Let me make it clear right off the bat, there is not a double blind placebo-controlled study on the use of creatine in pregnancy or breastfeeding. A search for "creatine use during pregnancy," renders a result from WebMD saying don’t use it because there is not enough studies on it for this category.
Given that a woman when breastfeeding is a direct line of nutrition for her nursing baby, I think it is of high value that all precautions be put into place to ensure both mom and baby get the best opportunity to excel in life.
Also, recognize that McDonald’s is considered to be safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Though it has been demonstrated that poor nutrition and living off of fast food chemical cocktails increases the risk of obesity and every other chronic disease of the industrialized world.
What do we know about creatine?
Creatine is a natural substance found in animal products like beef, chicken, bison, salmon, tuna, and cod. Bison is believed to be the most concentrated source of naturally found creatine. Eggs essentially have no creatine, and dairy has some but much less than meat.
Vegans do not have any food choices that contain creatine, so it would be worth discussing with your doctor or midwife about creatine supplementation to support optimal pregnancy outcomes.
Creatine is a necessity for a thriving mother and baby. Creatine is an essential factor for optimal brain development and energy production from conception and into full baby development.
For the mom, there are countless anecdotal reports of improved energy and well being using creatine supplementation while breastfeeding.
It is widely accepted that creatine supplementation enhances strength gains from weight training, hastens recovery, improves energy efficiency as well as positively effecting mood and cognition.
These benefits from a natural substance with human research dating back to 1926 showing an outstanding safety profile, give me great confidence when it comes to nursing mothers using it to enhance life performance.
I think like with any supplemental nutrient in breastfeeding, it is ideal to take multiple smaller doses throughout the day, rather than a big bolus dose.
This way the creatine level coming through the breast milk stays relatively consistent.
For example, if you are consuming 3grams of creatine, then take 1.5 grams at breakfast and another 1.5 grams at lunch, or 1.5 grams before your workout and 1.5 grams after your workout.
I don’t have hard science to back this up, this is just how I recommend my breastfeeding patients utilize creatine to create an even greater chasm between any potential for side effects. It is always good to discuss your specific situation with your health care team.
Animal studies have demonstrated that creatine supplementation in pregnancy can protect the brain as well as other organs from excess oxidation stress, inflammation, and hypoxic events.
Remember, these are only my opinions, but when given the choice between using creatine, fish oil, and B vitamins to support well being and energy in postpartum vs taking an anti-depressant medication; most of us are probably going to want to go the natural route.