Breastfeeding

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kayleighhazelgrave623
kayleighhazelgrave623 Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Just added this app and wondering if there is any way to calculate how many extra calories if any I should be adding for breastfeeding my 5 week old baby

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  • MegansMom2011
    MegansMom2011 Posts: 355 Member
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    First of all, congratulations, mama! I read on a breastfeeding site that each ounce is 20 calories. So, if you pump 10oz a day, that'd be 200 calories. If you also nurse, time how long it takes the baby to nurse and time how long the baby takes to drink an ounce & see what the difference is. Then just calculate how many minutes is an ounce and multiply that by 20 calories to get the total for the day. Remember not to eat back the burned nursed calories, but drink water instead. That way, your milk supply won't drop but your weight will!
  • jhmomofmany
    jhmomofmany Posts: 571 Member
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    300-500 calories a day is a good estimate if you're exclusively breastfeeding. Personally, my milk supply never seemed to be affected by exercise or being in a caloric deficit, but some women notice a drop in supply or fussiness in their baby if they don't eat enough. Generally you don't want to do anything to try to drop weight until Baby is old enough to be gaining weight reliably and your supply is well established.

    Congrats on your new baby!
  • ruth1104
    ruth1104 Posts: 40 Member
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    I've read the same, 300-500 calories. Sorry there is no mathematical way to work out how much your baby is nursing- they feed way more efficiently than a pump works and your body responds differently to your baby.

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