seriously??!! moms with little ones, help!

Emilycaldwell420
Emilycaldwell420 Posts: 17 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I am pretty new to mfp and love it! I have a 6 month old baby that won't breastfeed but i pump and give it to him in a bottle...thats a long story buuuut...my problem is i am pumping about 40 ounces per day and just recently found breastfeeding in the database. According to that, i should be logging it and getting an extra 800 calories PLUS i am working out 5 days a week and strength training at least 3 days a week. Needless to say, i just cant believe that i'm supposed to eat as many calories as mfp is suggesting! I understand not wanting to eat too few calories and all but 2330/ day??? I cant believe it! I'm set at 1230/day then i'm supposed to eat back my 800 calories from pumping, then since i excersize, at least 300 calories which i am way underestimating since i do 1hour cardio or crosstraining or circuits and then dont even count strength training. Any other moms that are either breastfeeding or pumping have the same questions i do? Did you lose weight still eating that much? I'm within 8 lbs of my goal and finding it hard with trying to eat healthy, non processed foods to get in enough calories. Your help is much appreciated!

Replies

  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    no, I wouldn't count 800 calories...most places recommend 200-500 extra but never go below 1500 so try 1500, if you feel your milk supply is suffering add in 100 quality calories not forgetting to keep your fluid up.


    http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    Breastfeeding doesn't burn 800 calories a day, it's more like between 300-500, depending on frequency. I would definitely eat those back, or you may see a drop in supply. I wouldn't eat my exercise calories back.
  • chermo42
    chermo42 Posts: 2
    you can add healty calories with a small amount of nuts or seeds, or a bit of olive oil in your cooking. Easy way to increase calories while not having to eat a large amount of food.
  • leelee243
    leelee243 Posts: 11 Member
    Wow! That's a lot of pumping... usually they say only 500 calories per day for breastfeeding. At 6 months old, your milk is changing over as you start to introduce solid foods to your baby anyway, so you can probably cut that back even further as your body is now "used to" making the milk. As long as you have a good balance of carbs + protein and lots of water you may be ok eating back only 250 calories... but I would gradually cut down the amount of BF calories you eat back over a couple weeks. If you notice a decrease in your supply then you can also try some galactogogues (oatmeal, Mother's Milk tea, etc). Hope that helps!
  • SassyStef
    SassyStef Posts: 413
    I think 800 is too many as well. I would do 300 but yes dont go below 1500 maybe average you work out calories with BF calories and just eat those back...so it would just 300 any way lol 1500+300=1800 I would make the minimum for the day.
    1200 is way to low for what you are doing in a day!
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
    I'm not a doctor, but here's my experience. I didn't cut calories at all while I was breastfeeding because breastfeeding burns so many calories on it's own. Just by exercising and breastfeeding, I was able to return to my pre baby weight. My milk was very touchy, and cutting calories cut down on my milk supply drastically. Push, push, push your water and healthy fluids, and concentrating on eating healthy calories to hunger. In other words, if you're hungry, then yes eat the extra calories as long as they're "good" calories, not oreos or chips or whatever. If you've truly eaten until you're satisfied, and you come in a little under, then don't worry about it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    According to that, i should be logging it and getting an extra 800 calories PLUS i am working out 5 days a week and strength training at least 3 days a week. Needless to say, i just cant believe that i'm supposed to eat as many calories as mfp is suggesting!

    Really, this is a question for your doctor. A good deal of the stuff on this site is user entered and so should not necessarily believed without a little research.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I'm not a doctor, but here's my experience. I didn't cut calories at all while I was breastfeeding because breastfeeding burns so many calories on it's own. Just by exercising and breastfeeding, I was able to return to my pre baby weight. My milk was very touchy, and cutting calories cut down on my milk supply drastically. Push, push, push your water and healthy fluids, and concentrating on eating healthy calories to hunger. In other words, if you're hungry, then yes eat the extra calories as long as they're "good" calories, not oreos or chips or whatever. If you've truly eaten until you're satisfied, and you come in a little under, then don't worry about it.

    I agree, don't cut calories while you're breastfeeding! There's no reason to rush weight loss when you have a little baby, especially when you're so close to your goal weight already. Let yourself enjoy your baby and don't stress about the weight.
  • Sden1231
    Sden1231 Posts: 61
    http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/index.html



    Best site for breastfeeding advice
  • Emilycaldwell420
    Emilycaldwell420 Posts: 17 Member
    I got the 800 calories from the database that says each ounce is 20 calories so 20 x the 40 ounces is 800 calories. My son doesnt eat that much per day, I'm freezing it so i don't have to pump til hes 12 months!
  • Emilycaldwell420
    Emilycaldwell420 Posts: 17 Member
    thanks all for the help!
  • StaceyL76
    StaceyL76 Posts: 711 Member
    I'm not a doctor, but here's my experience. I didn't cut calories at all while I was breastfeeding because breastfeeding burns so many calories on it's own. Just by exercising and breastfeeding, I was able to return to my pre baby weight. My milk was very touchy, and cutting calories cut down on my milk supply drastically. Push, push, push your water and healthy fluids, and concentrating on eating healthy calories to hunger. In other words, if you're hungry, then yes eat the extra calories as long as they're "good" calories, not oreos or chips or whatever. If you've truly eaten until you're satisfied, and you come in a little under, then don't worry about it.

    I agree, don't cut calories while you're breastfeeding! There's no reason to rush weight loss when you have a little baby, especially when you're so close to your goal weight already. Let yourself enjoy your baby and don't stress about the weight.

    I agree! Remember what is most important. This is such a short time in life - it goes so fast. Enjoy your baby and the beauty of providing him/her with nourishment. It is an amazing time.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    I got the 800 calories from the database that says each ounce is 20 calories so 20 x the 40 ounces is 800 calories. My son doesnt eat that much per day, I'm freezing it so i don't have to pump til hes 12 months!

    Off topic but I just have to say...

    Good for you! Pumping is so much work and it's awesome that your doing it!

    You have a giant chest freezer right? :smile: At 8 mo. post partum I had 12 cu. ft of frozen BM... and stopped pumping (lasted to 1 yr and 1 wk)

    edit to add (had to go unearth some old links):

    If you are producing more than average, which it looks like you are, you are also burning more calories than average.

    This milk calculator http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html can help you figure out about how many ounces of breastmilk a baby probably needs per day.

    The research tells us that exclusively breastfed babies take in an average of 25 oz (750 mL) per day between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Different babies take in different amounts of milk; a typical range of milk intakes is 19-30 oz per day (570-900 mL per day).



    And from http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8f044e/8F044E0e.htm

    Rao studied the lactation performance of some poor South Indian mothers and found that the quantity of milk yield ranged between 530 and 730 ml during the first year and between 400 and 480 ml in the second year (2). Hanafy and Morsey 13) reported an average milk output of 840 ml among Egyptian mothers during the first six months of lactation. Maximum production in New Guinean, Indian, and Egyptian mothers is thus below the figure of 850 ml generally accepted for European or American women (4).

    The average potential milk output determined by the potential method in Burmese mothers of a low socioeconomic group at the peak period of milk production (1 to 4 months) was 855 ml/day; the average milk output from the first to the seventh month of lactation was 779 ml/day; and for all stages from 1 to 12 months, the average figure was 821 ml/day (5). Breast-milk production at 12 to 18 months was 523 ml; at 18 to 24 months it was 458 ml; and at 24 to 30 months it was 382 ml (unpublished data, Department of Medical Research, Rangoon, Burma).
  • jrlenig
    jrlenig Posts: 364 Member
    I will tell you that your milk changes with your child's age so you can't necessarily reserve it all, I am not saying you can't do some but your breast milk's nutritional content changes with your child's age. As for how many calories consult your OB, I would call and ask, but I am sure that it isn't 800 extra. The same place you found the 1oz is 20 calories it says that bfing moms should consume between 1800-2000 calories a day. Thought maybe that should help.
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