The citation on damage from marathoning was an article I saw last summer. I'm afraid that I probably can't retrieve it again. Someone with access to the physiology literature probably could find it.
The bottom line here is that this is not about whether to exercise while nursing, which I think LLL is really only concerned about; rather it's about the intensity of exercise. It's like the difference between suggesting that everyone do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 times a week vs. is running 100 miles per week sufficient to produce a world class American distance runner (the latter being a consistent topic on this list).
RMc
At 12:49 AM 11/8/2002 -0600, Mike Prizy wrote:
I was only passing on what LLL would comment on with the little information there is about this
unfortunate incident. At this point, I think there are many more unanswered questions than what is
actually known.
Regarding energy, we found there to be much less: No late night shopping, cleaning, mixing,
matching, warming, - and the formula was always right.
I don't plan on reviewing the bib list below to see how LLL defined vigorous exercise. However,
vigorous exercise v. running a marathon would need defining to accurately compare. Your definition
below - which I have never seen before - about the damage a marathon does sounds like it might be a
description for a person racing at his/her threshold, but the same person could cover the distance
at a slower pace and not be as beat up.
Breast feeding has many positive physiological benefits, not only for the baby, but for the mother.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug01p124.html
In the "A to Z: 26 Reasons to Nurse Your Baby," Q stands for "Quick weight loss for Mother."
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/LVAugSep97p90NB.html
Breast feeding does return the mother's body back to a prepregnancy state much faster. Maybe this is
an education and medical evaluation area that needs more attention when it involves a nursing mom
who wants to prepare to run a marathon.
Richard McCann wrote:
> My wife nursed our son for 2 1/2 years. She found that it took a fair
> amount of energy. She was also active in the local LLL activities and I
> strongly support breast feeding.
>
> Also there is substantial difference between vigorous exercise, which can
> enhance the body's functions, and competing in a marathon, which has been
> compared to inflicting the same amount of damage as a serious illness which
> takes several weeks to recover from. It is this difference in degree to
> which I allude--running a marathon is not an activity that should be taken
> as lightly as going for a half hour run.
>
> RMc
>
> At 02:07 PM 11/7/2002 -0600, Mike Prizy wrote:
>
> >The unfortunate death of the woman at the Marine Corps Marathon being
> >attributed to breast feeding
> >was of great interest to me. My wife breast feed all three of our sons
> >(each over a year) with no
> >complications.
> >
> >La Leche League International just happens to be in the town where I now
> >live of Schaumburg, Ill.
> >They support vigorous exercise for breast feeding mothers. According to La
> >Leche League, most
> >American women who are still breast feeding at 10 months are only doing so
> >a couple times a day,
> >which should not have had a correlation with a sodium imbalance. Also,
> >according to the LLLI, breast
> >feeding alone does not cause "great physical stresses" on the body.
> >
> >Here is what the La Leche League provided:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Hi Mike,
> >
> >Thanks for calling today, and also for sending information about the
> >sad death of the mother in the Marine Corps Marathon. The selected
> >bib list on Exercise and Breast feeding Mothers is in the attached
> >file. We'd appreciate it if you learn anything concrete on the sodium
> >levels having a relationship
> >with this death.
> >
> >Again, after ten months of breast feeding, it is very unlikely that there
> >would be any sort of impact on the mother's sodium level or her running
> >program, from the
> >information we have.
> >
> >Best wishes,
> >
> >Center for Breast feeding Information
> >La Leche League International
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >La Leche League International
> >CENTER FOR BREASTFEEDING INFORMATION
> >
> >BREASTFEEDING AND EXERCISE
> >
> >Selected Bibliography
> >March 2001
> >
> >Dewey, K.G. et al. A Randomized Study of the Effects of Aerobic Exercise
> >by Lactating Women on
> >Breast-Milk Volume and Composition. N Engl J Med 1994; 330(7):449-53.
> >
> >Dewey, K.G. and Lovelady, C. Exercise and Breast-Feeding: A Different
> >Experience. Pediatrics 1993;
> >91(2):514-15.
> >
> >Dewey, K.G. and McCrory, M.A. Effects of Dieting and Physical Activity on
> >Pregnancy and Lactation.
> >Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(Suppl):446S-59S.
> >
> >Dressendorfer, R.H. Physical Training During Pregnancy and Lactation. Phys
> >Sportmed 1978; n:74-80.
> >
> >Drinkwater, B.L. and Chesnut, C.H. Bone Density Changes During Pregnancy
> >and Lactation in Active
> >Women: A Longitudinal Study. Bone and Mineral 1991; 14:153-60.
> >
> >Dusdieker, L.B. et al. Is milk production impaired by dieting during
> >lactation? Am J Clin Nutr 1994;
> >59:833-40.
> >
> >Lovelady, C.A. et al. Lactation Performance of Exercising Women. Am J Clin
> >Nutr 1990; 52:103-09.
> >
> >Lovelady, C.A. et al. The effect of weight loss in overweight, lactating
> >women on the growth of
> >their infants. N Engl J Med 2000-2-17; 342(7):449-53
> >
> >McCrory M.A. et al. Randomized trial of the short-term effects of dieting
> >compared with dieting plus
> >aerobic exercise on lactation performance. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69:959-67
> >
> >Prentice, A. Should Lactating Women Exercise? Nutr Reviews 1994;
> >52(10):358-60.
> >
> >Schauberger, C.W. et al. Factors that Influence Weight Loss in the
> >Puerperium. Obstet Gynecol 1992;
> >79(3):424-29.
> >
> >Schelkun, P.H. Exercise and Breast-Feeding Mothers. Phys Sportsmed 1991;
> >19(4):109-16.
> >
> >Spaaij, C.J.K. et al. Effect of Lactation on Resting Metabolic Rate and on
> >Diet- and Work-Induced
> >Thermogenesis. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59:42-47.
> >
> >Walker, M. Lactic Acid and Breast-Feeding. Pediatrics 1993; 91(5):1016.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. Lactic Acid and Breast-Feeding. Pediatrics 1993; 91(5):1016-17.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. Exercise and Breast-Feeding: A Different Experience.
> >Pediatrics 1993; 91(2):514-15.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. Breast Milk and Exercise Studies. Certified News 1993;
> >3(1):6-8, 14.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. Infant Acceptance of Postexercise Breast Milk. Pediatrics
> >1992; 89(6):1245-47.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. et al. The Influence of the Fullness of Milk in the Breasts
> >on the Concentration of
> >Lactic Acid in Postexercise Breast Milk. Int J Sports Med 1992; 13:395-98.
> >
> >Wallace, J.P. and Rabin, J. The Accumulation of Lactic Acid in Mother's
> >Milk Following Maximal
> >Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1986; 18(2)suppl:S47.
> >
> >Zhang, J. et al. Moderate Physical Activity and Bone Density Among
> >Perimenopausal Women. Am J Public
> >Health 1992; 82(5):736-38.
> >
> >
> >
> >Richard McCann wrote:
> >
> > > A member of our club knew this woman. She had given birth 10 months ago
> > > and was still breast feeding. She had undertaken a 30 week training
> > > program (starting 10 weeks after giving birth). It appears that she
> > > suffered from severe sodium imbalance possibly created by the stresses of
> > > nursing. (my wife knows another woman with the same problem). I think the
> > > message from this incident is that women should avoid training for such an
> > > arduous endeavor so soon after giving birth, especially if they are still
> > > nursing, which is particularly physically stressful.
> > >
> > > Richard McCann
> > >
> > > >Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 08:52:27 -0800 (PST)
> > > >From: Dan Kaplan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > >Subject: t-and-f: Fwd: Lady marathoner dies
> > > >
> > > >Obeying all but the last request...
> > > >
> > > >- --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm not a subscriber to the T&F chatlist but I examine its archive
> > > > > weekly and read messages with interesting subject lines. The subject
> > > > > does not always reflect the actual message content, and the archive
> > > > > omits some list posts, so forgive me if the following has already
> > > > > appeared.
> > > > >
> > > > > At the Marine Corps Marathon on 27 Oct 2002 in Washington (D.C.) a
> > > > > female competitor stopped at about 21 miles to seek medical help
> > and was
> > > > > taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. She died two days later,
> > > > > according to the Washington Post -- which identified her as Hilary
> > > > > Bellamy, age 35.
> > > > >
> > > > > While doing some minor volunteer service at this marathon, I saw
> > > > > ambulances heading toward the 21-mile mark but I did not then know how
> > > > > serious the incident was. Because T&F list subscribers have in the
> > past
> > > > > discussed other deaths in athletics (e.g. pole vault) they may
> > > > > appreciate your sharing this news item. There is no need to credit or
> > > > > mention me as a source.
> > > > >
> > > > > James Fields
