Will I be able to jog when I'm breastfeeding?

[theshooglypeg]

My first baby is due in March, and I was planning to sign up for a 5k in September to give me a goal to work towards for getting some fitness back. But it's just struck me that I might not be able to run if my boobs are giant and leaky. Is it realistic to expect to run once or twice a week while breastfeeding, or am I being silly?

Thanks!

Sports bra?
I've just taken up running. I breast feed a five month old. I have 34FFs.
They don't leak though.
I'd be more worried about your pelvic floor. But mine's okay.
Should be fine with the right gear.

You'll be fine! By the time you feel up for running your boobs will have settled down!! 5k is a nice distance to aim for and even if you only walk every day for the first couple months you'll soon get fit enough to do 5k, especially as the weather should be nice, (well we can hope!!).

Not simultaneously! :-)

I'm sure you will be fine.

I went back to the gym + treadmill when DD was 3 months old (I'd had a c-section so wasn't rushing). Running was fine and my cardio was fine.

But even at 3 months bf my boobs were still much bigger than when not bf. They didn't hurt or leak but even in a sports bra they felt Dolly Parton bouncy ! I lasted a couple of minutes that time. On my next visit I wore 2 sports bras and it was comfy again.

Thanks all! It sounds like it should be OK: I'm glad as I'm really looking forward to getting out for a run again. IHeartIona - I'm sure I could do it on a treadmill!

DD1 was a March baby and I was running 5k by the end of May (started running end of April, 1.5 miles to start with and gradually increased my distances).

I found wearing a supportive sports bra plus a top with a built in crop-top gave me good support. Also try to run after a feed so your boobs are emptier.

DD2 is 3mo now and I can't wait for the snow to clear so I can get out again!

i love your title!

you'd need a good sturdy sling

You should be fine, just make sure your bra is really good. I'm a 34GG at the moment and I never thought any bra could support them, but this sports bra is amazing. Well worth every penny!

No, the baby will fall off

Hee hee, the comedy thread title was entirely accidental but it does conjure up a funny image, doesn't it?! This is all very reassuring, thanks all.

you will be fine. get a couple of good sports bra when your breasts have settled (depending on bouncyness you might need to wear 2 at once). feed baby just before running.
good luck!

Hi, DS was a December baby & I was back playing hockey in the February. I wore a shock absorber, plus crop top and a tight t-shirt type thing underneath my kit so the boobs stayed in place. Managed alright apart from some away matches when I started to get a bit too full & had to rush straight back home after!
I was wary of people barging into me, but luckily being a bit of a sturdy girl that didn't happen too often.
Good luck with it all!

If you can summon the energy you will be fine!

A friend of a friend has just run a half marathon 4 months after giving birth to her 4th child. I think she's mental/amazing, but it seems it can be done!

I had to stop running at 7 months pregnant (normally running 3 times a week) and I struggled with running when breast feeding. Combination several factors - timing of runs and feeds (need to run immediately after a feed, exhaustion, being over weight, also shouldn't run too far for 3 months after pregnancy as easy to injure yourself as takes a while for relaxin levels to drop....not sure I'd have committed to a 5km run.

I'd say it would be fine, especially if you've got a good baseline level of fitness. I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill when my dds were tiny (gym had a creche) and didn't have problems. If you're training for 5k you'll only need to be out for half an hour or so at a time. Brisk walks with the pram/buggy would help you build up your fitness too.

Presumably the entrance fee for the 5k isn't very big so if you do have difficulty or don't manage to do it you won't have lost much. But it sounds like a good target to aim towards.

Thanks everybody, I'm going to go for it. Will report back in September!

Hiya I breastfed fully with DS and once I had recovered started a plyometrics (jumping) course to shift the baby weight I remember he was about 3-4 months at this point and with a good bra was fine!
I'm sure if you start slow and build it up you will be fine just make sure your stomach muscles are ok at your 6 week check.

I hope this works out for you, but just to add a note of caution....

I am a keen runner, and my problem was that my boobs were HUGE when i was bf-ing (36 F/G, iirc). I needed to wear 3 sports bras to keep them vaguely in place while i was running - which meant they dug into soft tissue, mostly under my arms i think, and i got blocked milk ducts and mastitis.

if i ran with less support, i got too much boob movement and bruises breast tissue. And mastitis again.

It was gutting and i had to wait until ds was hardly bf-ing before I could start running. However, my boobs really were huge and I was v prone to mastitis anyway for some reason. I missed running like crazy so I hope you do better than I did.

I hope this works out for you, but just to add a note of caution....

I am a keen runner, and my problem was that my boobs were HUGE when i was bf-ing (36 F/G, iirc). I needed to wear 3 sports bras to keep them vaguely in place while i was running - which meant they dug into soft tissue, mostly under my arms i think, and i got blocked milk ducts and mastitis.

if i ran with less support, i got too much boob movement and bruises breast tissue. And mastitis again.

It was gutting and i had to wait until ds was hardly bf-ing before I could start running. However, my boobs really were huge and I was v prone to mastitis anyway for some reason. I missed running like crazy so I hope you do better than I did.

I had 32GGs while BFing and running. I got a great sports bra from Bravissimo that kept everything where it should be!