Breastfeeding and weight loss

I checked out your food log and looked back over the past week. First lets look at the obvious: how is your hydration and are you taking a supplement with iron? if not try changing both of those. Second perhaps try more nutritiously dense foods because it looks like you aren't giving your body much to work with and you want the best for you and baby. Lastly, some folks find breast feeding more of a challenge than others. There is nothing wrong with you if you are feeling challenged, but you body should produce more milk as it is asked to, so you may be suffering from a nutritional deficit that is making it hard for your body to produce what is needed.

more fruits and vegetables will make it easier to stay under that calorie goal without feeling hungry. also, add "breastfeeding" to your food log. it subtracts calories from what you ate, so you have a more accurate picture of what your body is actually getting.

and try to get as close to your calorie target as you can - it's really hard sometimes, but don't beat yourself up over it if you go over by a few once or twice a week. the MOST IMPORTANT THING is that you continue trying to do what's healthiest for the baby.

and one more thing - if you have your goals set to "lose 2 lbs/week" change it to "lose 1 lb/week". thataway you're less likely to be depriving yourself (and the baby) of the nutrients you need.

have you spoken with a lactation consultant? i had troubles nursing my son, and speaking to a professional really helped a lot. in my case, i actually needed to nurse MORE, because my body was overcompensating for the bottles i was giving him. you might be in a similar situation, especially since babies go through all those crazy growth spurts early on - it feels like you're not making enough milk, but actually, he's trying to increase your supply so that you can continue feeding him. in that case it's just a temporary thing.

and finally - please remember that this is going to be a long journey. motherhood is not something we get used to in three months, and (especially when you're breastfeeding) the best thing you can do is lose the weight really slowly. supposedly the longer it takes to lose the weight, the better your chances of keeping it off.

anyways, sorry if that's a bit long-winded, but i hope it helps. feel free to add me if you'd like - i recently stopped nursing my 1-year-old, so i may be able to help you with other issues or questions later, too.

ETA: i just took another look at your diary - WATER WATER WATER!! i have several 1-liter water bottles that i wash and refill every night. i drink 2 cups of water (half a bottle) before every meal and sip throughout the day as well. supposedly if you're breastfeeding, you're supposed to drink 2 ozs of water for every 3 lbs of body weight (i weigh 240, so i'm supposed to drink like 160 oz). you will pee CONSTANTLY, but you'll be sure to stay hydrated so your body can function. and i'm lecturing again. sorry. i'll get off the soapbox now. lot of luck!

One of the biggest factors in keeping your milk supply up is keeping yourself hydrated. EVERY time you nurse the baby you should drink a tall glass of water. Another factor is how often you are nursing; has something changed in your schedule recently (like returning to work)? A lot of moms find their supply falls off when they start pumping for a few feedings a day instead of nursing the baby. Sometimes it's just a matter of pumping more often when you are away from the baby; other times it's just the way it is. It is important to realize that while "breast is best", it is not worth driving yourself and/or your baby to frustration to keep it going; bottle-fed babies are perfectly healthy and happy, too.
I breastfed both my boys; the first ended a few months after I went back to work due to dwindling supply--about 5 months or so; the second breastfed until a year old since I was able to stay at home with him. Both are very healthy, strong kids now. (5 and 9 years old)
I'm also a nurse on L&D, so if there's any other help I can give, let me know.
As for the calorie intake, if I remember right from nursing school all those years ago; a lactating mom does need some extra calories, but I think it's only about the amount in an extra glass or two of milk.
Best of luck! And remember, no one knows what is best for you and your baby than you do.
-DJBug

I agree with the PP that said DO NOT eat under your calories. Remember producing milk burns calories, if you're not logging nursing (not sure how you do that) then you may need to actually eat more than MFP tells you. As others have said, stay hydrated.

What things make you think your supply is lacking? He could be in a growth spurt (around 3 months is a pretty common time for one) so if he's asking to eat more that doesn't really mean you don't have enough milk. He may just be eating more because he's growing more.

There is also cluster feeding where, especially in the evening, a babe may ask to eat very often (like every 30 min or so) or even want to nurse constantly. Both are completely normal, not an indicator of a lack of supply.

Also what you can pump has nothing to do with what you are producing. Some women respond well to a pump, others don't. I can barely get more than a few drops at a time with a pump, but had no problem nursing my DD well into toddlerhood.

I also highly recommended you nurse on demand rather than a schedule since you're with him all day. Trust him to know when he's hungry. Nursing is supply and demand. The less you nurse, the less milk your body will make. If you're having supply issues I can't stress enough how important it is to get your babe on the breast as often as possible.

Some things like oatmeal can help get your supply going. There are also mother's milk teas you can get that have herbs that support milk production.

For more specific breastfeeding advice from some really knowledgeable mamas, check out the breastfeeding forum on Mothering.com. They really konw what they're talking about. Also check out Kellymom.com for research based breasfeeding info.