breastfeeding and exercising. Do I have this right?

Where did the calorie amount for breastfeeding come from? Is that an option in the MFP database? It has been a while since I nursed, so I don't recall what they recommend for nursing women when it comes to calories. My guess would be that you should be netting 1700 calories at a minimum, even if you don't eat back your exercise calories. Aside from weight loss/gain issues, if you don't net enough calories, your milk production will suffer.

My personal feeling is that 900 calories a day is just not enough for a breastfeeding mom. And when you are nursing especially, I'd expect your body to hang on to every bit of fat then if it feels its needs are not being met nutritionally. Can you bump up your calorie intake with milk?

I am trying to eat back the nursing calories and not the exercising ones...so I guess that would be 1700 calories a day (I am exclusively breastfeeding too at 500 calories a day), but I very rarely eat that many to be honest, I don't find the time! lol

If I add breastfeeding to my food diary, if shows up as a 500 cal deficit.
I could drink more almond milk I guess. my son is sensative to dairy and soy so I'm limited on options there.

do you think I'm just not getting enough calories? My milk supply is fine, but the weight is just creeping slowly off

I had heard when I was nursing that it was 500/day. I actually lost a lot of weight eating whatever and nursing because it burned so many calories (if I had access to my fb at work I'd post a pic from last summer, I was skinny-ish and flabby-ish from the nursing). As he slowed down I started packing on the pounds. He had dairy, soy, and gluten reactions so my diet was very strict. I nursed for 16 months, until he outgrew his intolerance to dairy. As long as your supply is fine and he's growing fine you're doing fine.

When I was exclusively breastfeeding, and then pumping, I did not worry about losing weight as much as I did about my milk supply. Lots of people told me that I'd lose weight more quickly while BF, but that was not true for me. Maybe in the beginning, but not later on. Around six months I found that I really had to work to keep my supply up, which meant more calories and lots of water. Since I prioritized BF my baby until at least 12 months, I focused on that more than on weight loss. Then when she started eating mostly solid for, I cut back on calories. At 19 months, we're still BF a couple of times a day, and my supply is fine with a net of 1200 calories. I would let your body be the guide, though...if your supply suffers, increase your calories. 900 net calories does sound low for an exclusively breastfeeding mother, though.

I have been wondering the same thing. My son is almost 7 months old and eats solids 3 times a day but I also nurse during the day. So MFP gives me 300 calories for that, and I am confused as to how many calories I should be eating total in a day.

minimally 1500 i'd say !

miffyrach, that is really helpful info. I just found something similar (20 calories per 1 ounce of expressed milk). Great topic!

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/forums/forum19/1427.html

I think anyone who wonders about how much they should eat while nursing should talk to a lactation consultant. My OB's office has people you can talk to on the phone for free, so maybe yours does too (in case you are worried about a copay or other fee). When my son was born the hospital sent me home with an info packet including numbers for free lactation info and support. Dig up your hospital paperwork to see if you have similar resources. My gut response to this though is that you should eat back your breastfeeding calories and your exercise calories. But double check with a pro to make sure the numbers MFP is giving you are correct.

I nursed my babes w/o supplement for 10 months and did work out right after I dropped them off at daycare (quick 3 mile run) 3 days a week, my milk supply was WAY lower and less satisfying after working out so I couldn't do it when my babies were depending on me for nutrition within 4-6 hours. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I had to keep my calories at 1700 or my babies were fussy. Just enjoy it, you will miss the nursing (and ice cream) when it's over.
P.S. I found a big glass of milk or ice cream very helpful in milk production.
Good luck!

Oh, and oatmeal is fantastic for increasing milk supply!

Agree! And lots & lots of water. I also had a recipe for "lactation cookies," which included oatmeal, of course, and brewer's yeast (also great for milk supply & has B vitamins in it). Not so great for the diet, but great for the milk.

Thanks for making this point. I was confused too cause my son is 7 months old and eating solids 3 times a day, but it seems like he's still nursing as much if not more than before we started solids. On the 2 days I work he takes at least 10 ounces in 2 feedings and then I still feed him at least 3 more times, so I'm thinking he at least drinks around 25 ounces which would equal 500 calories.That's what I try to eat back and the weight has been coming off SLOWLY which is better than gaining I guess. This might be a silly question as this is my second kid and I nursed my first for over a year so I should probably know this...How can you tell if your supply is lower? I'm always worried about it but I'm pretty sure we're doing fine. I just want to know what signs to look out for.

Until 12 months, babies will get pretty much all of their nutrition from milk/formula (whichever you're using). Any solids are just getting them used to eating--they aren't providing much nutritional benefit. Babies lack most of the digestive enzymes to actually break down food until at least 9 months or so. So they should continue to consume just as much breast milk or formula (around 25 or so ounces per day).

As for how to tell if your supply is decreasing, it is difficult to know for sure. Pumping/expressing will NEVER be as efficient at removing milk as your baby will be, so you cannot simply assume that the amount that you pump is the same as what your baby gets from the breast. Also, some women do not feel as comfortable with the pump, so their letdown reflex doesn't kick in as well, therefore they do not pump as much. And using your baby's cues as an indicaiton of milk supply can be tricky, too...there can be many reasons for fussiness. Sometimes people confuse growth spurts or spurts of cluster feeding/comfort nursing, or frustration at the breast with decreased supply--they think that because the baby wants to nurse all the time all of a sudden that the milk supply must be too low, when in reality it could be a growth spurt. The best thing to do in those situations is let your baby nurse as much as possible, which will signal your body to produce more breast milk to meet the baby's needs through the growth spurt. Also, teething can affect a baby's breast feeding habits--they may release the latch more often due to sore gums, etc--this can also be misinterpreted as low milk supply.

Usually if you are exclusively breast feeding, the first 3-4 months will be what really establishes your supply. If you continue letting your baby nurse on demand, and you stay properly hydrated & receive proper nutrition, supply should not be an issue (barring any other health issues). If you have to work full time & pump, that's when it can be more tricky, because you can't nurse on demand, and since the pump isn't as effective at removing milk, your body can, over time, decrease its produciton. It becomes more of an effort to keep up production.

I was also going to add that kellymom is a great site to use for reference when it comes to breastfeeding questions! I have EBF all 3 of my boys (still nursing the youngest who is 4 months old) and I was always told that you need an addition 300-500 calories to sustain a healthy milk supply ON TOP of your regular calorie intake.

I would play around with it and see...some weeks maybe eat all of your extra breastfeeding calories and exercise ones..then maybe switch it up in a few weeks and only eat one or the other...see what will work best for you. I do agree though that 900 calories a day is not enough for a breastfeeding mother...you need more than that.

Good luck!