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jogdog
jogdog Posts: 89 Member
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Hello all!

I am a new proud mom of a little girl that was born six weeks ago. I started back at exercising the other day and my milk supply has been greatly affected already. I have been exclusively breastfeeding and doing a couple pumps a day since the beginning with a fair amount of success. I was starting to figure out the calorie and fluid intake levels to help me be successful at nursing+pumping and building a nice supply of bagged milk in the freezer, but now that I am back at running... totally different story. I have read some things online, but that just led me to more and more questions. I am also not just trying to get back into shape, I am trying to lose my pregnancy weight. I gained 32 lbs, and currently sit here with about 20 lbs left to go and really want to get back to pre-pregnancy weight of around 185 at a healthy rate.

Any tips on being able to maintain my supply to feed and pump (need to pump since I will be going to school full time for the next 1.5 yrs and she will be with a daycare) while running and losing weight? I drink at least 3 liters of water a day and every day consists of foods like oatmeal, almonds, green salad, and yogurt. Today starts me finally logging and completing my food diary so I can keep myself accountable and on track with calories and food choices. I currently have my calories set at 2100 to try to get to each day.

Also, any recommendations for keeping the girls up top contained and comfortable while running?

Thanks ahead of time!

Replies

  • ks4e
    ks4e Posts: 374 Member
    Double up on the sports bra if you have to. My girls never got that big, so one is enough for me.

    Are you eating back those exercise calories???

    I drink Yogi Nursing Tea daily to keep my supply up. I also eat lactation cookies (you can find the recipe online, and they're easy to make and delicious!).
  • Annahasababy
    Annahasababy Posts: 60 Member
    My advice although MFP may not agree is to eat plenty of FAT. This means supplementing with flax seed oil and DHA oil if needed. I don't mean eat crap or McDonald's, but don't skimp. Like eat full fat yogurt and not skim.
    Your baby needs the fat for her brain development, especially DHA, and you need fat for your breasts.... In fact research shows women with high fat diets while nursing (and child led weaning) experience perky breasts vs the saggy breasts usually associated with breastfeeding .

    Also, I would be patient and don't rush into too strenuous exercise just yet. You just gave birth six weeks ago. For now I would recommend just walking and nursing on demand. The weight will fall off, I promise! I wouldn't really work out hard until 12-16 weeks post partum.

    I gained more than 40 lbs (stopped counting after 40 ha ha) and I am now 3 lbs LESS than I was before I got pregnant. My baby is six months old.
    around four months old they need a lot more calories so you will see a ton of weight loss starting around four months post partum .....

    So be patient !
  • spunkychelsea
    spunkychelsea Posts: 316 Member
    Congrats on your new baby! I read that it's better to wait to actively lose weight until baby is 2 months old so as not to effect the milk supply.

    I found LLLI to be a good resource: http://www.llli.org/faq/diet.html

    With my son I only gained 23 lbs, I had gestational diabetes and had to watch everything I ate very closely. I was back to pp weight within 8 days of giving birth, still flabby, still overweight, but back to the starting weight. I didn't lose any more weight until I joined a gym 6 months postpartum and actively started working out. That helped me lose 10 more lbs then I got pregnant again at 9 months pp. Ha. Gained 46 lbs. I was so excited not to have diabetes again I ate everything (read BAGS of birthday cake oreos). Birth helped me lose 22 lbs (both were just under 8lbs), 5 months pp and I have lost 45 lbs of the 46. Still flabby, still overweight, but better than I was before kids. (I'm 5'2" and currently 148lbs, i need to be 135 to not be overweight anymore).

    For me the fat doesn't melt off, it takes watching what I eat, a big concept my husband and I are just getting after 10 years of marriage. (He's lost 17 lbs!). I would say it's a slow process but 20lbs in 3 months is probably a lot. I just know I have more to go.

    What's funny is my baby was sleeping longer periods at night before i started dieting. I still eat plenty of fats (good and bad). If you drink water and eat the right things you might just need to slowly ease back into the running. Good for you for wanting to get out there! I do not have the same motivation When I've been concerned I've called my local La Leche League rep (you can find contacts on the website) and they have called me back and talked me through things (When I got pregnant I started losing my supply and I was worried my son, then 9-12 months, wasn't getting enough milk). I didn't have to go in and see anyone, or pay, but they had some excellent advice and reassurance and were up on research.

    I wish you the best of luck in both your breastfeeding and weight loss.
  • ashb1216
    ashb1216 Posts: 45 Member
    Congrats !!! I completely understand where you are coming from... it is hard to exercise and no mess with the milk supply. What I do is light exercise with making sure I get a good amount of calories in a day... but honestly, I don't have any problems with the calories because I AM ALWAYS HUNGRY !!!! I exclusively pump, and I swear I just want to eat and eat.
  • juliehuestis
    juliehuestis Posts: 24 Member
    I started a C25K four weeks ago, and do notice a drop in supply if I don't eat enough and workout too hard. I try not to increase my distance too fast, and fall back if I notice a decrease in supply.
    I've been wearing two bras, the only way to stop the bounce!!

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