Breast feeding mom, looking for other BFMs.

Im a BFM also!!

Hi, I am a fellow BF mom, though my little nurser is now 17 months old. But I have BFed all 4 of my babies exclusively-13 mos, 17, mos, 22 mos and then the current one. Feel free to friend me!

As far as losing your supply-just keep nursing as often as possible and be sure to keep up your water intake. If your baby is exclusively breastfed I wouldn't go under 2000 calorie diet. Just makes sure those calories are nutrient dense. If you supplement or baby is on solids then you can go a little under that, but I wouldnt go much under until baby is getting his (her?) primary nutrition elsewhere. For me that was at about 12 months or so because we always introduce solids late and breastmilk is baby's primary source of nutrition for the first year of life.

Currently, my babe nurses anywhere from 2-6 times a day, depending on how needy he is on any given day

HTH

Hello, I'm a BFM too and I just joined MFP today. I'm still new to the site and don't know much of it. My son just turned 4 months and I heard you can loose so much weight BF but I lost none.... Why!?!?

What has been a great resource for me has been Kellymom.com. Things like funergeek(mispelled?) and oatmeal are great for boosting supply. You have to be very careful about trying to loose weight while BFing. It's a fine line to figure how many calories you need for milk production and exercising.

When I lost the weight I nursed a lot. Plus I would eat small frequent meals throughout the day. I never had time to eat a big meal, much less prepare one, so I ate all day but just a little at a time. I know I was one of the lucky few that lost weight while BF. Now that she is weaned it started to come back quickly

New here, and this is my first post, but this is a topic I'm passionate about, so here I am posting!

First, let me just say GOOD FOR YOU for making the choice to breast feed (and all the other ladies here!). I honestly don't think our society has enough support out there for breast feeding moms, so anytime I'm presented with the opportunity, I do it! So keep up the great work, mamas!!

I'm still breastfeeding here, too, and my son is 19mo old. It'll happen, but keep in mind that your body changes with each pregnancy, with each child's nutritional needs, and as you get older, your metabolism changes, too. By the time my son was 6mo old, I was down 20lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight, thanks to the calorie needs of a newborn combined with an unexpected jump in my thyroid's production. I have hypothyrodism and medicate for it, and it turned out that my pregnancy med level was too high for post-partum. So once that was adjusted and my son slowly started solids, the weight crept back on. I've gained back all 20lbs and then a few extra...

A couple things to keep in mind - if you've decreased your caloric intake too drastically, your supply could suffer. Also, if you're exercising too aggressively, your supply could take a hit. And if your body weight drops below a certain point (different for everyone) your supply may dip. These are all factors that your body interprets to determine whether there's enough stores to continue making breast milk efficiently. If there's not enough fat & nutrients in your diet and/or in your body to support milk production, milk production takes a back seat to running the essential organ functions and to support your metabolism.

Also, how young is your LO?

At this point, I would keep your caloric intake where it was initially but swap out the unhealthy things (like a tray of those rice krispie treats - a weakness for me as well!) for healthier options. Make fruit and veggies easily accessible and snackable - so slice up carrots, celery, cucumbers with a tasty low-fat dip if needed; have whole, in-season fruit in a basket or bowl on the counter or table, and keep a knife and plate with it for easy disection if needed. Instead of a couple scoops of ice cream for a dairy craving, cottage cheese. So instead of focussing on cutting the calories right now, while your supply seems to be having trouble regulating, focus on eating well to maximize fuel to your body for making milk and maximizing nutrients going into your milk. Let increasing your activity burn extraneous calories and any fat your body's willing to let go at this point. Once the activity is already in place and ingrained, once you are able to start decreasing your caloric intake (such as once your supply steadies out or your child begins solids), additional weight will start to drop off, too.

Keep in mind - slower weight loss due to a permanent, healthy lifestyle will last much longer than sudden, drastic weight loss. It really is true that the tortoise wins the race on this one!

And as a PP mentioned, kellymom.com is my GO TO site for all things breast feeding!

Yeah, you definitely weren't eating enough at 1500 cal/day! That's a minimum requirement for a healthy woman not pregnant or breastfeeding, and with exclusively breastfeeding a child 6mo or younger, you burn about 600 cal/day just by making milk! So you were essentially starving yourself and also not getting enough calories to make healthy milk.

I'd say definitely focus on eating at least 2000 cal/day and making those healthy choices a permanent part of your lifestyle - focus on a protein-rich diet with good fats like avacados, olive oil for cooking, and even fat in your dairy choices like cottage cheese and yogurt. I'd pick a low-fat option over a non-fat option hands-down there. Cottage cheese is a GREAT option right now, especially in the morning - high in protein, good fats, and will help keep you feeling fuller longer. Greek yogurt is better than regular yogurt - again, higher in protein.

Also - make sure you're getting enough fruits and vegetables in during the day, along with plenty of whole grains - oatmeal is a great thing to eat when breastfeeding, especially if you struggle with supply issues. A bowl of oatmeal each morning for breakfast will do wonders since it's a natural galactagogue (milk-maker). And eat small meals every 2-3hrs to keep your metabolism operating at a higher rate all day long. With smaller portions mutliple times a day, your stomach will naturally shrink a little and you'll soon notice you feel full sooner into a meal with less food. Pair your carbs with a protein - so fruit with peanutbutter or cottage cheese, roasted chicken or turkey with your sandwich bread, etc. That'll help your body process those carbs more efficiently.

But most importantly - take care of yourself! Starving yourself to see the pounds drop on the scale is a surefire way to see them creep back on, maybe faster.

Having FM makes getting and being active VERY difficult. Do you have access to a pool nearby? Even taking your LO swimming with you just to play in the shallower end is activity, and water activities can be a lot easier on your body than even things like walking. Or leave your LO with your husband or a trusted family member for an hour while you jet down to the pool to swim a few laps for 30min. Or bring them along and they can hang out and cheer you on.

And don't worry about how soon you'll lose the weight post-baby - you've got a couple hurdles to work with that the general population doesn't, so as a BF-ing mom, your prioreties are taking care of yourself and feeding baby. After that, everything else will fall into place