Breastfeeding Following Exercise Safe for Mom and Baby

Nursing after exercise is perfectly acceptable, and has been shown to have little to no effect on the baby. Studies of women who exercise showed no difference in the amount or composition of their breast milk, nor was there any effect on the rate of the babies' weight gain.

If you participate in extremely strenuous exercise, lactic acid may be present in the breast milk for 90 minutes following the workout. Light and moderate exercise do not generally cause an increase of lactic acid in milk. Regardless, lactic acid does not have negative effects on the nursing baby.

Finally, studies have not shown a difference in how a nursing baby accepts the breast following a mother's workout. Whether the exercise was moderate or strenuous, mothers participating in studies have no reported rejection of the breast following exercise.