Can You Take Pre-Workout While Breastfeeding? (Is It Safe)

Can You Take Pre-Workout While Nursing Your Baby?

Exercising can not only help new moms to lose weight, but it also keeps the body healthy and promotes normal functioning.

If you're a new mom that wants to start getting back into your training sessions, you may be looking at having a pre-workout drink to help with your workout performance.

So, the good news is that you can take pre-workout while breastfeeding. The things you should take into consideration when selecting your pre-workout products are tracking your caffeine intake, staying hydrated and always reading label instructions carefully.

1. Tracking Caffeine Intake

For breastfeeding mothers, caffeine intake is a big thing, and it is recommended to limit caffeine consumption, as it does pass through your breastmilk.

So how much caffeine can you take? Breastfeeding mothers should have no more than between 200 and 300mg of caffeine each day. While some babies can tolerate caffeine more than others, too much caffeine in pre-workout is never ideal.

To start, you can consider using a small scoop of pre-workout to see how your baby tolerates it. However, it's also important to keep in mind that pre-workout can often make you feel jittery, and this can be passed on to your baby.

Where possible, you should try and use a stimulant-free option instead. If you're using a stimulant-free pre-workout, you won’t need to be as cautious, but you should still start slow.

2. Stay Hydrated

Pre-workouts usually affect metabolism and provide you with a short burst of endless energy during a workout.

What this means is that you could be pushing yourself more as you’ve got better physical endurance. When you start throwing a training session or two in the mix, it's important that you've got sufficient fluid intake and are drinking large amounts of water to stay hydrated.

Dehydration is a common culprit behind a decrease in milk supply, so make sure that you're drinking plenty of water to avoid that. Breastfeeding moms should drink at least 16 cups of water each day.

3. Read Label Instructions Carefully

Most pre-workout supplements clearly state the ingredients (such as beta-alanine, green tea, sweeteners, etc.) on their labels, and you'll be able to know if there's too much or too little of a certain ingredient.

However, some proprietary blends do not disclose their ingredient ratios. Pre-workouts can contain plenty of ingredients, from artificial sweeteners to supplements, sweeteners, beta-alanine, and more.

Ensure you're always reading the label instructions carefully, so you know which pre-workouts to avoid. If you're not sure, you can always check out lists made by other moms on what the best pre-workout for breastfeeding moms are.

As a side note, ensure that you're never mixing pre-workout, taking more than what's recommended, and always ask a physician if you have any questions. You should also avoid alcohol when you're consuming pre-workout.

Pre-Workout Benefits For Breastfeeding Moms

While there are some things that you’d need to take into consideration, there are benefits to taking pre-workout while breastfeeding.

These include:

Ultimately, exercise may also help with early recovery from changes during pregnancy and delivery.

The burst of energy that breastfeeding moms get from pre-workouts are better than from energy drinks.

Pre-Workout Side Effects For Nursing Moms

While there are benefits to consuming pre-workout while breastfeeding, there are also some negative pre-workout side effects such as:

In addition, there can be certain instances where the pre-workout supplement doesn't label its ingredients in detail, so it is crucial to choose products from trusted companies.

If you ask me, I would recommend Transparent Labs because it offers a stimulant-free pre-workout, which may be more suitable for women who are breastfeeding and should avoid stimulants. 

Still, the benefits of enhanced energy and focus during workouts will still be present.

5 Safest Supplements For Breastfeeding Moms

You can take a pre-workout supplement or two while you’re breastfeeding.

If you're looking to add some pre-workout supplementation to the mix, here are a few recommendations.

Related Article - What To Look For In Pre-Workout

1. Whey Protein

Protein is essential for maintaining a healthy body, and as it's already a part of your regular diet, a supplementary dose wouldn't hurt.

Just make sure, however, that you're monitoring your little one as he or she may not be able to process the extra amounts of protein as quickly, and this could lead to an upset stomach.

2. Creatine Monohydrate

Another supplement that’s a great building block for muscle growth, Creatine Monohydrate helps bind protein to the muscle tissue and help it recover at a faster rate.

It generally helps with muscle fatigue and is a dietary supplement amino acid that's extremely popular. While it shouldn't affect your child in any way, you should always exercise caution.

3. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)

Like Creatine Monohydrate, this is another group of amino acids that helps with sore muscles and hitting your fitness goals.

If you compare BCAAs vs pre-workouts, BCAAs is excellent for reducing daily fatigue while pre-workout is great for instant energy boost.

It comes with minimal negative effects but make sure that you're paying attention to your child's behavior and monitor their overall health.

4. B Vitamins

There has been scientific evidence that B Vitamins help breastfeeding moms regain energy. Some of the more common B Vitamins taken include B1, B2, B5, and B3.

These are supplements that are fine to take since they contain natural ingredients that are safe for both you and your baby.

5. Pre-Workouts With Small Amounts Of Caffeine

Pre-workouts with caffeine are generally not recommended as the caffeine transfers through the breast milk to your child, and this could lead to potentially dangerous complications.

While you shouldn't consume large amounts of caffeine, pre-workouts with minimal caffeine content are alright. Make sure that you're also taking that coffee you're drinking every morning into consideration!

If you don't drink coffee, you'll likely be given the green light to use pre-workout, but avoid pre-workouts with caffeine extract or any form of caffeine if you’re treading dangerously close to your maximum consumption.

Related Article - What Is Stim Free Pre-Workout?

3 Supplements Nursing Moms Should Avoid

While the above supplements can be used in moderation, here are some supplements that breastfeeding women should avoid.

1. Fat Burners

Fat burners are supplements that typically contains ingredients such as caffeine and ephedra to assist with athletic performance.

As mentioned above, excess caffeine can be detrimental to your child's health. Ephedra, on the other hand, is not on the FDA-approved ingredients list as it contains drug-like effects that resembles a shot of adrenaline.

When taking supplements, you should also avoid weight loss supplements as you shouldn't be in a calorie deficit. Your little one should be gaining weight during this period of time and not losing weight.

Read More - Fat Burners Vs Pre-Workouts

2. CBD And Essential Oils

While they are two separate things, both CBD and essential oils are on the same controversial list. Even though there might be research out there about the positive effects of both, there isn't sufficient research pertaining to the effects of CBD on breast milk.

Essential oils are the same, where extremely concentrated versions are known to have adverse effects which are not ideal.

3. Airborne And Emergen-C

Dietary supplements such as Airborne and Emergen-C are not recommended while breastfeeding. There aren't sufficient studies to show their effectiveness and safety, and the dosage within these supplements exceeds the recommended dose. [1]

If you're worried about getting ill, it's best to take a probiotic and focus on having a healthy diet that's focused on the nutritional value of your ingredients.

Special Considerations For Nursing Moms & Fitness

Below are some other things to take into consideration for nursing mothers and fitness.

Listen To Your Postpartum Body

While it might be tempting to jump right into a sweaty workout - especially if you’re worried about dealing with a postpartum body, it’s important that you’re listening to your body and what it needs.

With a baby, you'll be juggling a busy schedule, and the last thing you'd want is to tire yourself out and add increased stress because you feel the need to incorporate a workout.

Instead, focus on healthy living and eating a nutritious diet.

If You’ve Had a C-Section

If your child was born through a cesarean section, you’ll need to wait for your scar to heal before you start setting up a workout plan again.

The last thing you want is to start working out again and for it to cause unnecessary complications such as potentially accidentally reopening your scar.

If You Didn’t Exercise During Pregnancy

While exercising does help with both a healthy mind and energy levels, if you haven’t done a workout for a prolonged period of time, it’s best to take it easy.

Rather than jumping right into a workout, start by incorporating light resistance band exercises into your routine.

Avoid overexerting yourself as it could cause more harm than good.

If You Are Training For An Event

If you’re training for something specific, there’s nothing wrong with exercising, but you need to ensure that you’re staying hydrated.

Being dehydrated can mess with your bodily functions - especially your milk supply.

You should also try to take note of the buildup of lactic acid within your body and avoid going for an insane push during your workout.

While not proven, some mothers have claimed that the extra lactic acid ends up making breast milk taste more sour.

Safe & Easy Workouts For New Moms

Workouts can help with increased energy, so there’s nothing wrong with incorporating it within your day. Here are some tips on safe and easy workouts for new moms [2]:

Learn More - Easy At-Home Workouts For Busy Moms

Frequently Asked Pre-Workout & Breastfeeding Questions

Conclusion

You can absolutely work out while breastfeeding, and in fact, there are many positive effects from doing so.

When it comes to having a pre-workout while breastfeeding, however, make sure you’re taking the ingredients within the pre-workout supplements into consideration.

If you're sure it's safe for your child and have consulted the necessary medical professionals, there's nothing wrong with pre-workout supplements while breastfeeding.

References: 

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/breastfeeding-vitamins#airborne-and-emergen-c
2. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/6-exercises-for-new-moms