeding mothers with their babies have not been researched, because of safety considerations. As a result there is no way of knowing whether they are harmful or not. However it is known that what you eat passes to your baby via your breast milk and so we don’t recommend taking diet pills when breastfeeding as the effects are unknown.

Quick weight loss

The primary claim of numerous weight loss pills is quick weight loss or losing weight faster than eating just a healthy diet and exercise. Again quick weight loss is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers. The La Leche League points out that if a nursing mom sheds bodyweight over a few pounds in a 30 day period then environmental contaminants as well as pesticides which are trapped in body fat leak into the blood stream and then pass via the breast milk to the child.

 Nursing and stable weight loss

As outlined by La Leche League International, nursing moms lose weight quicker when compared with mothers that don’t nurse. You need additional calories to carry on providing sufficient breast milk to fulfill the newborn’s demands. The La Leche League points out that typically a nursing woman sheds between 1.3 and 1.6 pounds monthly during the first 4 to 6 months of the child’s life without the need of dieting, working out or using slimming pills. We will add that breastfeeding moms can diet reasonably and workout moderately to give a gradual weight loss if  combined with a well-balanced  diet.

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