Nursing Mom

ascollette

I have a 4 month old and am nursing exclusively. I am wondering how this affects my calorie intake and if I should be eating more than it says on here. I have read some articles that say I will lose my milk supply if I am not eating enough. Does anyone have any info on this? How many extra calories do I need? Are there any tools on here that you can adjust the calorie intake for breastfeeding? I'm not quite sure what to do.

TripleJ3

In your food diary in the food data base, type "breastfeeding" in the search box.

Options to add to your daily goal are in there. I'd suggest the 500 if your are nursing exclusively.

nikkinikki113

I'm no expert - but you do need to increase your calorie intake while nursing. Not only for your health, but also for the little one. I think you only need an extra few hundred calories, but I'm not sure on that one. The "What to expect when you're expecting" books were great, and had lots of info.

Maybe even talk to your doc - ask them how much more you should be taking. But you can lose your supply if you don't add to your diet.

ANewLucia

Yes, 500 calories is what I used when I nursed. I actually lost weight when I added the additional calories because I wasn't eating enough before that.

michelle4271

what is also important is what your doctor says about your babies weight gain, they have guidelines also, i believe for a full term "healthy average baby" its something like an ounce a day to gain. How has he./she been doing?

good luck!!!

ascollette

Okay, thanks for all the info. Do I need to add the extra 500 calories every day? Or can I do a one time change so that it is on my food log each day?

Anyway, my baby is huge, he is definitely not starving. He weighs over 18 pounds, so I must make cream or something :laugh: