I'm nursing a 2 week old and I feel tired and hungry all of the time. I'm getting plenty of sleep at night, and eating about 1800-2000 calories per day.

I'm trying hard to stick to it but I get hungry a lot, especially at night, which I'm sure is the worst time for me to eat. Any other moms dealing with this?

I have been there both with my daughter who I breast fed for 11 months and with my son who is now 5 months. This is how a nurse explained it to me: Your body is trying to get more calories to make milk, which is why you are hungry more. I know I ate too much while feeding both my children and am still working on that. What helps me is eating a high protein dinner and having a filling snack. If i am craving, I try to have only a little bit, then drink a lot of water. It really isn't the time that matters most about eating, its what you eat at that time. Good luck!

What's your nighttime feeding routine? I'd look hard at that and make sure you're minimizing your sleep disturbances. I have always coslept (yes, it can be done safely; check AskDrSears.com for more info), which I think makes all the difference in the world. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mother & child sleep in the same room. I wouldn't have my baby any more than arm's reach away.

You might also want to get your iron levels tested; I have been told a deficiency there can lead to fatigue.

At two weeks old your milk supply is still getting established, so I don't doubt that has some to do with the hunger. Protein is the most satiating nutrient, so be sure you are getting enough, and fiber too.

Also, make certain you're drinking enough. I've never mistaken thirst for hunger, but I keep hearing that people do that. And you will need to be very well-hydrated while lactating; I think the usual rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water at every feed. You can probably guess how much water that'll wind up as.

The co sleeping idea is great. I do co sleep, as I did with my other son. And it's definitely the reason why I get plenty of sleep.

I'm going to work on drinking more water, I think that might have something to do with it. Thanks for the replies.

I have been trying to drink a lot of water, and am eating between 1700-2000 calories per day. I do fine in the day time but I get REALLY hungry at night. It's frustrating!

I'm going for 1-3 lbs weight loss per week. The first week I lost a lot, 6 lbs. But nothing this week. 6 lbs seemed like a lot, but since I haven't lost anything this week I don't know what my body is up to! Argh

Six pounds is a huge amount even if you're not nursing. But you are so very close to birth that it's probably the reason (I seriously lost over 20lbs in the week after my first daughter was born because I was retaining so much water). I wouldn't expect to lose anything until milk supply is well-established. You may well need to eat more because of that, too. If your boob tick is anything like mine, there's a lot of suckling going on right now for just that purpose, and it's likely your body is going to hang on to its fat stores for right now.

I have actually lost over 30 lbs since (after) the delivery. I sure hope some of that is my baby fat. I developed preeclampsia during the end of my pregnancy, so I know a lot of it was water that I had been retaining.

I'm watching my little ones weight gain to make sure he's getting plenty to eat. He's growing very fast and my milk supply is great.

I checked this morning and I lost 2 lbs this week, that is exactly what I am going for so I'm not worried anymore. I lost it even with eating (healthy) every time I got hungry.

Thanks again for the responses.

Cool. Sounds like you're doing quite well then.

I just heard on the news today that people who don't get enough sleep produce more of the substance "graylin" in thier brains which causes hunger and a slowing of metabolism. On the same cast, "eating causes metabolism to rise for 2-4 hours." When nursing is well established, the baby will literally burn calories off of you (from demands of milk production). So eating frequently is OK. It's what you eat then, and how often. You'll need extra protein to maintain your own muscle mass and produce milk, and fruits and veggies for inbetween to stop the cravings and keep the metabolism up. You have a real opportunity to become a fat burning machine if you (ideally of course!!! who can give up chocolate) get some exercise 10 min 4 times a day (brisk walk & don't let anybody talk you into supplementing the baby with formula or cereal. A breast fed baby doesn't really need anything else.) The ideal diet for you is the weight watcher nursing diet. There are so many things you can munch on every couple of hours. It's so much easier than counting calories. It will tell you how much healthy fat to have for health and milk production, then you'll have fat buning from frequent eating, nursing, frequent exercise (10 min is enough 4X a day) If you added just a tad of weight training...muscle burns fat, and adequate sleep, you'll be a smokin' fat burner. In between all this weight loss you'll want to try to do everything else a new mother has to do !!!!! In 6 weeks your milk supply will be well established and you'll be able to have more of a routine. Keep us up to date on the "fruits of your labor" both your baby and your weight! Congrats and good luck!

OK, I have to add, any mom, nursing or not, with a two week old baby is exhausted and hungry. Your body has been through a huge hormonal shift. If you had just had major surgery you'd feel the same. Be kind to yourself, co-sleep, have a nutritious snack and enjoy your little one. There will be plenty of time to lose weight later.

I am also nursing. I find I am much less ravenous on the same number of calories if I increase my fat intake. Try some healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado). For some reason it seems to satisfy the need. I'm guessing it makes it easier on the body to produce nice fatty milk.

I would eat more if you are hungry for the first 6 weeks and then reevaluate. You have a lot going on in your body right now.