Back when I was nursing my first baby, long before I was a lactation consultant, I was always open to advice from coworkers on maintaining a supply with pumping through my (4) weekly 12 hour shifts. I remember someone confidently mentioning drinking Blue Powerade as something she found particularly helpful when pumping for long intervals when away from baby. This is something that I added to my diet on the nights when I needed to pump. Even with my subsequent children and knowing all about galactagogues (milk increasing substances) this was a practice I continued throughout my pumping journey. More recently, moms are incorporating Body Armor into their pumping/nursing diet. Silly? Maybe. But, maybe not. Here are my thoughts:

5. It tastes good

Hydration, especially while nursing, is very important. Drinking only water can get boring, so drinking a beverage with vegetable juice, coconut water, electrolytes and no artificial sweeteners maybe isn’t the worst thing you can add to your diet. There is a good bit of added sugar but this is also the case for many beverages (such as it’s predecessor, Blue Powerade). If you’re trying to avoid artificial sweeteners while nursing, this beverage fits the bill.

4. May be providing necessary calories

Breastfeeding is commonly known to burn up to 500 calories a day. Some moms have ravenous appetites when nursing/pumping but some struggle to take in enough calories to keep up. For the later group, drinking calories may help them consume the calorie intake necessary to not feel depleted or cause too much weight loss. If lack of caloric intake is causing a decrease in supply, then this added liquid snack may indeed increase or help maintain a healthy milk supply.

3. Replacing caffeinated beverages

Beverages containing caffeine can have a dehydrating effect. While lactating, hydration is important. If your afternoon soda or tea are being replaced by a hydration source then it could possibly have a positive effect on mom’s supply. This is why I think I continued the Blue Powerade habit throughout my nursing journeys. I replaced my normal afternoon soda with a hydrating alternative when pumping. It helped me steer clear of unnecessary caffeine intake throughout the day.

2. It has electrolytes and vitamins

Unlike some other popular sport beverages that only contain salt and potassium, this particular sport drink (or super drink as it says on the label) contains a number of vitamins and electrolytes including vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc and magnesium. For those that are deficient in one of those, it could possibly be the key to boosting supply.

1. It is not advertised as a “make more milk” beverage

Because Body Armor (like Blue Powerade) is marketed as a super drink to athletes, they are not preying on the insecurities of nursing individuals by marketing it as a “get milk quick” fix. I can respect this. This also means there may be some truth to the alleged benefits of adding this particular beverage to your diet when nursing or pumping.

In conclusion, if you want to add Body Armor as a part of your nursing/pumping journey then you are the best one to make that decision. This former Blue Powerade drinker certainly won’t judge you, but if you are truly concerned about your milk supply or pumping output there is no substitute for a thorough consultation with an experienced board certified lactation consultant.