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This is the first time I have ever joined/posted to any forum. It has never really interested me to get into online conversations, but I have found a lack of support/information on breastfeeding and doing the Whole30. I think I have found one woman that blogged about completing a Whole30 and maintaining her milk supply. So here I am, ending Day 4 of my 3rd Whole30. Let me add that I have started many of Whole30’s since my first try/completion, but have only managed to complete it one other time. The last one I started I ended of pregnant (didn’t think we could have children) 9 months before our wedding date! My doctor advised me to quit so that I was not restricting the baby from a “balanced diet” and the stress of removing food. (To this day, I wish I wouldn’t have listened) I ended up going off the rails for my entire pregnancy and maternity leave. I ended up gaining 4o lbs (I do not know how it wasn’t more) I was already 10 lbs over weight when I got pregnant. I have yoyo’d back and forth with healthy life and then binge on everything I want life. I am from New Orleans and work on the French Quarter so temptation is EVERYWHERE. It’s culturally engrained in you to drink with family, friends, co-workers. It’s just what you do. When I am to go grab a drink, and I tell them I’m on the Whole30 you should see the looks I get! People try to talk me out of it, tell me I’m crazy, tell me how they absolutely could not give up drinking for 30 days. Honestly, quitting drinking and eating sugary treats, creamy coffees, and fried food- I have never felt better in my life. Probably the same reason I keep coming back to the reset. I recently started to listen to Melissa Hartwig’s book, Food Freedom, while I make my hour and fifteen minute commute to work. But enough about my back story! My current situation is I want to live a healthy lifestyle and not be emotionally attached to food and alcohol. I want to continue to breastfeed my child and worry about my milk supply tanking as a result. I wonder what other women are experiencing. Am I alone out there ? Anyone else trying our Whole30 while breastfeeding and working full time ?

I'm typing this as I nurse my little one to sleep, so I'm going to make this log brief by necessity! I am a mom to a spunky 14-month old daughter (yep, #extendedbreastfeeding), a wife, a first grade teacher, and a full-time graduate student! This Whole30 is my way of putting on my oxygen mask first so that I can help everyone else around me. This should be day 3, but I made a non-W30 choice yesterday that was SO not worth it, so I am at the end of my second day 1! We were snowed in, so I'm proud of myself for not raiding the cabinets and for keeping my "why" front and center! Breakfast: bacon and eggs Snack: Rasa with compliant coconut creamer, compliant Apple sauce Lunch: sweet potato chili from the W30 slow cooker book that I made over the weekend Dinner: tuna "noodle" casserole from @everylastbite_ on Instagram (YUM!) I added sardines because I'm nursing and haven't eaten seafood in....way too long! I'll skip those next time because it was too fishy but overall SO SO good! Pre-bedtime (daughter's bedtime, not mine!) snack: warmed frozen berries topped with homemade coconut whipped cream (nothing added). Super happy with this snack, because I really hadn't eaten enough at dinner but I didn't want something savory, so this was filling and delicious. Hit the spot! NSV: I'm challenging myself to find a NSV every day this time. Today was just my general motivation and feeling pretty focused throughout the day!

Hi, I’m 5 months postpartum, exclusively breastfeeding, and 3 days into my first ever journey with whole30. I’ve already noticed my supply is taking a hit, tonight I pumped about 1/3 less than I normally was. I know we’re not supposed to count calories, however I don’t think I’m consuming enough. I’m just curious if there’s anything I can add that’s high in calories? I’ve been eating 3 eggs for breakfast with salsa and half an avacado. I then have the other half of an avacado in a salad for lunch with chicken, or lettuce wraps with tuna and the basic mayo. Then usually a big piece of meat (beef brisket or pork) for dinner with lots of roasted potatoes and veggies. And I usually have banana, strawberries, carrots/celery as snacks during the day if I’m hungry. i just feel like it’s hard to find anything super high in calories. And I thought we weren’t supposed to snack a ton. Help!

Hello all!! Today, 06/05/2018, I am committing to my second whole30. I completely fell in love with this program when I started it in February of this year. At the time, I was 8 months pregnant with my second son, but knew I needed to reign in my eating habits and food addictions. I was amazed at the changes that took place in those 30 days. My energy levels were amazing, I lost inches from my thighs and arms, and most importantly, my relationship with food had changed; it no longer controlled me!!! However, since that time I have had my baby and started nursing him full time. I also have a 19 month old son and a husband who is in the military and currently deployed. My life is exhausting and demanding. Food has again become my outlet for relieving stress and attempting to “feel good “. I want to restart this challenge because I want to change the way I think and feel about food, forever. I know from experience that when I am able to gain control of this area in my life all other areas are positively affected. My biggest concern about completing this while breastfeeding is eating enough calories and including enough fat. I would love to lose weight during this next month but I know this desire will tempt me to eat less in an effort to accelerate weight loss. Any advice or support, especially from other nursing mommas, would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi! I'm going to start a Whole30 tomorrow! Quick question: as I am going through all the posts, I see references to mini-meals... Is a mini-meal just half of a regular meal template? I can't seem to find a definitive answer... Thanks so much!

Mamas - can you please share how much (portion, size, frequency) of your Whole30 meals while breast-feeding? I am an active mama nursing a 10 month old. and exercise 6x per week. - I know I'm way overdoing the nuts/nut butter and fruit but it's so easy and satisfying when I at home with a busy baby! What tools or strategies do you find helped you? The typical Whole30 meal template doesn't feel reasonable. Help, please!!!!

This is my first Whole30 experience, and I am just finishing day 10. I am pumping/breastfeeding for my 3.5 month old, and am a pretty active person (my job keeps me on my feet all day and I have a toddler, plus I work out 3-4 days a week.) I have tried searching through past forum posts about breastfeeding mamas and Whole30 snacks/meals, but it isn't all entirely clear to me. I'm trying to figure out if I am eating too many starchy vegetables (or enough in general) throughout the day and relying on snacks out of habit or if my body actually needs the additional nourishment. The last few days I have noticed that I am feeling less hungry between meals, but I am still snacking. I've read that fruits/nuts aren't the best snacks- does this still hold true while breastfeeding? I also can't tell if my pre Whole30 habits (snacking after dinnertime) are just cravings that need to be kicked to the curb or if I truly need to eat more due to the demands on my body right now. (I am feeling more bloated today than I did a few days ago, it is throwing me off!)

Day 1 I nursed LO (4 months old) all day. I'm at work today and pumping along my current schedule, however I'm 4oz shy of where I normally should be at this point in the day. Please troubleshoot for me. Day 1 Meals: Breakfast: Banana Chia Pudding (bananas, mango, coconut milk, chia seeds, cinannamon), black coffee Mid Morning: grapes Lunch: Tuna Salad (avocado, mayo, green onions), salad (romaine lettuce, arugula, carrots, Tessemae Ranch), plantain chips with guacamole, a couple apple slices with almond butter Dinner: Butternut Squash soup with bacon, banana with almond butter After dinner: RX bar Day 2 Meals: Breakfast: mushroom, spinach, leek frittata (made with coconut milk and ghee), one link of chicken apple sausage, salsa, black coffee (Frittata is the equivalent of about 3 eggs) Mid Morning: applesauce, grapes Lunch: butternut squash soup (made with coconut milk), large chicken breast I've had about 80oz of water so far today. What should I do differently? I'm nervous to see a supply drop with baby being so young.

We are not doctors, and we will always defer to your pediatrician's recommendations. However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you know how important Mom's nutrition is to the baby's health and development, and we believe the diet that's healthiest for you is also going to be the healthiest for your baby. The more nutrition Mom receives from her diet, the more she is able to pass along to the little one – and there is no diet more nutritious than one that focuses on healthy protein and fat, vegetables, and fruits. Michele Blackwell, an OB/GYN in Houston, TX, agrees, saying: I have personally experienced the benefits of the Whole30 program, and I wholeheartedly recommend the Whole30 plan to my patients to optimize a woman's health during pregnancy and lactation. The nutrient-dense foods recommended provide ample vitamins and minerals without the need for the standard prenatal supplement. Eating real food Whole9-style will also help regulate blood sugars, alleviating hypoglycemic spells common in pregnancy. In addition, the Whole30 will reduce the likelihood of gestational diabetes, excess pregnancy weight gain, and possibly macrosomia (large babies) and polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid). -Michele Blackwell, M.D., F.A.C.O.G, Board Certified Obstetrics and Gynecology We've had many pregnant women and new moms attest to the benefits of the Whole30 for both the mother's health, and the child's. Most (if not all) have reported that milk supply actually improved during their program, and their babies were less fussy, slept better through the night and experienced less digestive issues and rashes.