LapBand and Breastfeeding

[hopebegins]

Hi Everyone,

I am just 10 days away from my LapBand Surgery. I have two small babies - a 16 month old and a 10 week old. I am breastfeeding my newborn and hope to continue until she is a year old. Are there any ladies out there who have had the LapBand surgery when they had small babies? Could you lift your babies the day after the surgery and do all the care for them? Also, has anyone breastfed after having the LapBand - does it decrease your milk supply?

Thanks for your time,

Dalaina

[crazycoolbutterfly]

Aaaawwww, nursing....brings back memories! Well, to answer your question, no. I had the lap band after nursing my youngest. However, I will say that you won't be able to lift your children right after surgery, especially your older one.

Although the lapband is normally done laserscopic, it is a major surgery and therefore you will have lifting restrictions as well as exercises restrictions. As for breastfeeding, I would naturally assume that your milk may slow down a bit, just because you won't be eating as much. Now, on the other hand, if you were like me that milked more than enough with or without eating, you won't have that problem.

I would suggest in that aspect to pump your milk and have some one feed your baby, if possible. If it isn't possible, then sit on the bed and prop a pillow up for your baby to lay close to you and then nurse. Or you could lie on your side, your right side because your left will be in pain due to the port, and nurse your baby that way. In case you do have a slower milk due to eating changes, try pumping even when your child is NOT hungry to bring in your milk for the next feeding.

Hope this helps your situation. Take care and best of luck for you!

[Lindsay]

I would talk to a doctor and a nutritionist about your caloric requirements if you're breast feeding.

I know it's different if you're nursing restricting normally not recommended during that time period.

Your babies need the nutrients, which come through you.

Here's a great thread on breast feeding and the lapband - this forum is full of amazing information.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/tags/breastfeeding.html

Basically, they're saying that keeping calories a bit higher (1600+) to ensure you're getting the proper amount of nutrients, you're good to go.

I would really speak with a nutritionist, who can help you calculate the approx ratios of what you need.

Because a lot of diets for the first 21 days are liquid, i would be concerned about getting enough of everything. The first 7 days is clear liquids, which is basically broth - pretty much zero nutritional value there.

I would also ask about the anesthesia, and breast milk.

I've read that it shouldn't interfere, but I would detest that and worry as a parent ..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10900494

I found that for me, I wasn't really able to walk my 3 dogs properly for a good week after surgery.

I also wasn't able to lift my little fatso boston terrier up on the bed for a good 5 days.

Bending over is still difficult every so often, and I'm 8 days out.

Just to give you an idea