Fasting While Pregnant or Nursing as an Orthodox Christian
As an Orthodox Christian, we fast, a lot. There are four major fasts a year, plus multiple single-day fasts along with the Wednesday/Friday fast (with a few special exceptions). Altogether this means we are fasting close to 200 days in a year — give or take a few days.
While fasting is meant to be an individual practice, discussed with your spiritual father, it’s worth discussing the drastic nutritional requirements of a pregnant woman and how fasting may influence your health and the health of your baby. There is never a one-size-fits-all approach. But I’d love to explore the purpose of fasting and the different seasons of pregnancy and nursing a baby(ies).
Use this article as a starting point when understanding how different our bodies are while pregnant and then discuss fasting while pregnant with your spiritual father to come up with an individual plan.
Grab your notepad and let’s dive in!
Fasting in the Orthodox Christian Church
Fasting is a tradition taken from the Mosaic law — see Leviticus in the Old Testament. God first commanded the Israelites to fast on the Day of Atonement, then in the New Testament Our Lord Jesus Christ fasts to show us how to overcome temptation. The apostles continue to observe fasting in remembrance of our Lord and to cleanse the body of dependence on anything but God.
Over the last 2000 years, the Church Fathers have spoken over and over again about how good fasting is for our souls and bodies. It’s through fasting that we cleanse the passion of gluttony and learn that we don’t need to rely on our means for sustenance. St. John Chrysostom writes, “Fasting strengthens the soul, allowing it to rise above earthly pleasures and focus on heavenly things. It also helps people overcome sin and become joyful and courageous.”
So fasting is not a punishment but rather a tool to diminish our desires and rely more heavily on our Beloved Christ. Whether you are pregnant or nursing your baby, you know just how much you have to depend on Him to make it through the joys and struggles of motherhood.
There is a level of mercy given with fasting while pregnant to the point that many spiritual fathers and some Archdiocese prescribe that pregnant women and nursing mothers don’t keep to a strict fast. The elderly, those with ailments, mothers who are pregnant or nursing, and very young children may be allowed to follow a different fasting rule.
The Antiochian Archdiocese states, “The Church has always provided dispensations from fasting regarding specific illnesses, the very young and old, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Yes, children are growing but can do some level of fasting. Where your family is at in the fasting discipline is what needs to be determined with your parish priest (or spiritual father).”
Motherhood adds a layer to our lives that our husbands, friends, and family cannot understand. Our bodies go through immense changes and require different amounts of nutrients to grow another human being.
Nutritional Needs in Pregnancy and Postpartum
Your body is a machine, constantly working with the raw material you give it to create a healthy system. Then when you add in pregnancy your needs change and require more fuel to maintain your health while growing an entirely new human life.
Then after pregnancy, your body has to heal while producing the most perfect food for your tiny human to grow and thrive. It’s all a miracle! Our bodies are perfectly designed by our loving God. But that doesn’t mean we can just sit back and eat potato chips and Oreos and expect no side effects.
The food you eat is the only thing your body can take to create a healthy system. Lily Nichols, RDN is the leading voice in research on prenatal nutrition. She has broken the assumption that pregnant women only need a prenatal vitamin and a few extra calories to sustain a pregnancy.
Lily, writes “I’m sorry to say that most prenatal vitamins contain nowhere near the levels of nutrients required to ensure a healthy pregnancy and many lack key nutrients entirely (such as iodine and choline). In addition, some prenatals contain poorly utilized forms of nutrients. A high-quality prenatal vitamin can serve as an insurance policy of sorts, but there really is no replacement for a nutrient-dense diet of real food.”
The nutrients we need must come from real, whole food. And most nutrients are most readily absorbable from animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. Check out my article here about eating whole foods when pregnant.
Now one might say “But I eat a plant-based food diet and I feel great!” But, this isn’t the case for most people, especially when you’re pregnant. The nutrients in plants are not in a form that our bodies can easily absorb. Lily further explains that a nutrient-dense diet filled with meats, cheese, organ meat, low carbohydrate fruits, and vegetables gives us the highest chance of not only having a healthy pregnancy but also an efficient recovery where you can breastfeed your baby and have the energy to live your life.
“Sadly, if you follow conventional prenatal nutrition advice, you’re almost guaranteed to be eating a nutrient-deficient diet, not a nutrient-dense one.” Lily Nichols, RDN
So, although you may be able to observe the fast mentally, can you do it physically? Can your body and your baby withstand the nutritional deficiencies? And what is the purpose of the fast? Is it merely about food or is it about the heart or intent of fasting?
Don’t get me wrong, there are still ways to fast in motherhood! I am not advocating for steak dinners and milkshakes through major fasts of the Church.
Fasting in Motherhood
As mothers, our fasting can and maybe should look different. We have vastly different nutritional requirements than our husbands or women who are not pregnant. But does that mean we should throw out fasting altogether? I don’t believe so.
While the Church prescribes fasting from meat, dairy, fish, and oil, this is not a dogmatic rule where a woman might be excommunicated for breaking the fast. There are other ways mothers fast. You may lose sleep, you may suffer from nausea and vomiting, and you sacrifice your body for the life growing within you.
1 Timothy 2:15 states, “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” That is to say, if we endure pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing and let it transform us for the glory of God, that is our fast.
Additionally, while you may continue to eat animal products through a Fast, you can choose to season it lightly, batch cook your proteins for easier meals, or choose to eat meat at one meal. Fasting periods are meant to simplify our food intake not make it more complicated.
Fasting takes practice, it ebs and flows and there will never be a time where you’re a perfect faster. But what you can focus on is your heart and your thoughts. St. John Chrysostom states, ”For the honor of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices, since he who limits his fasting only to abstinence from meats is one who especially disparages fasting.”
Fasting is not so much about the food as it is about the heart. What are your intentions while fasting? Is it to show that you don’t eat meat and dairy and restrict your body to the point of illness and restrict your babies growth because of it? Certainly, that is not what the Church wants for us. As St. John states, fasting isn’t about the food, it’s about withdrawing from sin and drawing closer to Christ.
Fasting While Pregnant Looks Different And That’s OK
“Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see an enemy, be reconciled with him. If you see a friend gaining honor, do not be jealous of him. And let not only the mouth fast, but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all members of your bodies.” St. John Chrysostom
Understanding that your nutritional needs are different while pregnant takes humility. I have been through many seasons of fasting. I have tried to strictly observe the fast despite pregnancy and nursing while others I have acknowledged the wisdom of the Church and her mercy in lessening the fast for pregnant mothers.
Ultimately, this is a discussion between you and your spiritual father. You need to acknowledge just how much work your body is doing to grow a healthy baby. And it’s not just about growing a healthy baby as much as it is about keeping you healthy and helping you recover in the postpartum period. You need to fuel your body so that you can live and support your family.
Remember, fasting is an intimate subject that requires open and honest communication with your spiritual father. This article serves only as information in discussion with him and should not be taken as a one-size-fits-all rule. If you’re looking for an article on Fasting as a Family, check out my article written for Kh. Destinie Winn of Ascetic Life of Motherhood.
And don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Please leave a comment with any questions you may have!
