Milk supply

jollimorerebecca

hi
I just had a baby in August 4 th, and am trying to lose my baby weight.i have been dieting for one week and my milk supply (I am pumping.exclusively) has started to get a little low on my milk I am wondering if it is due to the reduced calories I eating or if I need to drink more water if anybody has had any experience this with this at appreciate your in put.
Thanks you
Rebecca

ahoy_m8

Congrats on the baby! Not sure about the calorie deficit. What deficit are you aiming for? Yes, fluids are really important. Did a nurse tell you how much to drink? I'd guess 4 liter minimum, but it's a guess. The most important factor to stimulate production is sucking. As babies grow, they suck more and moms' bodies respond. Can you pump more frequently/for longer/more suction?

zoeysasha37

How big is your deficit? What are your stats and how many cals are you consuming daily ?

Kalikel

Did your hospital hook you up with a lactation helper? If so, call them. If not, call your OB and get a referral.

Congrats on the new baby!!

victoria_1024

I've lost 75 lbs while nursing my 10 month old and no decrease in my milk supply that I noticed. It could be a temporary decrease as your body adjusts to the calories. But you should be eating close to 500 calories a day more than what mfp suggests and only losing at a rate of 1 pound per week.

janjunie

Yes a significant drop in calories will affect your milk supply. For me eating 1800 cal messes with my mood and less than that messes with my supply. I lost weight eating 2000-2200 calories a day, now I'm at maintenance. FYI I'm 5"4....don't do the 2lb a week 1200 calorie thing (just in case you are) while expressing milk.

aspen1377

janjunie wrote: »

Yes a significant drop in calories will affect your milk supply. For me eating 1800 cal messes with my mood and less than that messes with my supply. I lost weight eating 2000-2200 calories a day, now I'm at maintenance. FYI I'm 5"4....don't do the 2lb a week 1200 calorie thing (just in case you are) while expressing milk.

Did that calorie range put you at 1 lb loss a week? I'm also nursing (mainly pumping for) my 8 week old baby and have some of the same questions. I want to lose 75-80 lbs and I'm 5'7"

blkandwhite77

On top of making sure you are eating enough calories and drinking a ton of water if your still having issues then maybe try fenugreek. All natural totally healthy and bonus you and baby will smell like maple syrup (yes I carved pancakes for months while using it) significantly increased my supply and I was able to successfully breastfeed for just shy of 3 years after struggling with a very low supply near the beginning of my bfing journey

Purplebunnysarah

aspen1377 wrote: »

janjunie wrote: »

Yes a significant drop in calories will affect your milk supply. For me eating 1800 cal messes with my mood and less than that messes with my supply. I lost weight eating 2000-2200 calories a day, now I'm at maintenance. FYI I'm 5"4....don't do the 2lb a week 1200 calorie thing (just in case you are) while expressing milk.

Did that calorie range put you at 1 lb loss a week? I'm also nursing (mainly pumping for) my 8 week old baby and have some of the same questions. I want to lose 75-80 lbs and I'm 5'7"

I know for me I have about 100 lbs to lose (5'4") and I'm eating anywhere from 2300-2500 calories per day to lose 1 lb/week depending on how active I am. 2300 is for low activity days. I'm actually losing slightly more than 1 lb/week most weeks.

LKArgh

jollimorerebecca wrote: »

hi
I just had a baby in August 4 th, and am trying to lose my baby weight.i have been dieting for one week and my milk supply (I am pumping.exclusively) has started to get a little low on my milk I am wondering if it is due to the reduced calories I eating or if I need to drink more water if anybody has had any experience this with this at appreciate your in put.
Thanks you
Rebecca

Unless you are starving, chances are this would happen at this point with exclusively pumping anyway. Maintaining supply with pumping is very very challenging for most women, and you are right at the point where problems usually appear. Make sure you have a good electric pump, change the membranes frequently, make sure you pump every 2-3 hours around the clock. If you are seeing supply issues, prolong the pumping sessions, even if you see no milk, and try adding an extra pumping session for a while.