Introduction: Breastfeeding iz the most natural and ideal way of feeding infant because its mother's milk is completely adjusted to the child's needs. Many women seek to lose the weight that they gained during the pregnancy by returning to regular physical activity in the postpartum period as soon as they can. The positive effects of breastfeeding and physical activity that affect the psychophysical condition well make it perfectly natural for mothers to want to do both of these things simultaneously. Purpose: Bachelor's degree thesis is to present the effect of physical activity on lactation and breastfeeding. Methods: Descriptive method with studying scientific and professional literature from the field of breastfeeding, lactation and physical activity in slovene and english language was used in the making of this thesis. Literature searching was concluded by using bibliographic databases PubMed - Medline, CINAHL with Full text and Google Scholar. The collection of data took place between october and december 2020. Results: The results of the research suggest that moderate physical activity does not affect the structure and amount of breast milk and growth of the babies. The studies have also shown that moderate exercise does not affect the levels od IgA, lactoferin, lysozyme, concentration of immunoglobulin A and condition of vitamin B-6 in the breast milk. Intense exercise leads to the increase of the lactic acid in the breast milk for up to one hour after it. Discussion and conclusion: Physical activity turned out to be beneficial in the postpartum period because it improves psychophysical well-being of the mother, helps with losing the weight gained during pregnancy and diminishes the feelings of depression and anxiety. It is important that healthcare workers encourage mothers with breastfeeding, present them its advantages and the importance of exercise after birth. Further researches and studies about the effect of physical activity on breastfeeding, lactation and the structure of breast milk are necessary in the future.
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