How many calories do I eat?

Mama2HnC

I'm SO CONFUSED!
Some say to add a extra 300 calories for a older baby ( my baby is 6 1/2 months old.. and eats on both sides every 3-4 hours )
So i've been adding between 3-500 extra calories...
but then I hear people say that for every OZ your baby eats you need to add a extra 20... which would be over 1000 since he eats between 50-60 OZ a day..
that seems way too high!

What are your suggestions?

Thanks!

CMmrsfloyd

Are you positive of how many oz baby's getting? Like do you pump or weigh baby before & after? If you know *for sure* b/c you pump or weigh the baby, then it might be a good idea to add a little extra. If you are estimating what you *think* baby is getting, I would stick to the 300-500 for awhile (like a couple of weeks) and compare your actual rate of weightloss to the rate you would expect based on what you told MFP you want to lose. If you are sticking to your calorie goal and losing significantly faster than what you would expect, then I'd say yes you could probably safely add in some extra calories. If your weightloss is pretty close to what MFP has you set to lose, then the 300-500 is probably more accurate than you think. :-)

The *main* thing is to keep an eye on baby and your milk supply. If your milk supply is staying up, stick to the 300-500 for those couple of weeks for your 'experiment' to compare actual weightloss to expected weightloss. If your milk supply seems to dip down, take action either by going ahead and increasing those calories, staying extra hydrated, even adding in some supplements that are recommended for keeping your milk supply (fenugreek, fennel seed, blessed thistle, and I believe there are others). Also, avoid large amounts of peppermint and parsley, having too much of those things can decrease your supply.

Mama2HnC

Thanks for all the info!
My milk has not dropped like it has in the past. So i'm going to stick to adding 500 calories a day, I've been loosing weight steadily, but my baby seems to be content with him much milk he's getting.
I just got really confused when I read that you're supposed to add 20 calories for every ounce... that seems WAY too much...