breastfeeding

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BeautifulRedButterfly
BeautifulRedButterfly Posts: 316 Member
in Chit-Chat
How much weight have you lost from breastfeeding?

Im looking forward to this (:
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  • BeautifulRedButterfly
    BeautifulRedButterfly Posts: 316 Member
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    My baby will be extremely healthy & ill lose weight. So, its a win win (:

    I cant wait til my baby girl comes...2 1/2 more months!!! :D<3
  • hallensd
    hallensd Posts: 16 Member
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    I think it really varies from person to person. I never lose weight while breastfeeding. In fact, I gain weight because I am eating so much more!

    I know some lose, some maintain, and some gain. Just depends on your body and what it wants to do!
  • soccer8s
    soccer8s Posts: 331 Member
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    I never lost weight when breastfeeding....but I did after I was done....
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
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    I didn't lose any weight just from breastfeeding, I had to work for it.
  • fivelittles
    fivelittles Posts: 1
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    I'm afraid I agree with hallensd, I either gain or maintain. I can't lose a thing until I stop breastfeeding.
  • joannea1988
    joannea1988 Posts: 73
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    3 stone in the 6 weeks after ruby was born , then nothing ( 3 stone = 42lb)
  • BeautifulRedButterfly
    BeautifulRedButterfly Posts: 316 Member
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    ohh, I didnt know that.
    Seems like everyone i talked to lost weight. But, i never knew how much.
  • jbarletta316
    jbarletta316 Posts: 30
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    I'm not sure there is a specific amount you'll lose but I lost about 19 pounds while breastfeeding. My little girl will be 6 months old Thursday. However, when I stopped breastfeeding (at 10 weeks, because my milk dried up) I gained about 12 of those pounds back. You'll definitely want to start walking or doing some kind of light excercise when you're doctor realeases you. Also, eat healthy and drink lots of water in order to keep up enough breast milk for your baby. I don't think I was eating or drinking enough, especially after I went back to work at 8 weeks. Enjoy watching those breastfeeding pounds melt away.

    Congratulations on your baby, it is very exciting!
  • rachel4
    rachel4 Posts: 95 Member
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    I breastfed both my girls.
    It's a WIN WIN for sure! :smile:

    Think of it this way. Take butter knife and slowly scrap the fat off of you. it is THAT beneficial! I think you need to eat 500+ more calories to maintain your milk flow.
    If you diet, your milk might dry up. :( I lost ALL my baby weight before my kids were 1 year old.
    After 6 months I started working out :)
    Enjoy it. babies are wonderful gifts :)
  • CapsFan17
    CapsFan17 Posts: 198
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    I haven't had any kids yet but one of my coworkers lost alot of weight when she was breastfeeding and ate all the time. We could all tell when she stopped cause she put on like 20 lbs.
  • jojopel
    jojopel Posts: 348 Member
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    I breastfed my two children and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within six months. Mind you, I was in my late 20s and early 30s and back then I didn't really have to work hard to lose weight.

    ETA: I gained approximately 25 - 30 lbs during both pregnancies.
  • LauraLouFace
    LauraLouFace Posts: 56 Member
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    I still had to work hard while breastfeeding to lose weight - the extra 500 calories is nice but if you are OVER-eating they won't do you any good! This site works great because if you incorporate your extra 500 calories for breastfeeding and then stick to your daily calories, you will lose weight AND maintain a healthy milk supply :D So happy for you and your little one that you have decided to breast feed, it has been such a blessing for us! Good luck with everything to come!
  • bebreli
    bebreli Posts: 229 Member
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    Congratulations on your baby girl! I have friends that used nursing as an excuse to eat all day. Some got heavier and some got thinner. I agree with Jennioella, you have to work for it, and many women hold on to more weight while they nurse. Every body reacts differently. Best of luck and know too that sometimes nursing doesn't work out. Not trying to be a debbie downer but it happens. :o) I went into my entire pregnancy, delivery and nursing with the mindset of what will be, will be.
  • mom2my5sons
    mom2my5sons Posts: 28 Member
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    I lose the initial 15 or so lbs within about 6-8 weeks after the baby is born. After that, while I'm breastfeeding........I either maintain or gain :( Once the baby is weaned, I lose the last 10-15 (or 25!!) with some serious effort on my part. After 5 times up and down the scale, I've learned that for me, the adage "9 months up, at least 9 months down" is true. I also don't allow myself to worry about it until the baby is about 9 months old-there's enough to do.
    All the best in the next few months! Enjoy your little girl :)
  • Maasmondy
    Maasmondy Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm not sure whether my weight loss was from breastfeeding or just from having the baby. I lost 30lbs within the first month after giving birth and then 10 more pounds from month 2-4 (from working out and eating properly while still breastfeeding). I hit a plateau and couldn't lose any more and I think it was from the breastfeeding. I have 10 more pounds to go until my goal weight.

    I just quit breastfeeding after 4 months because it was so hard to keep up the pumping at work.

    With my first daughter, I lost that last 10 pounds after I quit breastfeeding. And then 5 more pounds. I'm hoping that's what will happen this time as well.
  • ezramedic
    ezramedic Posts: 119
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    It depends on what you put in your mouth. Typically you burn 500 extra calories a day BFing - but if you're eating 1000 extra calories of big macs, then you're not going to lose, are you?

    I wasn't as hungry as a lot of my friends said they were when BFing - but I was thirsty and I made sure I drank a LOT of water - even though there were times I wanted to gulp down a soda. Keep that in mind, too!

    Enjoy this journey - my little boy is 3 now and I miss nursing so much! He weaned himself around the 12 month mark :-(
  • BeautifulRedButterfly
    BeautifulRedButterfly Posts: 316 Member
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    I'm not sure there is a specific amount you'll lose but I lost about 19 pounds while breastfeeding. My little girl will be 6 months old Thursday. However, when I stopped breastfeeding (at 10 weeks, because my milk dried up) I gained about 12 of those pounds back. You'll definitely want to start walking or doing some kind of light excercise when you're doctor realeases you. Also, eat healthy and drink lots of water in order to keep up enough breast milk for your baby. I don't think I was eating or drinking enough, especially after I went back to work at 8 weeks. Enjoy watching those breastfeeding pounds melt away.

    Congratulations on your baby, it is very exciting!

    aww, congrats on your baby too! (:
    oh, that stinks.

    I was planning to walk my baby around town 30 min, 3x a day. If that's even enough..for very light exercise a week or 2 after birth.
    I always drink loads of water, so thats not going to be a problem! (:
  • lorierin22
    lorierin22 Posts: 432 Member
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    I got back to within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight 6 weeks after having my daughter (and son) by breastfeeding. But those last 10 pounds? They hung on the first time until I stopped nursing all together. I'm still nursing my little girl (only 2x a day) and I just lost those last 10 pounds when I joined this site in January (she is 14 months old). Good luck! It is definitely a healthy choice for your baby and a wonderful bonding experience either way!
  • Werglum
    Werglum Posts: 378 Member
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    I've lost over 14kg (32lbs) while breastfeeding BUT it isn't just from breastfeeding! I didn't lose weight with my first daughter, and have had to really work for it this time. Basically by breastfeeding you get an extra 500 calories per day to eat, but you are a lot more hungry too so you have to work at it.
    I do love being able to eat that extra (well for me 300 calories, as my baby is a bit older and has started solids) each day without having to exercise to get it.
    There is a bit of a myth that if you breastfeed the weight will 'fall off' but sadly that isn't necessarily true, I do know a few people like that, but they were already very slim before having a baby and I think they went back to their natural eating patterns which must be not eating truckloads of food (unlike me!!:bigsmile: ).
    Do give yourself a bit of time to establish feeding before worrying about restricting your calories - it can take a bit of time and I always am RAVENOUS while establishing! (Is it your first baby? You might already know this stuff!)
  • dreambig81
    dreambig81 Posts: 32 Member
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    Im also one of those that never lost weight with breastfeeding cos I ate wayyy too much BUt I am finding that watching my cals this time and bfing the weight is slowly going away :)

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