Breast Feeding - extra 500 calories

msturgill

I just had a baby boy by c-section 4 weeks ago and i am ready to start dieting and using MFP again, the lactation consultant said when breast feeding to eat an additional 500 calories per day, should i still be doing this if i am trying to loose weight?

hmichelebrown

Yes, although listen to your body. Rapid weight loss and huge calorie deficits will impact your milk supply. I am nursing and only burn 350 extra calories, but if I start cutting too many calories, milk runs low. My advice is take it slow, enjoy your newborn and do not worry about the weight loss

Willbenchforcupcakes

Yes you should. Right now, you are still establishing your milk supply - if you do anything that negatively can affect it, you might never recover your supply. With my first daughter, I ate about 1700-1900 calories a day, and while my milk supply and quality was good, my weight was stuck. With my youngest daughter, before mfp, I was eating in the same range, and once again, my weight was stuck, but this time, my milk quality was affected, as my daughter was only gaining 3-4 ounces a week. I found mfp, started eating more, and the weight dropped off of me, and my daughter started gaining weight better, at 6-10 ounces a week (and this was while she was exclusively breastfed).

I would suggest setting yourself for no more than 1 pound a week, add in the 500 calories (if you don't know how to do it, there are multiple options in the food database, just search like you would for any food).

itsuki

You can also just search for "breast feeding" under food, and it will give you extra calories.

mleonards

How long did you add in 500 calories/day? I am BF"ing but my milk supply is well established. My daughter is 6 months old. She nurses on demand...but doe sleep 8-9 hours at night.

maddymama

I just had a baby boy by c-section 4 weeks ago and i am ready to start dieting and using MFP again, the lactation consultant said when breast feeding to eat an additional 500 calories per day, should i still be doing this if i am trying to loose weight?

According to La Leche League, women should wait until their supply is well established and their bodies have recovered from pregnancy and birth (and massive surgery on your part) before trying to lose weight purposefully. LLL recommends waiting until the baby is about two months old to start purposefully seeking weightloss. If your supply is at all in question, then you might want to wait an additional bit before starting to exercise and or modify your diet in order to lose weight.

How often are you feeding your little one? Are you supplementing at all with formula? LLL recommends eating to satiety (not dieting, not restricting calories, eating healthy foods until you are satisfied) early on in the breastfeeding process. Most women tend to eat 300-500 extra calories a day, depending upon what their bodies need to make the milk and where they are in the lactation dynamic process (a mother nursing an older baby who is also eating solids tends to need a bit less calories than a mother nursing a newborn who is going through tremendous growth spurts in his first year). Some women need more calories and some women need less calories. Please make sure you are staying hydrated.

When you do try to lose weight, try to 1 lb a week. Losing weight faster than that may have an adverse effect upon your milk supply.

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvoctnov97p115.html is a great article from LLL.

Mindmovesbody

How long did you add in 500 calories/day? I am BF"ing but my milk supply is well established. My daughter is 6 months old. She nurses on demand...but doe sleep 8-9 hours at night.

Is she eating any solids yet? I would keep it at 500 until she eats at least one jar/bowl of food 3x a day then account for 300 calories. Really you should figure out your TDEE and eat at a 15% deficit of that number and just put one level more active than you are to accomodate for breast feeding. For example, for me to maintain my weight now I should be eatung 2340 calories a day. To lose weight I need to eat 15% less calories so I'm around 1900 a day. Instead of moderatley active I chose the next level up. Milk supply is fantastic and I'm still losing!!!!

WWW.scoobysworkshop.com to figure out how many cals to eat! Use his calorie calculator.

maddymama

How long did you add in 500 calories/day? I am BF"ing but my milk supply is well established. My daughter is 6 months old. She nurses on demand...but doe sleep 8-9 hours at night.

Personally, I dropped the calories only after my daughters were eating full meals. While they were playing with solids I kept my calorie count higher, knowing that they were still needing all the milk. My kids just played with solids for the longest time, so it was well past 12 months for me before I started to drop my calories, in response to their dropping feedings and replacing them with solids.
Going longer stretches at night may simply mean that your little one is more efficient at nursing and getting her milk on during the day/feeding times. I wouldn't drop my calories, or drop them by too much just yet.

Kerri_is_so_very

Eat the calories, but get the exercising in. Start walking...slow pace for now. With c-section you really need the recovery time. At 8 weeks or once all clear from DR start walking more. I had v-birth and was up to 3 miles/day at 6 weeks post partum. The baby loved the fresh air and slept the entire trip (most of the time). I belive you can log breastfeeding under cardio to get the burn. Your cal intake will affect the supply, so pick healthy choices...enjoy your newborn and enjoy the summer months with your babe!