Breastfeeding moms

icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I have noticed a lot of questions on how many calories for breastfeeding moms. Each woman is different. You should consult your OBGYN for that type of information. I didn't have to eat as much for one as I did for the other. It really depends on you. How much milk you produce.
Make sure that you do not deprive yourself of any necessary calories, because you are doing the same to your little one.
Please ask your doctor about your calories.

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    I have noticed a lot of questions on how many calories for breastfeeding moms. Each woman is different. You should consult your OBGYN for that type of information. I didn't have to eat as much for one as I did for the other. It really depends on you. How much milk you produce.
    Make sure that you do not deprive yourself of any necessary calories, because you are doing the same to your little one.
    Please ask your doctor about your calories.
  • KariandCo
    KariandCo Posts: 29
    Great advice!

    Appreciate it while you do it (and the weight loss bennies, too!)... you'll miss it when it's over =(
  • proudmama0118
    proudmama0118 Posts: 433 Member
    For any of you that follow weight watchers points at all they recommended an extra 10 pts when exclusively nursing. Sorry but I don't know off hand what that equals in calories. I know that it was pretty obvious to me when I didn't eat enough becaise I would notice a drop in my milk supply, then I would know that I had to eat more. It is hard to eat more when you are trying to lose weight, but just remember this is something you are doing for your babies health. For most people that is only 1 year(after that they are eating enough table food the decreased supply shouldn't really be an issue), so if you have slow weight loss for a year for the sake of your baby I think it is well worth it. I don't mind working extra hard now because I know that I did what was best for him and wouldn't trade that for all the skinny jeans in the world!! :smile:
  • mhsrnmz
    mhsrnmz Posts: 86 Member
    While I agree that every woman's body is different and may use different calorie amounts daily for breastfeeding It is not my experience that OBGYNs (or anyone else for that matter) would be able to tell you exactly how many calories you are burning. The average is 500 cal/day for exclusive breastfeeding. Usually when solids are first introduced there is no initial drop in mother's milk intake but there again there are many variables. I am a Certified Nurse Midwife and in my NICU experience we estimate the calorie content of mother's milk to be 20 cal/oz, that may be a good place to start if you can estimate the daily ounces that is produced.

    Depriving yourself of nutrients is a serious concern, especially when you have a little one to take care of. However it is highly unlikely that a woman in a developed country would be depriving her baby of anything by nursing her baby while dieting. Researchers who analyzed the mother's milk of prolonged state of near-starving women in Africa found no differences in protien, sugar, or any other nutrient except a slightly lower fat content in the milk.
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