Fasting While Pregnant and Breastfeeding
When I first joined the church, I was a teenager and the only member in my family. Having never fasted before, the Law of the Fast was a difficult one for me to follow, especially when everyone around me was eating. Nevertheless I persevered in abstaining from food and water, but I don’t think I ever had a purpose in my fast—no blessing I was fasting for. And I wasn’t praying. In reality, I dreaded fasting.
When I went to college, my fasts became much more meaningful. They were still difficult, but there was also a joy in the sacrifice. I felt like I was denying my natural self and allowing my spiritual self to reign during a fast. At this time, I also began to fast with a purpose. I was seeking some blessing for myself or for others. And so when I was tempted to eat or struggling with the fast, I used the hunger pains to remind me of the hunger I should have for the things of God. And then I would remember to pray for the blessings I sought. I remembered that I was making this sacrifice to achieve some purpose. It made my fasts much more meaningful and strengthened me.
But soon I was married and pregnant for the first time. Suddenly, I was no longer able to fast because while I could go without food and water for a day, my growing baby could not. And even after the baby was born, I was exclusively breastfeeding and my not eating or drinking for an entire day would affect how well I could feed my baby. In the beginning, I just stopped fasting. But I soon began to miss the spiritual power derived from the fast and denying your physical self for a short while. Over the years I have tried many different versions of “fasting” while pregnant and breastfeeding. Here are some examples.
1. Fasting sweets. I love sweets. I love to eat sweets. They are just so wonderful. For a long time, when I couldn’t participate in a full fast, I would fast sweets. This meant no treats, no sweet cereal, not even jelly on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was surprisingly hard to do. But I felt that even though I couldn’t participate in a full fast, that I was keeping the spirit of the fast by sacrificing something in search of a spiritual blessing.
2. Fasting cooked foods. This became particularly more important as our children got older and began fasting, too. It seemed utterly cruel for me to cook a warm meal and have the aromas wafting through the house while other people were abstaining from food. And it was a sacrifice that I could make while not depriving my baby one bit. So I refrained from heating things in the microwave, toasting bread, or using the stove or oven.
3. Bread and water fasts. In this kind of fast, I would allow myself bread and water. It was enough that I could still take pre-natal vitamins and not be dehydrated. But it was still a sacrifice of physical things.
4. Fasting food, but not beverage. We have a large variety of protein shakes and meal replacement drinks in our house. Typically we used them for snacks for the kids or a real powerhouse of a chocolate milk drink! But I decided that they were packed with nutrients and vitamins and calories and protein and delivered in a drink would give me the water that I needed for my babies. So I followed the law of the fast by not eating, but did allow myself to drink these drinks during a fast.
My last two pregnancies were very close together and I did not have the opportunity to participate in a full fast between the two. When my last baby was about 10 months old, I realized that she was finally getting enough nutrition and calories from other sources and that she would be fine if I, once again, completed a full fast. I was a little nervous about a full fast. Fasting can be difficult and I hadn’t fasted in a very long time.
But I was also eager to participate in our family traditions surrounding a fast. In our house, at the end of the fast, my husband gathers together with everyone in the house who has fasted. They usually go to a quiet room where they will be undisturbed. Then he leads a discussion with them about what they fasted for (anyone is free to keep it a private matter) and how they felt. Did they receive an answer? Did they get any insights or instruction? Did they feel the Holy Ghost? Then one of them will say a prayer for the family. Then they each will say a personal, private prayer to end their fast. After that, we gather together for dinner.
Fasting again after so long was hard and yet wonderful. I wasn’t used to denying my physical self and I struggled. And yet the struggle was beautiful as I channeled that energy into seeking a blessing from the Lord. I felt a unity with my husband and children as we all made this sacrifice together, each with our own separate desires and purposes, but having faith that the Lord would bless us.
I am pregnant again now and won’t be participating in a full fast for a long while. I am grateful to make this sacrifice to bring a new spirit into our family. But I do look forward again to the blessings of participating in a full fast. It can be a difficult law to follow. But the blessings are commensurate with the sacrifice.
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