By Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC
Some women have recently voiced concern about not having enough milk for their babies on Yom Kippur, but in the majority of cases, healthy women will produce more than enough milk for their babies. (Unless a woman has an eating disorder or major medical condition).
Why? Because breast milk is made from your blood. The Gemara states, “That Hashem makes a chessed and turns the breast milk from red to white so women are not repulsed by breastfeeding their babies.” Even modern scientific research backs this statement. Our blood is replenishing itself every day and every hour.
When a woman is pregnant, her body begins storing nutrients throughout the pregnancy for the future production of breast milk. The milk your baby receives is from nutrients that have been stored in your body weeks before. Those calories you have eaten weeks ago are the fuel to make breast milk production. It’s not what you eat for breakfast becomes your babies’ lunch. What science has found is that even if a woman stops consuming dairy products, we can still find whey protein for up to six weeks after she has stopped ingesting milk products.
Below are quotes from clinical research.
A meta-analysis examining research from around the globe found that only when famine or near-famine conditions last for many weeks does a formerly well-nourished mother’s milk production or milk quality starts to suffer (Prentice, Goldberg, & Prentice 1994).
· Breastfeeding research tells us that short-term fasting will not decrease milk supply, but that severe dehydration (over many days) can begin to decrease milk supply.
· Mature breast milk is perfectly designed and contains water, fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, and amino acids. It also contains white blood cells, antibodies, enzymes that is taken from stores in the woman’s body. If a woman fasts, the body will ‘borrow’ the nutrients needed from her personal fat stores and muscle tissue.
· A mother’s current diet is only one source of the energy and nutrients she needs to make breastmilk. Energy (calories) and most of the nutrients in breastmilk are also drawn from the stores laid down in the body during pregnancy, and every time you eat.
· Yes, it is safe to fast while breastfeeding. Your body will produce enough milk to satiate your baby. This happens because your body tunes to the new way of burning calories to produce milk. Your body is capable of producing milk for your baby even if you do not eat anything for 24 hours.
Tips for easy fasting:
1. Eat a high protein diet days before the fast.
2. Hydrate with fruits (not just water) like smoothies.
3. Eat as many greens as you can.
4. Vegetable soups are also suggested with as many-colored vegetables as possible (a rainbow soup-onions-red, yellow and white. Also carrots, broccoli, squash, cauliflower, green beans, and beets).
5. If you suffer from a medical condition, please consult your Doctor and Rav (preferably in advance and not as late as Erev Yom Kippur).
Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC, RH (AHG) is the only frum Master Herbalist in the United States. She has been featured in international media teaching people how to safely integrate alternative medicine with conventional medicine. She is also a Lactation Consultant and has helped over 28,000 babies nurse. Her book, “MOODTOPIA: Tame your moods, de-stress and find balance using herbal remedies, aromatherapy and more” has been a bestseller on Amazon.com. She can be reached at sarachana.com or [email protected]
That’s wonderful, the first time I fasted while nursing I crawled to get food afterwards. And no I don’t suffer from any medical conditions. From then on I got heter‘s . Once I stopped nursing, fasting has been fine.
Breast milk is primarily composed of water, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Each of these nutrients plays a role in contributing to infant growth and development.
When I fasted with my first, I ran out of milk toward the end of the fast, my baby was starving. Bh I was able to get some formula. Please be prepared with expressed milk or formula, and speak to a rav about the shiurim in case you get to that point.
Basically, the baby won’t suffer during the fast, it will still get all the milk/nutrients it needs.
The pregnant/nursing mother, however, will suffer more than any other fasting person, because she is fasting and all her extra energy reserves are not going to herself (as they would any other fasting person), in her case, they are going to her baby first!
So take care of all pregnant/nursing women around you because the fast is very difficult for them!
Not convinced about the effectiveness of this article. After nursing 7 children BH and fasting on YK and 9th Av whilst nursing the reality was extremely different to what this article proposes. Not to be taken lightly and yes speak to your rov beforehand for a heter instead of waiting till your fainting and baby is yelling hungry.
Ms Silverstein does not address the very real problems that I often see after a fast and that is dehydration and mastitis in the mother. So I’m sorry to disagree with the idea that fasting is perfectly safe for lactating mothers. Certainly those with a history of mastitis should not fast but it’s common enough for me to recommend that all lactating mothers should drink at least 1.5 liters of fluids in small but frequent amounts over the day and rest in bed. (Im happy to discuss with any Rav.) As for supply, again, despite Ms Silverstein’s learned opinion, I… Read more »
Sorry but the reality is that many women do run out and have starving babies screaming because no one told them to prepare formula or pumped milk before. It’s down right irresponsible to tell women they’ll be fine, every nursing mother should have backup formula or pumped milk if they prefer, especially on Yom Kippur when theyir husbands are in shul and you can’t pick up a phone or carry to get food for your baby.
I have kah 11 kids who I nursed even whilst fasting for TSha BAAV & Yom Kippur. Firstly, as I know from personal experience my babies were hungry during the day as my milk which was coming in was not enough to sateate the baby. BH a week before the fast I stated pumping and freezing my milk so I had enough for my hungry baby. So now I tell all my nursing relatives to either pump or buy formula in advance …. Otherwise you might have a screaming, starving extremely unhappy baby on Yom Kippur!!