Breastfeeding Mom Over Here!

heathergatica

Hello, All! I'm Heather and new to this site. I just recently gave birth to my 19 day old son and am breastfeeding. My current dilemma is my calorie intake and how to take in adequate calories while losing weight AND breastfeeding. Is there anyone out there familiar with this topic or anyone who may have advice?

dawn0474

Hey there,

I think I can help as a Certified Lactation Consultant I can tell you that you will need an extra 500 calories a day just to make milk. So, keep that in mind and make sure you drink lots of fluids. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Dawn
dawn0474

Babyfatty3

Yep... 500 calories.

Kana22384

I am breastfeeding my 7mo old. I've been watching calories since his birth. I have lost about 65lbs since going into the delivery room (50lb from pre-pregnancy). Just be sure to drink tons and tons of water to stay well hydrated and it should keep up your milk supply. You do burn extra calories by breastfeeding too! Make sure to take your vitamins and drink lots of fluid, your baby is getting everything he needs. Congratulations on the new baby and good luck!

heathergatica

Thanks all for all your advice!!! So i know this may sound stupid, but how many calories does that mean i need to take in??? 2,500??? This site says i should take in 1200 calories in order to lose weight, but i know it doesn't take into consideration breastfeeding. That's why i didn't know if this was something i should be doing until i'm done breastfeeding. Dawn, do you believe i shouldn't proceed with dieting and exercise while breastfeeding? And Kana33384, you say you've been watching calories since your sons birth. How many calories do you consume per day? and has it affected your son's weight gain?

One more thing: Does anyone know approximately how many calories breastfeeding burns?

Utahbeth

You can definitely exercise while breastfeeding, but may need to take it easy at first, if you had surgery or any complications during delivery. And like everyone else has said, make sure that you get plenty of water.

Add the 500 extra calories you need for breastfeeding to the 1200 calories that My Fitness Pal suggests, as a minimum. When breastfeeding, you do not want to overly restrict your diet, because that how your little one gets all of his nutrition.

My daughter is almost 1 year old, and she is eating more solid foods, so I am not using the extra 500 calories anymore.

Oh, and Congratulations!

Kana22384

Currently I take in about 1200-1400, sometimes a little more than that if I have exercised a lot. I have never had a problem with milk supply (I breastfeed at home, but I also work so I pump 2x/day) I have a freezer FULL of milk. My son is in the 64th %ile for weight 79th for height. He would probably be more if he would eat solids, but he won't. Also, for the first month or 2 that I was back at work he would only take about 3oz in the 9hrs I was gone...wasn't a fan of the bottle. I don't think the calories matter so much, though I know they say that. From what I have experienced myself and what I have seen at work (in a pediatric office) and in my friends that have breastfed the water intake is what matters most. I drink about 12 glasses of water a day.

demsky_04

After talking with my Doctor about this because I was having the same type of questions. She said take how many calories you want to use to lose weight, your's say 1200, then add the extra 500 to it making it 1700. 1200 sounds like it might not be enough though since that's border line stavation mode, I would do atleast 1500 plus the 500 to make it 2000 per day. You don't want to under do it though because you are the source of your babies nutrition. I was doing 1700 to loose the weight and 500 for the breastfeeding making my total around 2200 calories a day. Always speak with your/babies Doctor, they would know whats best for you and your baby. A lactation counsultants are awesome at answering any questions you may have. Congrats!

lisawest

There are quite a few nursing moms on here. You might try searching the boards (use the search function at the top of the thread) for other women who've posted their questions and ideas. One of them might be able to help you.

What I've seen others do, is add nursing as an exercise. When you add an exercise, it will ask for how many minutes and many calories. You can estimate the amount of time you spend nursing, and then put the calorie burn in as 500. Or you can go into your goals and manually set your calories at 1700 (your 1200 MFP recommends + the 500). Either way works.

Oh, here's one more! To lose a pound a week, you need a weekly deficit of 3500 calories, or 500 a day which also happens to be how much you need when nursing. So. . . you could just set it at maintenance calories, and then you'd actually be at a 1 pound a week deficit! Those are just a few thoughts I've got.

As many others have said, be sure to drink LOTS of water! I had supply problems with my first, and I know it was due in part to not enought water. With my second I was in a more steady job, and was VERY conscious of how much I was drinking. I didn't have a single problem that time around. So, :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: !!

bk2011

I just wanted to post, not to discourage you, but to give my story! Not all bodies are the same! Just listen to your body and watch your milk output, and you will get an idea of what you can and cannot do. Everytime I tried to restrict calories, my milk supply decreased drastically, despite drinking tons of water. When I added in exercise, I pretty much had to eat back almost all of my exercise calories to keep my milk supply up. My little one is almost a year and we are in the weaning process, but my milk has dramatically decreased with my current exercise regimen and calories. I did not lose a single pound (minus the initial 20lbs with delivery) the entire year I breastfed. Even now in the past month I have yet to lose any weight but have pretty much lost my milk supply. SO...I wish you the best of luck and hope you are similar to the other posters here in that you can breastfeed AND lose weight, but just listen to your body and do whatever is best for you and your little one! CONGRATS

Hughes39

Thanks all for all your advice!!! So i know this may sound stupid, but how many calories does that mean i need to take in??? 2,500??? This site says i should take in 1200 calories in order to lose weight, but i know it doesn't take into consideration breastfeeding. That's why i didn't know if this was something i should be doing until i'm done breastfeeding. Dawn, do you believe i shouldn't proceed with dieting and exercise while breastfeeding? And Kana33384, you say you've been watching calories since your sons birth. How many calories do you consume per day? and has it affected your son's weight gain?

One more thing: Does anyone know approximately how many calories breastfeeding burns?

every mom is different. i too am breast feeding. i have been told BFing moms need a minimum of 1800 cals. if you see that your milk is being affected, add more calories! i have mine set at 1800 and so far it seems fine. my son is 8 months old and is very tiny (only 15 lbs) but it has nothing to do with my milk. he's just somehow got that "small gene" from somewhere. which my dr and i cannot figure out! my uncle is 7ft tall. im 5'9. sons dad is 6ft. and so on! sorry im babbling. but yeah. you can also check kellymom.com. they also say a minimum of 1800-2200 i believe
BFing burns about 500 cal a day. thats why you need the extra 500 cals

heathergatica

Thanks, Everyone. All your advice is much appreciated and will be used!! Thank you for taking the time to share your personal stories and advice!!

ashley_h10

i always add 600 in everyday just to make sure im getting enough for myself. My doctor warned me that if i consume anything below 2000 cals a day, i will be depriving myself of things i may not even notice the effects untill im older (eg. osteoporosis)

I have lost weight on a 2000 a day cal intake, its slower but its better for you in the long run