[Emme]

Hi peeps!

I used to be a regular on the 3FC board last year and stopped posting once I got pregnant. Now that my DD is 3 months old I am ready to drop these last 20 pounds. I am breastfeeding and I've read that you should eat about 500 calories more per day. When I started counting calories I lost weight starting at around 1,800 calories and then eventually dropping down once I started losing and stalling. Should I aim for 2,300 calories per day? It just seems like an awful lot...I remember thinking the same thing about 1,800 calories when I started all of this!! I guess I can just try it and see what happens. I walk a few times a week, too...I just don't want my supply to start to decrease because I'm barely pumping enough at work for her during the day as it is.

[guamvixen]

I kept my calories at the same amount. I didn't add any more. I took fenugreek supplements (you can find them at your local vitamin store) They make you smell like maple syrup so you are constantly craving pancakes, but they helped increase my supply. I hit a stall when I returned to work and my milk slowed down a lot but those pills helped me! I had originally tried increasing the calories, but I started gaining and I felt bloated all the time. Hope that helps!

[Emme]

Originally Posted by guamvixen

I kept my calories at the same amount. I didn't add any more. I took fenugreek supplements (you can find them at your local vitamin store) They make you smell like maple syrup so you are constantly craving pancakes, but they helped increase my supply. I hit a stall when I returned to work and my milk slowed down a lot but those pills helped me! I had originally tried increasing the calories, but I started gaining and I felt bloated all the time. Hope that helps!

Thanks! I've read up on fenugreek, but I've read reviews where people said it made them and their babies gassy...which means the babies would be fussy. Did it upset your stomach or your baby's stomach at all?

[guamvixen]

Nope, not at all. She was even sleeping through the night! I also rented one of those industrial breast pumps that the hospitals use. It helped my suppy A LOT. I didn't feel any side effects other than I smelled like syrup! LOL

[PunkRockerMum]

Hi! I'm new here, but I too have a nearly 4 month old (born 8-24) and am just on the new side of weight loss. I saw a dietitian and expected her to say I needed closer to 2300 calories, but she actually said 1900-2000 calories a day while breastfeeding. I wouldn't do fenugreek unless you start to notice an actual dip in your supply. It won't hurt baby and it won't cause gassiness, but it could lead to engorgement. Engorgement can lead to plugged ducts, which can swiftly turn to mastitis. It's an ugly, awful beast if you've never been there... Anyways, drink lots of fluids and get lots of rest and you shouldn't need the fenugreek. Do you know how to check to be sure baby's getting enough to eat? Just watch wet/poopy diapers and overall satiety in addition to normal weight checks with doctor.