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Breastfeeding mothers often wonder if it’s safe to get piercings or tattoos, to have their hair dyed or permed, to drink alcohol or go on special diets. Jennifer Peddlesen of Calgary, a pharmacist and lactation consultant, offers reassurance: “Most things, even most over-the-counter and prescription drugs, are safe while breastfeeding. Nature seeks to protect the baby from drugs and other possible contaminants in human milk and, in general, the body will limit the amount that is passed through to the baby.”
It’s not always medications that people are worried about, though. Peddlesen responds to some common concerns:
Intense exercise (such as long-distance running) “If exercise were a problem for breastfeeding, our species would have died out a long time ago,” says Peddlesen. “For many women in the past, what we’d call extreme exercise was just their daily lives, what they did to survive. I’ve worked with competitive athletes who had no difficulties with continued breastfeeding.”
Hair dye or perm “The chemicals from hair dye or perm solutions do not soak into your skin and get into your blood or milk,” Peddlesen explains. “The biggest problem may be that the baby won’t like the smell of the chemicals on your hair.”
X-rays “The radiation from X-rays does not stay in your body — it passes through you,” she says. “So regular X-rays are not a concern. Sometimes, though, you will be given something to swallow to make your stomach or intestines glow during the X-ray, and that is not safe, and you may need to stop feeding for a period of time (while still pumping to keep up your supply).”
Special diets Peddlesen reminds mothers who are anxious to lose any extra weight left from the pregnancy that breastfeeding is a pretty good weight-loss strategy. It may not be fast, but slow and steady is better for keeping the weight off anyway. Many nursing women find their bodies seem to hang on to a few extra pounds until after the baby is weaned, but then lose it quickly.
Considering becoming vegan while breastfeeding? Peddlesen’s one caveat is to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12 (from nutritional yeast or vitamin supplements, since it’s only found in animal products). Vegetarian mothers who eat a balanced diet including eggs and dairy should have no problems. She has more concerns about low-carb diets, which may be missing several important nutrients. “You will still make milk, but the mother’s body can become depleted,” Peddlesen says.
© Teresa Pitman
Used with permission
Originally published in Today’s Parent