Starvation

Think of it this way...your child needs you to eat 1700 calories a day MINIMUM! Nursing burns about 500 calories/day and you need 1200 calories without exercise or nursing...

Producing breast milk uses 300-500 calories a day.

I think that you need to increase your calorie intake. I took a nutrition class last semester, and my teacher said that during lactation (breast feeding) you need to increase your calories by about 300. If you are not getting the proper amount of energy, your not giving your infant all the nutrition that they need. It is important to make sure that you are eating the right amount of calories. You also should be marking down how many times you breast feed, because that takes away calories from you. Good luck!

I also think more calories are in order (I'm envious tho, hee hee!). If you're not feeling that hungry, a healthy smoothie made with e.g. milk + strawberries or a banana could be a good options. I sometimes also add a bit of muesli or other healthy cereal and/or a spoonful of peanut butter to the blender... it's pretty tasty! Also, and this might sound weird but is delicious: make a 2/3 size smoothie then top up with sparkling water. Very refreshing! Hope all is well for you and your newly-expanded family.

I am going to go against the group here. You definatelty need to eat several well balanced meals a day but calories are not the priority. Your baby needs vitamins and minerals that your body does not store. You have stores of fat but not a lot of vitamins.

If you are eating the recommended amount of all of the food groups each day and still have a calorie deficit, I wouldn't worry.

Just so everyone stops worrying so much--quality of breastmilk is one of the last things to go when a lactating mother suffers malnutrition, and I'm sure the OP is likely NOT malnourished. While adding just a protein bar, or a smoothie, and maybe a nice slice of toast with jam a day would be a good idea to boost calories for the OP's health, this baby is not going to wind up asthmatic, ADHD, or otherwise ill because mom had a couple hundred calories too few daily. Breastfeeding isn't that exact a thing, and it takes some serious malnutrition in Mom's world to render baby likewise malnourished. More often than not, a woman's milk will dry up from malnutrition (and her menstrual cycles will stop) before it will become nutritionally lacking for baby. Breastfeeding isn't just a matter of "food in-food out." That's why the 80s brought us so many pictures of emaciated, hollow-eyed women with their round, sweet-faced infants at the breast. It's not until weaning (or the loss of millk supply) that those babies begin to starve. The leading cause of infant malnutrition in hunger-stricken areas isn't maternal malnutrition, but rather a lack of breastfeeding, early termination of breastfeeding, and supplementing with formula. Or so says UNICEF.

It sounds like the OP has a good handle on her nursing--remember to drink your water, and good job knowing what foods in your diet irritate your baby. Remember that the vast majority of doctors have never taken a course in lactation or infant nutrition--if you run into trouble, seek out an IBCLC/Lactation Consultant to give you a hand.

Now, have a protein bar or a homemade smoothie. Or just add a couple of bananas and a slice of whole grain bread so folks can stop worrying. I'm sorry you got jumped--you throw a baby into the mix, and people tend to react emotionally, especially when common knowledge concerning breastmilk and nursing isn't widespread. As a society, we could definitely stand to know more about it.

Kris