Breast feeding

bfoss07
bfoss07 Posts: 1
edited November 14 in Chit-Chat
i am 3 weeks postpartum and have been cleared for light exercise...is there a way to incorporate how much you are pumping/feeding? My calorie count for the day is 1,200 but I know I have to eat more then that to produce. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • mikeshockley
    mikeshockley Posts: 684 Member
    Best suggestion would be to ask your doctor.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    At this point you shouldn't be restricting your calories. It is suggested to wait at least 2 months before dieting until your milk supply is established.

    On the website you can log breastfeeding under the food diary for a negative calorie amount. It doesn't work on the app right now.

    Or you can include it in your calorie goal. I set my calorie goal to maintainance at first, so with my breastfeeding, there was a -500 calorie deficit which is a 1lb a week weight loss goal.
    Now that my son is eating food, I switched to a .5lb a week weight loss goal. That plus about 300 calories burned for breastfeeding is about a 1lb a week.


    A good reference
    http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-weightloss/
  • Fitmami222
    Fitmami222 Posts: 16 Member
    I eat around 1200 cals and still am able to fully breast feed my son. I don't eat the extra cals bc I personally don't think it's necessary. I do try to eat foods that I know will boost my supply such as: oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, coconut oil, fenugreek etc..
  • kinkyslinky16
    kinkyslinky16 Posts: 1,469 Member
    I am breastfeeding, also 3 weeks postpartum. I am not restricting calories really. I'm not logging again yet, just listening to my body and eating when I'm able. I only have 7 lbs more to go to get back to prepregnancy weight!

    I have an overabundant supply of breastmilk so I am not worried about my supply, but if yours is more delicate definitely do not restrict calories yet.
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
    Is your supply established? If you and your baby are doing well, it should be fine to calorie count. Just pay attention and look for any signs that supply might be becoming an issue. I didn't eat at a deficit while nursing and still had supply issues that needed to be addressed. Everyone is different.

    I would give yourself an extra 500 calories for a new baby nursing. Once baby gets older, and starts consuming more than breast milk, the number reduces to about 300.
  • Unknown
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  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    I did not add calories for breastfeeding. If you have a significant fat store to draw nutrition from and you have a decent starting supply then you can do it. Check with your baby's doctor to ensure growth is stable. Take a multivitamin to make sure you aren't taking too much from your own body. Drink lots and lots of water (this would hurt your supply far more than calorie restriction). Make sure every single thing you put in your body has nutritional value for the baby and monitor both your energy level and your baby's growth and movements closely. The baby will take whatever the baby needs from you so it will cause you to be overly tired long before it will effect the calories your baby is getting. There have been studies that show that even malnourished moms in third world countries have perfectly healthy breastfed babies so you have little chance of hurting either one of you if you are supplying enough water vitamins and minerals and have adequate fat stores to draw calories from.
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