Maca and Breastfeeding?

[4forme]

Does anyone know about or have experience with taking Maca while breastfeeding? I have done a google and a banana search. The google search brought up conflicting evidence. Some say it's great and other say not enough studies to know, or it's bad.
It's enough to make me wait til I am done b'feeding, but I have heard it's great for the adrenals and hormone imbalances, both of which I have. Also, I think my dh would love the added benefit of more libido !
Tell me your experineces, please!? TIA

[aililiu]

i really cant comment for the combo with breastfeeding,
but i LOVE maca.
it was one of the superfoods that i just felt the benefits immediately.
i have unbalanced hormones as well.
it gives me a great energy boost.
mmmmm.
in a smoothie with cacao and gojis?
im a david wolfe disciple ;)

[Joyeuse]

I'm breastfeeding and am waiting for my maca to come in. I have taken maca previously, about a year ago, when I was breastfeeding. It actually helped with my milk supply.

[Mommyinthecountry]

I'm breastfeeding and taking Maca. Now my DD is 3, but I haven't noticed any changes in milk supply or anything!!

[4forme]

That's great, thanks guys! So, you don't notice any changes in the little nurslings? My little one is not a good lseeper, and the last thing I need is for her to get more energy from this also. More energy is fine, but when it reaches my milk to her in the evening, will it give her a boost then?

[Mommyinthecountry]

Hmmm, I don't know. I've been giving my daughter Maca too in these cookies I made (raw of course) and I haven't noticed anything except maybe she's extra tired lately, but that's probably not because of maca. You can take a smaller amount first and see what it does. Are you taking maca in powder or capsules?

[jrose_lee]

Would anyone mind telling me more about this? We are new to raw. I'd never heard of maca before!

Right now I have adrenal fatigue, low progesterone and extremely low libido (accompanied by dryness and some ouchy scar tissue from birth). The combination is really killing us over here. Poor dh.

Anyway, is this something that it sounds like I should take?

I am still breastfeeding a 21 month old and no plans of stopping any time soon. Wouldn't want any drop in supply or to take anything not safe.

I'm going to go back and read the posts again!

Thanks for posting this OP!

[firefaery]

Hey there...saw this and figured I would answer you here! Maca is considered to be perfectly safe while breastfeeding. IT shouldn't by any means drop your supply. In fact, it should boost it in anything. It shouldn't affect your nursling (and difficulty sleeping in a baby is a problem that should be addressed) in terms of keeping her/him up.

Anywho...yes, for all of the symptoms you listed maca looks great!

[jrose_lee]

[QUOTE=firefaery;350785]It shouldn't affect your nursling (and difficulty sleeping in a baby is a problem that should be addressed) in terms of keeping her/him up.QUOTE]

Firefaery, could you expand on this comment (in bold)? I'd love to hear more ideas.

I've tried nightweaning (he's 22 months) and we've done all the homeopathic teething remedies. We even broke down and did Tylenol one night but it didn't make any difference in sleeping so I dont' know that it is teething pain or not.

We went to a chiro but his back didn't need any adjustments.

He also has problems with bowel movements. That is his only other problem that I know of. We suspected candida and have slowly moved away from "bad foods", which is a lot of the reason we are all raw now anyway.

Anyway.....I would really love for him to sleep better. I feel I am at the end of my rope. I've just found out I have adrenal fatigue, low progesterone, and that my pelvis is completely out of wack from the preg and birth and the nerves are stretched (which is why I have THAT pain). On top of getting woken up every hour at night, we've just moved to AK and it's getting dark and cold and lonely.

End of sob story If you have any suggestions on the sleeping.....oh please tell me!

[firefaery]

Babies are meant to sleep and if they don't something is off. IT could be that there are food intolerances, it could be structural, it could be nuerological it could be situational. For a baby that doesn't sleep there are generally tells.

What is it that he is doing? Crying? Fussing? Wanting to be held? Walked? Bounced? How long has it been going on? Has it coincided with introduction of new foods? How about a new environment or item in his environment?

I personally would never recomment nightweaning, but I cna understand the frustration of not getting sleep!

The chiropractor that saw him-is he experienced with kids? There is a big difference between a chiropractor that is willing to work on kids and one that specializes. I would find someone who specializes...I find it very odd that unless he was getting regular adjustments he didn't need anything. Also-you said his back didn't need any adjustments...what about his head and neck? I would see someone-if I were shopping around-who also does craniosacral therapy. The combination of the two are magical.

There are many problems associated with bowel issues: before I get into them, what are his issues exactly? Infrequent stooling? Pain with stooling? Foul smelling stool or mucusy stool? Fissures? Are they hard or soft? Each piece could indicate a separate issue...

People who have success with homemopathic combination remedies are LUCKY. In general you need to find the ONE remedy that matches the symptoms. What combinations do is throw a bunch at the kid and hope one sticks. Granted they throw the four or five (depending on the brand) that are most likely...but you'll see better results with a single remedy. A classical homeopath is your best bet, but if teething is the issue it's generally relatively easy to figure out. I can help with that-though I am nowhere near as good as the real deal!

Hope that this will be of some help...eventually.

[4forme]

[QUOTE=jrose_lee;350960]

It shouldn't affect your nursling (and difficulty sleeping in a baby is a problem that should be addressed) in terms of keeping her/him up.QUOTE]

Firefaery, could you expand on this comment (in bold)? I'd love to hear more ideas.

I've tried nightweaning (he's 22 months) and we've done all the homeopathic teething remedies. We even broke down and did Tylenol one night but it didn't make any difference in sleeping so I dont' know that it is teething pain or not.

We went to a chiro but his back didn't need any adjustments.

He also has problems with bowel movements. That is his only other problem that I know of. We suspected candida and have slowly moved away from "bad foods", which is a lot of the reason we are all raw now anyway.

Anyway.....I would really love for him to sleep better. I feel I am at the end of my rope. I've just found out I have adrenal fatigue, low progesterone, and that my pelvis is completely out of wack from the preg and birth and the nerves are stretched (which is why I have THAT pain). On top of getting woken up every hour at night, we've just moved to AK and it's getting dark and cold and lonely.

End of sob story If you have any suggestions on the sleeping.....oh please tell me!

I have a similar situation. I was diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue, secondary hypothyroid, Leaky Gut, low progesterone, and all the symptoms that go with them. My little one (now 11 1/2 mo) has never slept very well. She sees a chiropractor, special for children, was intolerant to dairy we found out around 4 mo. and she eats very little food, but nurses all the time.
We have tried night weaning her, because sleep is so important with Adrenal Fatigue, but to no avail. She just needs me for some reason multiple time a night. Last night I broke down and gave her Tylenol and she actually slept 5 1/2 hours in a row! This was pure bliss!
So, this is why I asked about maca interupting her sleep. If it has prtoven to give energy when taking it, then it will get to my milk in the evening, thuis giving her energy then? Not sure. I also wondered about coconut oil/water doing the same thing. It gives me energy, so does it give her energy when it gets to her, thus making her not tired enough to sleep?
I tend to over anylize things, but when you are sleep deprived you look for anything to get more sleep.

Firefaery, thanks for your input!
Also, any ides of where I could order maca from? I live in singapore, which has strict import laws, and cannot find it here.

[firefaery]

And what are YOU doing to heal?

Adrenal fatigue is no fun, but then again neither are any of the other things you mentioned. If you have leaky gut, it is quite likely that you passed along some intolerances to your babe. No biggie...all babies are still WAY better off for having breastfed. Are you working with someone to heal your gut and deal with the adrenal fatigue and hypothyroid? Have you had your iodine levels tested?

As for your babe...it is not uncommon for her to get most ofher nourishment from breastfeeding. I don't know to what extent she is eating beyond that-you say not much but that is pretty subjective. It is probable that she will need some attention to her gut, so make sure you have that support. Improper gut function is a major factor in difficulty sleeping.

Are you aware of a specific chronic subluxation? Something that needs to be adjusted every time she is seen?

[4forme]

To heal? Well, I am taking dessicated adrenals, magnesium, mega dose of vit. C, Selenium and Vit E, Thyrosol (herbal thyroid supp.) very small dose of Eltroxin, and nothing for my gut lining yet, as the Dr says the things are not good for b'feeding baby.
I have a Glutamine powder from a Naturopath who says it's okay for the baby, but my Dr says no. I am on enough that I don't want something else if it may not be good.
I had multiple food intolerances which I discovered at the same time as the Leaky Gut, so am avoiding those as well.
Is there anything obvoius I should be doing, that I am not?
Do you have a reputable source for Maca?
Hopefully this isn't a stupid question, but, I don't have a cycle yet, since the baby. Will taking the maca (since it's hormone balancing) make my cycle return?

[jrose_lee]

To heal? Well, I am taking dessicated adrenals, magnesium, mega dose of vit. C, Selenium and Vit E, Thyrosol (herbal thyroid supp.) very small dose of Eltroxin, and nothing for my gut lining yet, as the Dr says the things are not good for b'feeding baby.
I have a Glutamine powder from a Naturopath who says it's okay for the baby, but my Dr says no. I am on enough that I don't want something else if it may not be good.
I had multiple food intolerances which I discovered at the same time as the Leaky Gut, so am avoiding those as well.
Is there anything obvoius I should be doing, that I am not?
Do you have a reputable source for Maca?
Hopefully this isn't a stupid question, but, I don't have a cycle yet, since the baby. Will taking the maca (since it's hormone balancing) make my cycle return?

At 22 months postpartum I am still waiting for my cycle too! That may be due to low progesterone. I'm about to start applying prog cream for that.

Are you getting your dessicated adrenal through dr ron's? That's where I was thinking of getting it.....or do you have a better place?

http://drrons.com/

Alissa's website sells the maca.....but you said you can't have things shipped in sometimes?

[firefaery]

Glutamine is fine for the baby. In is simply an amino acid whichis present in foods. I'm not going against your doc, but I have taken it while pregnant and breastfeeding. IT is an excitotoxin (scarier than it sounds!) and can make a baby more wakeful, so it's best taken inthe morning.

You could also take zinc which aids in the repair of tissues. In fact, I would recommend it. I would also recommend digestive enzymes-plant based to start clearing out dead tissue and repairing healthy tissue. Since you are taking dessicated adrenals I will also throw out there that high vitamin cod liver oil is known to be very healing and can help to mitigate an allergic response due to the highly bioavailable vitamin A content delivered with vitamin D. I would also not overlook the impact of an iodine deficiency.

My last vote would be for MSM powder taken internally. This is amazing stuff and if you don't know about it...google away. It is wonderful for inflammatory reactions and there are no contraindications. It is used even by conventional docs (it is THAT good!) and I think everyone could benefit from it. IT works in many ways, but one thing it does is open and clear the sulfation pathways allwoing detox to happen more effectively. THis is a GOOD thing when you have leaky gut. It will also allow your body to use magnesium and selenium more efficiently.