[Tristesse]

My son is almost 2 and nursing. I'd say once at night and 3-4 times during the day (more when he's sick). Since he's only nursing part time, I don't list myself as a nursing mom for WW purposes because I'm not really maintaining a supply, as while I still have milk, his reasons are probably mostly comfort/habit (except when he's sick, THEN I have a supply). But I'm wondering if maybe I should be?

He's had a horrible stomach thing for a week or two now and has been nursing non-stop (it's the only thing he could hold down for about a week) and I've been super hungry so I've been going over points (but still maintaining and even losing a bit of weight). But it makes me wonder if I should start counting myself as nursing. The only thing is I can't see myself eating 10 more points per day or even needing that much food.

Any help on this would be much appreciated. And I apologise if this post is jumbled or confusing, not gotten much sleep today.

[Tristesse]

i hate bumping thread but i could really really use some input :\

[ennay]

Right now:
I would add extra calories if you are feeling that deep down core hunger while he is nursing more. If he has had stomach issues, he probably still isnt taking in as many calories as a newborn, but far more than you are used to. Start with adding maybe 4-6 points of healthy foods (for milk - protein and fat are both good, nuts, string cheese, etc.) and see how you do. As he reintroduces solids cut back. Play it by ear and listen to your body and what it is telling you. When my ds went through a phenomenal growth spurt I had to add way MORE than the 500 calories (10 pts) to keep from getting that feeling.

Also if you tend to eat fairly low fat, the body might be struggling to make the milk, adding fat to your diet temporarily can help it along. I am exclusively nursing right now and find that when my fat drops too low, even with the same # of calories, I get that ravenous feeling.

For the rest of the time--
Overall 5 nursings a day is probably still a significant calorie drain on you , but whether or not you need extra points for that depends on a lot of things. Since he is almost 2 and presumably eating a wide variety of healthy foods normally, you dont really need to worry about if your milk is fatty enough anymore. However, if you are losing too fast because of the calorie drain, you might want to consider adding a few points as long as he is nursing. Especially at your weight if you are losing above the 2 lbs per week average (or even in the high end of 1.5 lbs/week) I would consider adding a few points to protect your metabolism and muscle.

[ennay]

I just looked it up out of curiosity. A 2 year old has a caloric need of roughly 40 calories per inch of height. Figure maybe 50%-70% of that if he still feels sick, slightly more than that if he is trying to regain from having been sick.

Average is ~1300 calories/day if you are currently his main source of food - no wonder you are starving!