Postnatal weight loss

carla_maree
carla_maree Posts: 6 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,I have a 2 weeks old son and am exclusively breastfeeding.I gained 20kgs during pregnancy and lost 10kgs in thr first week.I feel like all I am doing is feeding him and am having some issues so my midwife has said I should focus on rehabilitation rather than the exercise I have planned (I have already joined a gym and entered a half marathon for later in the year) She has suggested walking and pilates for the first 6 months.I am anxious about how I can lose the remaining 10kgs without the exercise I normally do,and how i can manage cutting calories without affecting my supply (I breastfed my 2 year old daughter until she was 23 months and want to do the same for my son - it seems unfair not to!) Anyway thoughts or advice or similar experiences would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Replies

  • gabbyo23
    gabbyo23 Posts: 100 Member
    You are WAY ahead of yourself. There's nothing wrong with being healthy...in fact you should definatly eat a nutritious diet while breastfeeding. However. You are only 2 weeks postpartum!! This is basically the 4th trimester. Until at least 6 weeks your entire focus should be on eating well, resting up and caring for your son. I know you are doing these things already, but please forget any ideas of a diet or losing weight until after this point.

    Then, after 6 weeks, if you feel up to it gently start moving a bit more. You need to take into consideration your milk supply when looking at diet. Speak to your gp or a professional about how many extra calories to allow for that as I don't remember, but add that onto whateber mfp tells you.

    I know it seems unfair if you arnt happy with your body but you need to focus on your son and RESTING right now and just accept you are there for him and to rest yourself, not to look pretty. You have plenty of time to regain your body and fitness after you have recovered.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    ^Agree with the above. It's only been two weeks.. for the first month or so I was so exhausted and trying to adjust taking care of two kids I didn't know what my name was! (err.. sometimes I still don't because despite him being almost one he still doesn't sleep very well.. :s !).

    Since you are nursing definitely don't want to start cutting cals before your supply is established, even then I wouldn't go too low. I ate at maintenance (so for me that was about 2700-2900 cals) and I lost pretty reasonably, took about 7-8 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I would definitely listen to your doctor or midwife telling you to wait especially if you have some issues that need rehabilitation.. you don't want to rush into anything too soon and risk not healing properly.

    Congrats on the little one and good luck!
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    First, remember that as your baby grows, he eats more and more, and you need to be able to produce those calories for him. A 6 month old who is exclusively breastfeeding eats, on average, 500-600 calories a day, all of which are coming only from you. Plus the metabolic energy to take care o fhim and make the milk.

    My biggest warning for you is: Your body is not "back to normal" and won't be for awhile. In the last weeks of pregnancy, your body sends hormones to your ligaments to loosen them up, so that your pelvic bones are not connected to each other as firmly and can "flex" a bit to help the baby get out. Your ligaments take awhile to return to their usual strength, and you do not want to overdo it while they're still extra loose. You really, really, do not. I've posted the story of how I found that out somewhere and I'll pull it up if you want it, but you can take my word for it.

    Give yourself time. Really. Pregnancy isn't actually "over" when the baby squooshes out.
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