BREASTFEEDING MOM CALORIES??

roxypoptart
roxypoptart Posts: 30 Member
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
BREASTFEEDING MOMs how many cals do you set your goal at?

Replies

  • adcoffman
    adcoffman Posts: 10 Member
    Well, from everything I have read I want to make sure I say that it is not recommended to diet while breastfeeding. But, what I did was add 500 calories to what I would normally need. So if Your daily goal is 1500 then your breastfeeding goal would be 2000.
  • MrsSheets
    MrsSheets Posts: 3 Member
    I was told that a breastfeeding mother needs an additional 200 cal per day. Good luck!! Also agree with previous poster - dangerous to diet while breastfeeding :)
  • bhawkins0617
    bhawkins0617 Posts: 46 Member
    I would add AT LEAST 500 calories to the MFP calculations if your baby is exclusively breastfeeding. And If that doesn't seem like enough, add some more good calories. Too little caloric intake can dry up your milk supply. I breastfed all my babies and food-wise it was the best time of my life. I couldn't eat enough calories to keep up!
  • shellyhef1
    shellyhef1 Posts: 33
    If you type in "Breastfeeding-Nursing Mother" in the food database, it will pull up with an option for you to put the amount of ounces that you are getting out. My 11 month old, who is exclusively on breastmilk only, has not actually "nursed" in two months. I am pumping so many times a day, so I know about how many ounces I am getting. But to keep from OVER ESTIMATING, I always put 10 oz. Just go under "Snacks", and put the amount of ounces you are getting out, and it will automatically deduct the fat, calories, etc. I hope this makes since. If not, just let me know, and I will try to explain it better!! Good luck!
  • shellybsn
    shellybsn Posts: 57 Member
    Because I've been breastfeeding for 9 months and I'm down to not making a whole lot of milk (and no longer his sole source of nutrition now that he's on solids), I follow what MFP recommends. However, I'm a big girl and that's still over 1600 calories a day not including any exercise calories. (I'm more just his daily immunity booster instead of sole source of calories) I would tread lightly and slowly cut back from what you're eating now and watch your milk supply/baby's satisfaction with meals along with baby's weight gain. You need 200-500 extra calories a day according to babycenter.com. You also need carbs, proteins and fats in healthy balance. Check with a lactation specialist or dietician at the hospital you delivered at if you need a little guidance. Make sure you also drink pleanty of water.
  • shellybsn
    shellybsn Posts: 57 Member
    P.S. Good for you for breastfeeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
    Pay attention to your supply. If it starts to suffer then eat more! Kellymom.com is a great resource and has info about dieting while nursing.
  • ResilientWoman
    ResilientWoman Posts: 440 Member
    There is still a lot of milk produced when your child is a toddler. The older a child gets, the more quickly they can drink what is produced. My 5 year old still can rachet my breasts up to full production (24-28 oz daily). Whenever she goes through a growth spurt, I am back to newborn baby boobs, at least internally. I get the best quality milk (based on daughter's satisfaction/health) with a huge consumption of coconut milk, purified fish oil, heavy whipping cream from grass fed jersey cows, and grass fed beef. That and staying away from processed foods.

    YMMV
  • roxypoptart
    roxypoptart Posts: 30 Member
    thank you :)
  • ResilientWoman
    ResilientWoman Posts: 440 Member
    It was so late that I forgot to answer your original question. Go to your goals, find out what your maintenance calorie level is, mine for example is a BMR of 2280 plus very little, so around 2300 calories daily. Then add your activity level plus 500 calories (1000 for moms of multiples). I am sedentary when crashing from medical issues. If I feel well enough to train, I do and then I can eat a little more but not a lot. The trick is to not starve oneself of vital nutrients (essential fatty acids, protein, calcium).

    In my experience, eating grains (even whole), destroyed my digestion. Eating processed foods can pay off in the short term, satisfying an immediate need for fuel, stimulating the let down response, but will not create the same health for mom in the long term. My daughter is almost 6 years old now and I am only now beginning to get healthier than before pregnancy. That's at least 5 years of my life lost to ignorance of optimal nutrition.

    My favorite mom-authored cookbook is Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso. Eating according to Paleo 2.0/The Primal Blueprint, a mom can nurse, perform as an elite athlete, lose fat slowly and build muscle. Meanwhile the quality of milk will be excellent. Moms who have eaten according to various disciplines are reporting less stress and more strength as well as happier kiddos, less colic and strengthened immune systems when they went Primal/Paleo.

    Just curious were you just concerned about losing baby weight or, like me, did you have issues with weight before getting pregnant?
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