breastfeeding and calories

alanahbastion
alanahbastion Posts: 48
in Food and Nutrition
so iv been told my my trainer i need to consume 300 more cals than the av person due to breastfeeding,she said around 2000 calories so i tryed that and it took 3 months for like 2kgs,i know the score with eating good and enough for your milk etc and do :) but as for calories i dont understand it,why an extra 300? is that how much i burn daily bfeeding? :/ confused so i lowered it to 1800 i figure take away the 300 and its 1500 daily is this right ?

Replies

  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    Similar to when you are prego - baby needs calories too. You need enough for you and baby as well. You should eat more then 1500 period while breastfeeding though. Make sure you worry about baby first, then yourself 2nd.
  • alanahbastion
    alanahbastion Posts: 48
    1500 + 300 for milk so total of 1800 :)
  • lady_jessi
    lady_jessi Posts: 77 Member
    I think kellymom says 1800 or more is best while bfing. Honestly though, I think it depends on your height/size ect. I was eating like 1600 calories and losing weight steadily without taking a hit to my supply. But that was when my son was maybe like 13+ months old so he was eating complimentary foods also. If you're baby is exclusively bfing adding 500 calories is the typical advice. You look pretty great to me. If those pics are you now you're at a point now where you are a normal weight already and slow but sure wins the race, ya'know.
  • alanahbastion
    alanahbastion Posts: 48
    yea i find i make to much milk on 2000 plus,this is my 2nd child 2nd time feeding and now shes 9months and on solid food im finding i dont need as much,the numbers are so confusing though
  • harmonyh10
    harmonyh10 Posts: 58 Member
    It really depends on how much breastmilk she is taking in, if you estimate that at 9 months she is feeding 3-5 times per day at probably 4-5 oz per feeding and each oz has around 20 calories in it that you can come up with a reasonably estimate for how much extra you should be consuming.

    16 oz a day would be 320 calories
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    um. i think 300 is a low estimate of what you are burning if you are nursing a baby. Is the baby 100% surviving on breast milk? I think it's more like 500-600 calories.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/fashion/12Skin.html?_r=0

    http://www.modernmom.com/article/how-many-calories-do-you-burn-a-day-breast-feeding
  • alanahbastion
    alanahbastion Posts: 48
    thankyou :) great help guys + girls
  • iampanda
    iampanda Posts: 176 Member
    You burn a lot of calories breastfeeding. Between 200-500, on average. So yes, to keep up an adequate milk supply, you need to take that into account.
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    <----Board certified lactation consultant. The typical amount of calories burned in an exclusively breastfeeding woman is 300-500 calories a day. If you have started solids or are supplimenting at all, that number will be less. The best idea is to pay attention to you and your baby. If you notice your supply dropping, then you might need to up calories (if everything else is going right), or if you notice a decrease in your baby's output, there is a supply issue probably. Those are the concerns with not getting enough calories.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    well your body needs energy to produce the milk
    calories are a unit of energy
    i've heard it's more like 500 actually.
  • alanahbastion
    alanahbastion Posts: 48
    im finding that my milks still good and strong,i have actually found its better on less calories as now my boobs dont become rock hard and sore from to much milk :) all very helpful guys and girls

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