The Boob Business Podcast by Milk Diva

EP 52: Safe Skincare, Fillers, And Weight Loss While Nursing

• Naiomi S. Catron R.N., IBCLC • Season 1 • Episode 52

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Want the glow without risking your flow? We dive into the beauty and body questions breastfeeding parents ask most and bring receipts from the InfantRisk Center so you can make confident, evidence-based choices. From cosmetic fillers and microneedling to topical retinoids and modern weight loss strategies, we separate local skin treatments from systemic exposures, explain what actually reaches milk, and call out the real-world factors that matter more than hype.

Some of the Topics Covered:

• why dermal fillers stay local and don’t reach milk when injected properly
• microneedling prep, numbing creams, and safe post-care serums
• topical retinoids hierarchy from cosmetic retinol to prescriptions
• oral retinoids to avoid due to systemic exposure
• calorie needs that include the cost of making milk
• hydration truths vs sports drink myths
• gentle return to exercise and pelvic floor priorities
• why GLP-1 weight loss drugs raise supply and nutrition concerns
• realistic timelines for fat loss while protecting infant growth

Links to InfantRisk Center articles and calculators:

https://www.infantrisk.com/content/cosmetic-fillers-and-breastfeeding-what-you-need-know

https://www.infantrisk.com/content/microneedling-while-breastfeeding-what-you-need-know

https://www.infantrisk.com/content/retinoid-skincare-and-nursing-what-new-moms-should-know

https://www.infantrisk.com/content/we

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This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice.

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SPEAKER_00:

Hey there guys. Welcome to the Boob Business Podcast with me, the original MilkDiva. I am a former labor and delivery nurse and a board-certified lactation consultant in Austin, Texas. I'm the owner of MilkDiva Lactation. And I'm also the author of best-selling book called Milk: Finding Your Flow and the First Few Weeks of Breastfeeding. This podcast is all about pulling back the curtain of all the things in breastfeeding in birth land. And so we're just going to talk about insider things people don't usually talk about in an unscripted fashion. So let's just jump right in, okay? Hey, hey, hey. Today we're going to be talking about things to keep us beautiful and if they're safe for breastfeeding. So I am going to put this out there that this is not my own information. I'm getting from my own brain. I'm going to share with you the resources. I'm getting this information from. I'm going to put the resources in the show link so that you can discuss them with your doctor. Please understand you should not be getting medical advice from a podcast. You should discuss it with a medical professional, your medical professional. But I am going to give you information so that you can start the deep dive on what kinds of things you can and, you know, maybe should or should not be considering while you are breastfeeding, right? So I'm going to talk about, let's see, cosmetic fillers with breastfeeding, microneedling with breastfeeding, retinoid skin care with breastfeeding, and weight loss and lactation section with breastfeeding. So let's start with cosmetic fillers. I am going to tell you I'm actually getting this information from the Infant Risk Center. So I'm going to read a little bit about what this is, and of course, there's going to be research and citation for each of the things I'm going to talk about. But the Infant Risk Center was founded in 2011 by Dr. Thomas Hale. He's a renowned expert in breastfeeding and maternal medications. The Infant Risk Center of Excellence, Excellence, excuse me, abbreviated as IRC, is an established international leader in lactation pharmacology. Dr. Hale's groundbreaking work, which began in the late 1980s, focused on the transfer of medications into breast milk and has laid the foundation for safety protocols that highlight the life-saving benefits of mother's milk even in the presence of maternal medication. Located at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine in Amarillo, Texas, the IRC serves as a globally recognized resource dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals and mothers worldwide. So the infant center, the infant risk center's mission is to support the health of moms and babies through the creation and translation of breastfeeding medicine research. Through its commitment, they continue to advance the understanding of lactation pharmacology and its implications for maternal and infant health. They have a call center that you can call healthcare providers, physicians, nurses, and lactation consultants can call, and they can get expert guidance on medication safety. Each consultation typically addresses multiple medications, averaging about three to four drugs per call, with the primary goal of access of assessing the risk of infant exposure while promoting and encouraging safe breastfeeding. The reason I put that out there is because if any of you are healthcare professionals and you're not sure if a drug is safe for your breastfeeding client, please don't just give them random information and tell them to pump and dump. Instead, call the infant risk center. So I want to put that out there. And this is where I'm going to be getting a lot of the information today. And you can just Google the Infant Risk Center and their information and their phone number will come up. So let's start off with talking about cosmetic fillers. If you're not sure what a filler is, that's the injections that will smooth out wrinkles and fine lines. And of course, the milk diva would be talking about that. I don't get fillers, but like I am a diva, and I am gonna like probably get, you know, as I get older, probably some, I don't know, like I do, let me see. Right now I use a neurotoxin for in between my lines, uh in between my eyes right here. I'm pointing, um, and I'm gonna tell you a true life story. So during COVID uh 2020, when we were, you know, doing COVID, I worked in the hospital. I'm gonna put this, I'm gonna put this thing up. Working in the hospital. And here, just imagine all you can see is this on my face. Like I'm wearing a mask, and all you see is this. Not the milk diva. Let's turn this around. You just see my eyes. You just for I'm in the mic, so I should talk to the mic. All you can see is my eyes. You can't see anything below it. And so my facial expressions, I just always had RBF. Um, because my face would like contort like this all the time. Like my eyebrows and the lines between my people would just say stuff and I would just look crazy and mean. And so I was like, I need to get myself some Botox for the lines between my eyes because I just look mean all the time. You most of y'all probably have beautiful, pleasant, happy faces, but I was not always so pleasant looking, working 12 and 13 hour shifts in COVID, you know, covered in plastic, trying to deliver a baby or start someone's IV because they were COVID positive and I can't see and we can't hear. And, you know, you have all the stuff on your head and your face and your and my ears hurt so much that I just always had a cranky little look. And so, yeah, I started getting neurotoxin right here. Not I was not breastfeeding, just saying we should just talk about it. And here we go. But that is currently the only thing that I have done. But I, if I was a breastfeeding mom, I have a lot of clients who ask me all sorts of questions. I've been asked if they can start spray tanning, if they can do um weight loss, the injections, um, let's see, um, collagen, um, d'sderma type fillers, Botox, ask lots of questions about weird vitamins and creatinine and things like that. So today we're gonna chat about some of the things that y'all just asked me, so I'm just gonna tell you. So cosmetic fillers restore volume in areas like the cheeks or under the eyes. They can plump lips. A lot of people, you know, get their lips like more full with filler. Um, it's injected just under the skin so it can stay in place to create a smoother, more youthful look. Um, and so just kind of depending on what filler you select, certain fillers are used for different parts of your your face. They're not they're not one size fits all. So each type of filler has a distinct property and uses and safety considerations, just so that you know. Um, the question here is are fillers safe while breastfeeding? So this is what the infant risk center says. Us and quotes, okay? This is not my words, this is their words. They get all the credit. Infant Risk Center, and I'm putting their link in the show notes of this article. A substance must first enter the bloodstream for it to enter breast milk. Dermal fillers are injected locally and stay in the tissue where they are placed. When administered properly, fillers are not absorbed into the bloodstream, so they do not transfer into the breast milk. Um, parentheses Alamma 2021. Um, the short story: you don't need to delay breastfeeding after getting fillers. You can continue nursing as usual right after your appointment. For more information on fillers, keep reading. So that's their words, not mine. Um, most common fillers and what we know about them are hyaluronic acid brands like Juvederm, Restilin, Bellotera, Evelise. Um, hyaluronic acids are naturally occurring sugars or a polysaccharide and they attract and retain moisture. And so these hyaluronic fillers stay in the ejection site and slowly are broken down by enzymes, and they're cleared through a natural process. They do not enter the breast, uh, the bloodstream or the breast milk. And that citation is from Becker 2009. There is a product called Evolice or Evolise, and it does contain a small amount of lidocaine to help with pain and bruising and swelling. However, the amount of lidocaine is not enough to warrant specific wait times after injections. So that's something that you should know. Sounds like hyaluronic acid fillers, like the brands mentioned above, are safe while you're breastfeeding. There's another kind of uh uh filler I probably cannot pronounce. It looks like calcium hydrolapatite, and it's um one of the brands is REDES radi I don't know, R-A-D-I-E-S-S-E. And it's used for deeper wrinkles and volume loss in cheeks and the and the jawline. It's made from a synthetic version of a mineral found in bone and suspended in gel. So breastfeeding safety, it says here, um, where it stays where it's injected and it slowly breaks down into calcium and false and phosphate ions, minerals your body knows how to handle uh in the breast milk, and it's um that citation of pavic pavic in 2013. So side effects are similar to the hyaluronic acid fillers mentioned above. Um there's another kind of filler, PLLA filler, something called like sculptra. Once again, they're saying that that is naturally metabolized. It does not circulate into the bloodstream, so it cannot transfer into the milk. Citation Herman 2018. Um, so yeah, just I'm gonna put the link to this particular um article in the show notes if you want to learn more and you know side effects and what do you want to do if you want to dissolve the filler and you know, what about getting filler into the bloodstream and and things like that? There's more information, but choosing the right provider matters. You want to make sure that you're you're uh getting an experienced person and they're not accidentally putting this product in a place where it can touch your your bloodstream. But hyaluronic acid fillers are considered the safest and the most studied option. And so there you go. That's the information on filler. Let's jump over to um talking more about uh microneedling while breastfeeding. I know a lot of people ask questions about microneedling, so I'll also link this article. Um, and so microneedling, if you're not sure, it's like these tiny little needles that sometimes have serum to help um bring nutrients and you know boost collagen into your skin. So the idea is if you create these tiny fine little um not incisions, but tiny little um traumas to the skin, then your body sends more collagen to fix that area and it gets plumper and nicer and more youthful looking with more elasticity and helps to um reduce, you know, it helps us make the skin look firmer and more useful. You know what? I did do microneedling once. So I can't say that's the only thing I haven't done all these, I haven't done all the things, but I did microneedling. So people use it for acne scars, for enlarged pores, for fine lines and wrinkles, for melasma, from uneven, for uneven skin and texture, uneven skin tone and texture. So you also have to use they use numbing cream on your skin for this. So just just know that that's a thing. Um you know the question is, you know, is it safe for breastfeeding? That's what most people, you know, want to know. So let's let's kind of talk about. Um it says here micro needling, you know, is pretty popular, you know, and they want to discuss what the current safety during lactation says about microneedling. Um as very little downtime, generally speaking, just so that you know. Um, so when it comes to the skin prep, they usually just clean your face with some non-irritating gentle cleanser followed by an antiseptic solution like chlorohexidine or alcohol to disinfect the area before they start doing the treatment area. And this is what we use when we do C-sections on you. We we prep the skin so that it's um free from bacteria. And so these part, this part is safe. The prepping of the skin is safe for breastfeeding mothers. The things that they put onto your skin don't go into your bloodstream. Um, and it says they should not, these cleaning agents should not be applied directly to the nipple or areola, as this may pose a risk to infant ingestion and potential irritation. But putting this alcohol or this chlorohexidine on your skin is not going to cause a problem for breastfeeding. The numbing cream is a lidocaine-based numbing cream, and it says that is compatible with breastfeeding, but it's important to avoid applying it over the nipple or the areola, and that makes sense. Um, and so these nipple creams, or excuse me, these numbing creams are both safe and effective for breastfeeding mothers undergoing microneedling. The citation there is CUBA 2016. The procedure itself, like once your face is numbed up, takes about 20 to 40 minutes. Um, and they might use some topical treatments afterwards to help uh heal and reduce inflammation. Um, things like vitamin C serums are often used to brighten the skin, to reduce hyperpigmentation and support collagen production. And it is considered safe during breastfeeding and has a very low systemic absorption when applied to the skin, resulting in minimal to no transfer into the breast milk. So this makes it a low-risk option for lactating mothers. And the citation there is Butler 2014. It also has here here listed transnemic acid serum. And it says this is a serum that might be applied to your skin or might be given to you to go home after this procedure. Um, and it says that less than 1% of maternal plasma concentrations when they use this on the skin, it said pharmacokinetic studies of intravenous form of this serum showed that breast milk levels are less than 1% of maternal plasma concentrations, indicating minimal infant exposure. Topical use, because remember, this study was done on IV use, topical use is expected to result in even lower absorption, making it safe, safer for lactation, for lactating mothers. Um and so vitamin C serums and transagnemic acid serums are products that could be used after their procedure. You don't have to use them, but if they're recommended or they put them on your skin, you want to know what they're putting on their skin so you know the safety levels of those things. There's also other creams, creams that might be recommended, like hydroquinolone creams. Um, you know, you just kind of want to do your research. Read this article to learn a little bit more about that. But due to lack of data, you know, there's not an ideal choice. That's probably not the ideal choice for you to use because we don't really know if hydroquinone absorbs or passes into the breast milk at this time. So maybe limited use or one-time use would be okay, but we probably are not going to be using that on a regular basis. And that's the recommendation from the infant risk center. Um, after the procedure, the skin's probably gonna look a little sunburned for a couple days. Um, you cannot use makeup for at least 24 hours, and you'll get all this information from your esthetician if you decide to do this. Um, but most people are doing this procedure on your face or not doing it on your breast area. Um and we we just, you know, probably want to get some extra opinions and talk with different doctors if you are getting microneedling done to the breast area. Um, but we would want to prevent maternal skin infection if you're getting microneedling done on your breast area. And we want to make sure we are not having any microneedling done on the nipple or areola. So it's a little bit about microneedling. We um I would probably start with a smaller area, not doing like your whole back or your whole abdomen or your whole trunk. Maybe, you know, people usually do it on their face. Um side effects are mostly like on the skin, redness, swelling, uh, skin dryness or flake or flaking. Um, but microneedling offers, you know, it says here it offers a great low risk option for postpartum skin and hair concerns, even when breastfeeding. And the procedure works locally on the skin with minimal systemic absorption and little to no impact on breast milk. So, with the right precautions, microneedling can be safe and confident boosting treatment for new moms. So that's just something to know. I do want to put this little side note out here. If you're spending money on these things, I hope to God you have spent the resources on getting a good lactation consultant to make sure that you can meet your long-term breastfeeding goals. So um I just want to put a little plug out there that save your money for your lactation consultant and your skin and your beauty will come next year. You probably don't need any of these things if you're young and beautiful, just the way that you are. But I know I get these questions, so I just wanted to put that out there. Um, the next topic we're gonna jump to is retinoids. So if you've heard like a retinoid cream, retin A cream, you can get these things over the counter. They have, you know, these synthetic versions and they have naturally occurring versions of retinal products. So let's kind of read about that and see if that might be a match for you. Um, retinoids are sometimes used for acne, for skin rejuvenation, for photoaging, like if you have five line, fine lines or issues with your skin texture or pigmentation. Sometimes um psoriasis also can help reduce scaling of plaque formation. So it's actually vitamin A. That's where it's derived from. And so we want to be careful that a mom doesn't take excessive doses of vitamin A because they're gonna be too much vitamin A in her system already. And then if there's too much vitamin A in the milk, too much vitamin A and retinol are kind of synonymous, one's synthetic, one's not, but we want to make sure that you're not getting, you're not taking too much vitamin A from another supplement because vitamin A is fat soluble. That means it stays in your system and it can become toxic if you're taking too much vitamin A. And so, and the breastfed infant, some of the symptoms of too much vitamin A or of toxicity is a bulging fontenelle. So that soft spot that's in the top of their head would be bulging instead of being flat, irritability, vomiting, and poor weight gain. It's very, very rare, um, but I just want you to know that it's a thing and that you should know about that. Um, it says here, however, this is rare, even when a mom is taking high doses of vitamin A and would be unlikely in a breastfed infant of a mother using topical retinoid. Um, Bosera 2022. So let's talk about like the difference between cosmetic versus over-the-counter versus prescription retinoids and what's the difference. Um, lower dose retinoids such as retinol and its precursors are as effective as higher doses of prescription trentinoin. Trentinoin is a higher dose prescription strength of retinol. Like retinol is lower dose, you can get it over-the-counter, right? Trentinoin is like the stronger version that you need from your doctor or from a dermatologist. And so you can start off with the over-the-counter one and you can achieve similar anti-wrinkle benefits with over-the-counter retinoid products while minimizing redness and peeling, commonly seen with stronger prescriptions. Retinoids vary in strength, it says and formulation and how they work in the body. So here's a breakdown of the most common kinds. So in the beauty aisle, the cosmetic retinoids that you can get, like, you know, in the cosmetic section in the grocery store or in the Target or whatever, um, is a naturally occurring form of vitamin A. It's less potent, but generally well tolerated, a good choice for beginners. And there's retinal dehyde. I don't think I'm saying that right. It's a little bit stronger and it converts more easily into the active vitamin A into the skin and may work faster, but it's still gentle and good for sensitive skin. Now remember, I am not a cosmetologist. I don't actually know anything about these things. I'm just reading from the infant risk center. So if some of you do this for a living and are just like, oh my gosh, she's butchering this, I am, this is not my specialty. I'm reading you what the data is showing here. Um, there's no studies to show on how cosmetic retinols influence uh milk retinol levels. However, unlike oral vitamin A, um repeated topical application of retinol-containing products, even at higher doses, don't change the blood level of retinoils uh in females of childbearing age. So the it looks like the molecules here can only enter the milk if it's first in the blood. And it says here, we feel confident that these products won't negatively impact breastfed infant, um, because the breastfed infant because they're not getting into the bloodstream. So that's for the retinoids that you can get in the beauty aisle. Over-the-counter retinoids, so OTC, something called adaptyline 0.1 gel, which is also the the like the trade name is differin gel, is that is a synthetic retinoid available over-the-counter without a prescription. So it's synthetic, it's not a naturally derived vitamin A. It's um FDA approved to treat acne, and it works more directly. It works more directly and is more stable than cosmetic retinoles, uh, retinol. It's well tolerated and it's kind of just used for spot treatment of acne. And so there's no studies on topical retinoids in human milk. Like cosmetic retinol, topical retinoids do not change the blood concentration of retinols. This means it will not change the milk levels of retinols. The drug itself has low absorption, so adilapoline, I can't say that drug, but differin gel is unlikely to be in the milk. So the first two categories, the ones that are in the beauty aisle, and then this one product called different gel seem to not be um in the in the bloodstream, and that it says it should not is unlikely to be in the milk, both of them. Um in the pharmacy, so prescription only, you get a higher strength of this adaplene, so 0.3% is a higher concentration. Um, trentinoin is a con is a prescription. Another one I probably can't pronounce uh tazeroatin. It looks like keratin, but tazer I don't know how to say it. T-A-Z-A-R-O-T-E-N-E is used for acne and psoriasis. It's highly effective, but a bit more irritating. There's no studies on, once again, topical retinoids in human milk, but it says here topical retinoids do not change the blood concentration of retinol, so this means it will not change the level of the milk. It says exactly what it says here is this means it will not change the milk levels of retinol. These topical, topically applied drugs have low absorption into the maternal blood, so the drugs themselves are unlikely to be in the milk. And there's two citations, uh Bez Bezera 2022 and Mentor 2000. So it says here over-the-counter options such as retinol and adilapine and uh are considered the lowest risk. Uh adalapine 0.1, considered the lowest risk while prescription strengths products such as tretinoin and the higher doses of 0.3% of adilapine are still considered acceptable. Um, but they should be used when caution when you're getting into stronger medications. Um and so the over-the-counter uh retinols, um, very safe. I would definitely read this article if you're going to be getting uh prescription types of retinols, and then you and your doctor discuss if the benefit outweighs the risk. Um so yeah, a little bit of information for you. It says here final thoughts. Retinoids are powerful and effective treatments for many skin conditions, but their safety during breastfeeding depends on the type used. Topical retinoids are generally safe when properly used, while oral retinoids should be avoided to the risk of the harm to the breastfed infants. And so when we're talking about oral retinoids, this oral vitamin A. So I hope that was helpful for you. I hope this is not too nerdy, but these are questions that we we get from y'all. I want to talk next about weight loss. So let me take, let me catch my breath real quick. Um, and I want to talk about, like I said, um weight loss and some of the options that are there. So hang tight and I'll be right back and we'll jump into that. Okay, y'all, I'm back and I'm ready to talk about weight loss stuff. And this is gonna be a little less nerdy. I know the other stuff was super technical, but I have to speak really technical on it because there's liability here, right? These are actual drugs we're talking about. Um, so I want to be very clear and I want to say exactly what the website and the research shows and not add my own color to it because you know I'll be adding my own color. Um, I am gonna also link this article from the Infant Risk Center and it talks about weight loss and lactation. You're definitely gonna want to visit this link because they have created their own calculator to um to estimate what your basal metabolic rate is and based on how many ounces of milk you produce per day, like if you know what that is. There's a section here, like if you're pumping versus not like common when feeding at the breast. No. So how much is your it'll ask you how much your infant weighs and what your how your baby, it has it's really, really good. You have to look at it. So there's one if you know how much milk you make per day, and there's one if you don't know how much milk you weigh. And then when you don't know how much milk you make per day, it asks you some other questions, and then and then it spits out for you how many total calories per day you should be eating to maintain your current weight, total calories per day to lose one pound per week, total calories per day to lose one pound per month. And so and then there's another link on here that talks about like how to figure out which this website can help you determine your individual daily vitamin needs. So I love this. Okay, so let's talk about weight loss. What what they're recommending um is is really important while you're lactating is to increase whole foods, diets you know, rich in foods and vegetables, lean proteins, plant proteins, whole grains, right? So I'm not there's plenty of nutrition out there, nutrition information. I'm not the person I'm not a nutritionist for adults. I I am not in that space. There's plenty of information out there, but hydration is really important. If you've ever like been like, oh, if I drink this particular brand of Gatorade or body armor or whatever, this color, like it makes me have more milk, that stuff is actually not true. But we just want you to stay hydrated, which also helps to aid with weight loss. And we're wanting you to replace high-calorie drinks like soda juices or sweetened teas or sweetened coffee with um with actual liquid, like with water. Um, and so that's really important. I don't want you drinking gallons of water. We just want to drink enough water that your urine is always pale yellow. So if you're ever getting pee in the toilet that you're like, that's pretty yellow, that's the wrong answer. We really it should be pale, pale yellow. Um so they also recommended you wanting to make it's important for you to consume enough calories to maintain your milk supply. So that's why it's you gotta be, it's a little bit tricky. You don't want to just go on a diet and start doing all these things and losing weight too rapidly because your energy levels can go down, your milk supply can go down. Um and it says here that you're if you're breastfeeding on average, you're gonna need an additional 250 to 500 extra calories added to your basal metabolic rate when determining your calorie goal. So that's just something to know. And there's a calculator in here to help you determine that. Um, they're also gonna ask you your activity level. So based on how active you are, and they're really good about telling you like moderate means this and low activity means this. So I really like that part. Um, and yeah, they they made their own calculator because they couldn't find a calculator that help you calculate your calorie needs, like because there's apps like My FitnessPal and all that stuff that helps you figure out your calories, but not for lactating women. So they made their own, which is a really good calculator. Um so I would highly recommend you taking a look at the infantriskcenter.com and um the weight loss and lactation article. There, the calculators there, and I'm gonna link it in the article. Um so yeah, just just know that they're also recommending frequent and smaller meals. So probably intermittent fasting is probably not something you want to do at this point in your life. Fiber-rich foods, um, and you know, your insurance a lot of times will cover a um dietitian, like a like a consultation with a nutritionist or a dietitian, especially if you're one of your one of those moms that are having to remove foods from her diet because of infant food allergies and you're breastfeeding. If you have removed more than two foods from your diet, you need to seek the counsel of a registered dietitian. Exercising. So you're gonna want to start slow. Um, you don't want to just start off doing, I don't know, something like CrossFit or something. Just remember you have hormones in your body that make the joints and things a little more flexible than before you were pregnant. And so we don't want you to sustain any additional sprains or injuries or you know, pelvic injuries because we're doing crazy things because we're just trying to be back the way we were. It's gonna take you a year or so to, you know, if you're breastfeeding, you have these hormones in your body. It's gonna be like a year or so after finished breastfeeding for your hormones to, you know, to to not have so much wiggly parts of your bones and your pelvis and and ligaments and things like that. So take it easy. They are recommending walking at least 10,000 steps per day. And you might do that in your house, going back and forth chasing around after your kids, or um, you just be surprised. So that's something to consider. And you want to check with your OBGYN or your midwife before you start doing these activities. You want to make sure you're doing pelvic floor exercises and strengthening that pelvic floor before you start doing a bunch of you know, plyos and jumping jacks and things like that. Um, so weight loss medications and breastfeeding, I'm gonna read this verbatim. It's very important that you hear me say this, okay? So currently there is no research on this. So it says oral weight loss medications are generally not compatible with breastfeeding due to the likelihood that some will enter milk and cause appetite suppression in infants, along with other possible side effects depending on the medication. There's a lot of hype right now about injectable GLP1 drugs for weight loss, such as Wagovi, Ozempic, and Mongero, et cetera, that are gaining attention and breast in the breastfeeding population. The Infant Risk Center is currently studying these medications and breast milk to determine their safety. And while they do not believe that these medications will enter the breast milk, we do, we, meaning the infant risk center, uh we do have concerns about their use in lactation. These medications work by decreasing appetite and slowing down the digestion process. Patients that use these medications typically experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which could lead to dehydration and decreased milk supply in lactating women. Due to the decreased appetite, a caloric deficit, which could lead to dehydration and decreased milk supply and lactating women, period. Like so it could lead to dehydration and a decrease in milk supply and lactating women. Due to the decreased appetite and caloric um appetite, a caloric deficit is achieved, resulting in weight loss. So if a mother is exclusively breastfeeding, there is a concern that the breast milk produced while taking these medications could be less nutrient dense, which could negatively impact infant growth. This is infant growth. So this is problematic in the first year postpartum while breastfeeding. After one year of age and assuming your baby's getting enough nutrition from other sources, which I have a whole course on, um, the risk is lower. If you're using one of these medications, we highly recommend that you take a high quality prenatal vitamin. There's a link here that tells you like which, you know, it can help you determine your individual daily vitamin needs. So it gives you some really great resources resources. Um it says, you know, we definitely want to encourage you to embrace self-compassion during the postpartum period and prioritize the health of both you and your baby. Um I I have a client of mine who is a client for two babies. Um, when I first first started, so probably like eight years ago, and she is a nutritionist and she just she had a second baby, and she had this really wonderful post that I loved, and it showed her weight loss journey over the last two years. And she just made this post that was like, okay, I'm two years postpartum, and now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And this was her way of showing as a new, I think she's a dietitian, a registered dietitian. As a registered dietitian, like it's we this is how we need to do it slow and steady, and that's the safest for our body. And especially if you're one of these people who are trying to pump and have milk in the first six months for a whole year of life. If you haven't listened to that episode, it's like two episodes back. You're definitely gonna want to listen to that episode. And what that can do is your bones and your nutrition in your body. So if you're that person who's pumping a ton because you want to be done in the first six months, and then you're trying to diet and lose weight, girl, let's be compassionate to your poor little body. It's not a machine, it's not a program, it's not ChatGPT. It has feelings. Let's be nice to it. And it's gonna, you know, it gets tired. And so let's just slow and steady wins the race. We're not, we're not trying to, we're not trying to look like the people on Instagram quite yet. So don't believe the hype. So yeah, um, it has some meal ideas here for a 2,000 calorie person. Oh, you know what? Let me do the calculation for you so you can see like what it says here. Let me see. If I am telling it okay, so it's I let's pretend like I'm younger than I am. Let's pretend I'm 30, let's say I'm 35. And let's pretend I weigh 170 pounds and I'm five feet four inches, I'm 35 pounds, I'm 35 years old, my activity level is between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day. So that says, Is that true? Do moms be working? I don't know. I'm gonna put it yeah, I'm gonna leave it as slightly active. 5,000 to 7,500 steps per day. Let's pretend I take my baby on a stroller ride every day. Um it's telling me my is that and my milk. Let's pretend I make 25 ounces of milk per day. So it's gonna tell me this calculator is gonna tell me, don't send me hate mail if you don't like it, okay? My basal metabolic rate. So this means the amount of calories I need for my heart to beat, for me to be able to breathe, and like my organs to function, is 1451 calories. And it's telling me my activity calories are 544. And it's telling me that I need 580 calories to make my milk. So my total calories to maintain my weight per day. This is why some of my moms who make a lot of milk are hungry all the time. So, with those numbers, weighing 170, being 35 years old, being slightly active, and making 25 ounces of milk per day, I need 2,575 calories per day to keep my weight as it is. If I want to lose one pound per week, then it says I should be at 2,075 calories per week. And if I want to lose one pound per month, then it's just, you know, 2,536 calories per day. So one pound per week, I mean, listen, there's all these schools of thoughts about calories versus nutrient density. I know, I'm just saying this is what the data that I have right now for you. So it also says, you know, they don't guarantee weight loss or anything like that, but their whole goal is to help preserve you, preserve your body to help make milk. So they don't want you and anyone going on any kind of like restrictive diet, intermittent fasting, you know, keto and things like that. You really want to work with a dietitian when it comes to things like that. Um, so yeah, that is kind of what I wanted to share with you. Hot topics that people are usually asking me about, um, weight loss medications and fillers and all those other kinds of things. So just know that the information's out there. I'll put these resources in the link for you. I hope this episode was helpful to you. And please don't hesitate to DM me and let me know what other topics you want me to um chat with you guys about. Okay, have a great night. Bye. Thanks for listening. To learn more about newborn feeding and get your free swipe file, visit milkdeva.com forward slash newborn feeding. And if you've ever said, wow, I wish I would have known that while you're listening to this podcast, then help a friend out and share this podcast with them. Um, you can also help us by leaving us a rating so more people can benefit from finding this podcast. Medical disclaimer please know that all opinions expressed on this podcast are solely my own and not intended to substitute the advice of a medical provider. I am not a medical doctor, and all information shared is intended for your general knowledge and is geared towards full term, healthy singleton infants and healthy, low risk pregnant or postpartum women.