New Moms...breastfeeding & trying to lose weight

If you are hurting, your latch really isn't right. Try again. I am rather large breasted and in the words of my husband "is it possible to get a good latch?" As my babies get older it is easier and they are able to have more in their mouth. Make sure he isn't sucking just on your nipple. He should have some of the areola in his mouth as the ducts in the areola are compressed to help the milk come out. If you start noticing any signs of a clogged duct, focus on that side/area for nursing to un plug it. You don't want mastitis (I have had it with every kid once) It's miserable and flu like.

angie--I am sure you will be able to continue nursing when you go back to work. Get a good quality pump and pump at regular intervals during your work day, be sure and try a bottle the week or two before you go back. My daughter (I was working nights) screamed until 5 am the first night I went back. My husband didn't want to practice before and even though I had tried a bottle she wasn't used to him giving it. It worked out fine but it doesn't hurt to practice. The funny thing is this baby is my first I don't have to go to work with and he has taken the bottle the easiest out of my three.

I believe you can do anything if you want to bad enough. It took me a month to get my daughter (first child) to nurse and I used every trick in the book...I really wanted it. Now I need to want my goal weight with the same tenacity. :bigsmile:

Has anyone found quick and easy but healthy snacks to have, one handed, while nursing?

I take a little bit of time each week and break fruit and veggies up into pre-measured and cut up portions in sandwich bags. Things like carrots and grapes are great for this. I also like string cheese and granola bars

I have a quick question for everyone. I've been breastfeeding my son now for 3 and a half months and I'm finally starting to feel like I have the hang of it and it is getting easier. However, recently I've noticed that I don't really get engored as much as I used to, except in the morning after he's slept for 7 to 10 hours. I'm wondering, is my body just getting used to his needs? Has anyone else experienced this??

andbam, I definitely would not worry about not being engorged regularly. I agree that your body has begun to adjust to making the "perfect" amount to meet your baby's needs. I think that I stopped getting engorged around the same time(2-3months old). My son is now 8 months old & I really worried about getting engorged when he FINALLY started sleeping through the nite in the last two weeks. I got engorged at first, but after a week passed I am now only uncomfortable when I wake up. It's incredible how quickly our milk supply will adjust.

The only time I would worry is if you feel like your son is not getting enough to eat when you feed him throughout the day. If he pulls away regularly & is crying AFTER trying to nurse unsuccessfully... Don't forget to drink lots of water & healthy snacks! Good luck

This is my first post ever.

I'm so glad I found this forum! I was just lamenting to my friends that I hated going over my calories each day because of BFing. I'm so glad someone posted about adding it to your food journal. I seriously never thought of that.

I have 1 son who is 11.5 months old and we're still going strong as far as nursing. I'm planing on nursing for a while still, but he's starting to get cow's milk during the day because I'm sick and tired of pumping. I'd be happy to be friends with anyone on here. I'm always happy to be a support and have support from others

I'm starting a new job next week, so I'm kinda nervous about starting my weight loss at the same time, so any encouragement in that area is definitely welcome too.

OK, I'll shut up now. Haha

Hello, ladies! I would love to join you all. My daughter is 14 wks and I have about 15lbs of baby weight left. I was on bed rest for 4 months and the pounds are just not dropping off... :explode:

I'm so glad I found this post! Its really awesome to see other moms who are also breast feeding! A lot of my friends never breast feed their kids so I'm just kind of out there on my own! My son is almost 6 months old and I'm planning on BFing him until he's at least a year, if not longer! Its just such a wonderful experience!!! I would love to make any friends!! I need that support!! lol

I'll be working as a Speech Therapist for a school. I'm really excited to get started next week!

I wish I could have avoided pumping, but I had to go back to work when he was 6 weeks old. I'm hoping to have my next baby during the summer so I won't have to worry about pumping for the first few months. But we'll see when the time comes.

Awesome! I also work with children, but I do it out of my home and in the general community, so I can keep my kids with me while I do it. I work with children who have mental diagnosis, i.e. ADHD, bipolar disorder, autism, etc. I love the ability to make my own hours and stay with my own children, who often are great helpers and friends to the kiddos that I work with. I am going to school for child development and psychology, as I love helping children to grow to their best potential.

I feel odd about asking this because it makes me feel like a "bad mommy." Do any breastfeeding moms on here ever drink alcohol? I ask this because I'm going to a family wedding in about a month and I'm planning on having a few drinks throughout the night. My son is going to be at home all day with my cousins and I plan on going back between the ceremony and the reception to feed him at least twice and spend some time with them. I will pump leading up to that day so that he will have food before he goes to bed.

I asked my family doctor if it is a big deal to have a few drinks (I always thought I wouldn't have any alcohol until I stop breastfeeding) and he said it wasn't an issue. He said maybe wait about 4 hours after my last drink to breast feed. Since my son usually sleeps through the night I figure that if I pump when I get home and toss it, then the next morning I shouldn't have an issue, and my doctor agreed with this. He said that even if there is a little alcohol still in my system it's not great enough to be bad for him.

Has anyone else ever drank while breastfeeding?

I feel odd about asking this because it makes me feel like a "bad mommy." Do any breastfeeding moms on here ever drink alcohol? I ask this because I'm going to a family wedding in about a month and I'm planning on having a few drinks throughout the night. My son is going to be at home all day with my cousins and I plan on going back between the ceremony and the reception to feed him at least twice and spend some time with them. I will pump leading up to that day so that he will have food before he goes to bed.

I asked my family doctor if it is a big deal to have a few drinks (I always thought I wouldn't have any alcohol until I stop breastfeeding) and he said it wasn't an issue. He said maybe wait about 4 hours after my last drink to breast feed. Since my son usually sleeps through the night I figure that if I pump when I get home and toss it, then the next morning I shouldn't have an issue, and my doctor agreed with this. He said that even if there is a little alcohol still in my system it's not great enough to be bad for him.

Has anyone else ever drank while breastfeeding?

I have a few drinks couple times a week. *My boss owns a brewery and I can't say no to free beer. Haha.* I wait an hour for each drink before I feed/pump (although it's usually pump, since I don't drink until after Alex does to bed). So if I have 2 drink and finish the last one at 9, I wouldn't feed or pump until 11. And that's always worked fine for me. I think it also depends on how old your child is. An older child would be less susceptible to the effects of alcohol.

Hi, just found this group. Sounds wonderful! I had lost 40 lbs and was trying to loose a few more. Then I found out I was pregnant. Well, I gained 70+ during the pregnancy. I've lost about 20 of it, but still have more to go to get back to pre-pregnancy. My son is 8 months old, I think it's time to really kick my butt into gear!

It's funny, my mother in law just told me tonight that when she was in her first few days of breastfeeding her doctor told her to have a beer because it will help her milk supply come in. That made me laugh!

I will definitely have a great time at the wedding. It'll be weird being away from my son for so long though.

You'd better believe! I can *totally* relate. I've never understood those mom's that swore breastfeeding helped them shed their pregnancy pounds - I was/am *always* ravenous! Nursing makes me so darn hungry, throw in a night of poor sleep and I just want to binge on junk.

I try to keep crap out of my house (which is easier said than done with the hubs tries to sneak it into the cart during grocery shopping) because if it isn't here, I can't eat it! I also don't want my boys thinking that junk food is "normal". A treat, every once & a while? Fine but junk every day or a couple times a week, unnecessary!

Try to stay hydrated, I do find that if I'm feeling peckish sometimes it is actually thirst (and apparently I'm not in tune enough with my body to differentiate the two).

If you have a jogging stroller, get out and enjoy the day with your little one! I just picked up a B.O.B. duallie and I love it! I can take my boys out for a walk or a brisk jog... easy peasy.

If you have a BBQ - grill! I, personally, think everything tastes better on the Q. I love to rough chop some veggies and toss them on a bed of spinach. Add a little protein and that's an awesome lunch!

I'll definitely be supporting you on your journey!

Hello everyone, I ran across this post and it's nice to see a lo of ladies going through the same thing as me! My daughter will be 3 months old on Monday and I am breastfeeding. I feel hungry all the time!! I love working out, but eating is where I am having trouble! I still have a ways to go to get to where I was! I lost 50 lbs last summer and it felt great! So my goal is to get back to where I was.

Hi all! I had my dd 6 weeks ago and am breastfeeding. My last pregnancy was twins. After they were born, it seemed like the weight just melted off. I guess nursing two babies burned up all those calories! This time, I haven't hardly lost anything, and I have to admit I'm really frustrated. I had a c/s and was just cleared yesterday to begin exercising again. I would love to have the support of other Moms going through the same thing!