Diving while nursing

[Patience]

I have taken a year long hiatus from diving, and now have an almost three-month old daughter who I am breastfeeding. I am planning to resume diving shortly. I have checked through the topics, and the consensus seems to be that it's safe to dive while nursing.

Does anyone have experience with this? Is it uncomfortable? Did it effect your milk supply?

 

[scubababe]

My son was older than your daughter when I began diving but I did spend 4 months diving and breastfeeding. There were no more problems diving and breastfeeding than doing anything else away from baby and breastfeeding.

Having breastfed 3 children here are my words of wisdom for you...

To keep your milk supply at its optimum - stay very well hydrated and relaxed.

Don't confuse the 3mo growth spurt for a drop/lost milk supply. They all go through it, so don't blame the diving or stop breastfeeding.

Time your dives and breastfeeds/expressing thoughtfully. I don't know what type of exposure suit you wear, but diving in a 2 piece 5mm wetsuit is awful with engorged/full breasts. So if you are going to be geared up for a while, or if it is a while since you fed or expressed, certainly consider expressing before gearing up. Personally I expressed for comfort and tossed it away, but my son was older and on solids as well as breastmilk.

When my son was older I went on a weekend liveaboard for my AOW. I had to express each day/night for my comfort, and I took some antibiotics with me because I knew that if I got mastitis onboard that I would be in a fair bit of pain by the time we got back. I didn't need them but I felt better that they were there.

So ... no it did not effect my milk supply. I wouldn't expect it to affect milk supply any more than going to the gym or to work. Just remember ... drink plenty of water, stay relaxed, if you are going to miss a breastfeed - express (both for your supply and your comfort)

As far as discomfort goes - just remember to plan not to get overly full breasts while you are geared up. You may find your exposure suit a bit of an annoyance if it is tight as you have only been feeding for 3 months, but I am sure you will either get used to it or sort it out.

 

[SDAnderson]

Won't the little tyke drown?

(Welcome back to the water.)

Steven

 

[FredT]

My wife breast fed both of ours though, as well as several kids at Texas Childrens Hospital. At that time they were just starting to do real research on breast feeding, and Texas Childrens hospital had just opened a milk bank. I built her a breast pump when our first was in neonatal intensive care for a couple weeks to help bring her milk in and to get breast milk to feed our premie James. The standard routine for both kids was that Jeanne would feed our kids, then pump to empty the reservoir and freeze the excess production in Playtex nurser bags for weekly delivery to TCH. Generally she produced what our kids needed plus a half gallon or more for the bank every day. Milk production is pretty much on a demand basis, so the more that is "used" the more the body produces.

When our son James was 6 months old we took a week long vacation to the Caymans. His grandparents came along as a shore crew. When we came up from the first dive the shore crew would bring the baby to the beach closest to where we were diving and the boat would bring us close enough to the beach Jeanne could swim in for the surface interval. Jeanne would meet the grandparents, feed James, then swim back out to join us for the second dive.

The only problem she had was that she hadn't tapered off pumping before we left, and didn't bring the pump. To say she had an oversupply on the second day would have been a major under statement. The third day she literally broke the zipper on her (well worn) wetsuit jacket during the first dive. Production tapered off a bit after the third day but she dove in a T-shirt for the rest of the week for her comfort, much to the delight of the male boat crew. She started pumping again after we got back and resumed "full production" in a couple weeks.

Obviously the"problem" didn't hurt him any. He graduates this December from USM with 2 BS degrees and a BA.

BTW travelling with a breast feeding woman and child is about the only thing I've found that can ease the way back through US customs.

FT

 

[Patience]

Thank you all for your comments. I am feeling much less anxious about getting back into the water now.

Since my first child is only three months old (well, she will be next Saturday) I am still fairly new to this nursing thing . . . and I don't want to jeopardize her health or well-being.

FredT, you and your wife should both be commended -- that's dedication.