I'm new to this site and going to do my full introduction/story in another thread. But I have a question.
I am 30 weeks pregnant. I have a two year old. I breastfed him for 8 months. I wanted to do it longer, but there were some extenuating circumstances and I made the decision to stop.
I didn't lose any weight while breastfeeding the first--I think I gained 10 pounds or so. I've always thought that "I'm one of those who doesn't lose weight while breastfeeding." But lately I've been wondering if that is just an excuse (for me--not for others.) The reason that I say this is that I've been thinking about my diet then and it wasn't good. After I had him, I ate all sorts of junk that people dropped off and then it was the holidays so I ate more junk and then when I tried to stop the junk, my milk supply dropped off. One day I ate 4 of those huge chocolate chip Pepperidge Farms cookies, and Wow! I had more milk. So I "sacrificed" by eating more junk "to keep up my milk supply."
I never really got off the junk train (although I did manage to lose about 15 pounds, so I must have been doing something right), but my diet during this pregnancy has been really awful. My question is: if I clean up my diet now, will my milk supply establish well without the junk? Is it possible to lose weight while breastfeeling if I'm eating a healthy diet with at least 1800 calories, or do I really need to eat more calories and junk?
Yes..it is likely that if you were eating junk, then it was the junk to blame, not the nursing.
You absolutely do not NEED junk in your diet ever - not for pregnancy, not for nursing. Junk does not produce milk. NUTRITION produces milk. The better nutrition you have the better your milk supply will be.
You should have 1800-2000 calories of healthy foods while nursing. Possibly more if you are very active. You need to make sure you have adequate protein, healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates and fluids while nursing. Junk food provides no benefit what- so ever. You should also continue to take your prenatal vitamin while you nurse.
If your calories drop too low you may see a dip in milk supply and conversely many of us do see an increase in milk with a sudden increase in calories. Sudden changes in calories may temporarily shift milk supply (i.e. overeating to normal eating may cause a temporary drop). But you would be far better served eating an extra piece of chicken and another piece of fruit than 4 cookies.
Make sure your plan is to replace junk with healthy food, not just eliminate junk. I would advise tracking calories. Many people who have been eating poorly for a long time end up going TOO low when they eliminate junk because they dont have enough real food in their diet.
If you are eating 1800-2000 cals of healthy foods, then you should have plenty of milk. If you have supply issues, junk food WONT help. You can have issues if you dont have enough protein (my mom swore by chicken!), fat (but go for the good stuff like olive oil, avocados and nuts) and water (drink up!) If you have supply issues after all that, see a lactation consultant, they can help you more.
I have a five-month old and I am nursing. I am the same weight as you are. I found that 2,000 calories works really well. I walk everyday and weight train three times a week. I really noticed a difference when I started watching my calories and tried to stay at the 2,000 mark. When I first had my daughter, I had to supplement. I started to lose milk supply. I tried the Fenugreek and It worked REALLY well. You smell like maple syrup but its worth it for the baby. I hope I have helped and if you would like to email eachother I wouldnt mind conversing.
I am a volunteer breastfeeding leader in my community.
You do need to eat enough abd drink enough while nursing. But teh #1 thing in determining supply is teh demand messages that are sent to your body, espec in teh early days and weeks. So let your newborn nurse on demand, don't miss or supplement feedings, and try to have all sucklig done at the breast (instead of a paci) for teh 1st few days/weeks. You shoudl just eat and drink to thirst, and nutrient dense foods are always better for you and your baby than junk.
I too never lost any weight while breastfeeding, but it could have been the McDonalds that I ate regularly! I did try to cut back calories when I had my first son and almost instantly my milk supply decreased so back to eating crap I went. I agree with the other posters, now that I am older and wiser on the ways of eating healthy. I would just make sure to keep up your protein and make sure you get enough good fat into your diet, and of course drink your water.
I breastfed while pregnant with my second child, only because I nursed my oldest until he was almost 2. I figured I would let him give it up when he was ready, he never really was, so I had to eventually wean him on my own. My second gladly gave it up at around 18 months. My youngest picked up this weird habit of rubbing my belly when he was nursing, which I'm sure other babies have done as well. But he's 4 now and still likes to "rub belly" as he calls it.
I also agree about being sure to pump if needed. Whenever my boys wouldn't nurse well I would always pump. Which was rare for my oldest, he was 10 pounds at birth and ate all the time. I just wanted to make sure I kept up the supply. I never did give them bottles so I ended up using the milk for their baby cereal and what not. You will do fine and figure everything out as you go. Just be sure to track what your eating and keep taking your vitamins.
Lara
Goodness, I should have looked at the date, your baby will be a year old this year, I'm sure you've already figured everything out!!
Last edited by Brendansmum; 07-25-2008 at 08:14 AM.
Reason: My own stupidity!!!
I was in training to become a Dould and a breastfeeding coach when I decided to become a photographer instead (you pick your hours, the baby doesn't ). I did not lose any weight while nursing, and I nursed for 5 years straight! I weaned my first the day before I gave birth to my second. It was 2.6 years with my first, and 2.4 years with my second (WHO suggests 2 years minimum). My first, I just gently weaned him by lessening the number of times. He was nursing once every 2 days or so at the end. The second just decided he was done.
I had NO problem with my first. I had enough milk that I was able to pump 14 ounces on one side, and still nurse...yes I know, freak of nature. The nurse who was a breastfeeding coach in our area wanted me to donate in fact. I was planning on doing it, but I never got around to it. With my second, I had a heck of a lot of trouble. So, just because you have a hard time with one doesn't mean you will with the next...or the opposite.
With my second I had to pump almost constantly, use a breast shield just to keep him trying, and still had to use a bottle (though no formula). Because I was essentially pumping only I started to end up with a lower and lower supply so I was constantly pumping in an effort to keep it up enough. Eventually, we figured out that he was hyper sensitive and couldn't handle pretty much any aspect of life. I stayed indoors with him for 3 months straight, not even going in the backyard. I kept things quiet except for playing almost constantly a CD of running water sounds. I kept the light constant when I was anywhere with him, having someone turn a light on before I got into a room and walking in slowly not going from a dark room to a light room. I had to get him accustomed to the fact that light changes, noises happen, and wind exists (he would start gasping even if all I did was blow gently on him to remove an eyelash...which were so long they actually got stuck in his eyebrows). We don't have any pictures of him smiling when he was little...he was just too upset constantly. Finally by the time he was about 7 months I was able to take him outside again (it took us 3-4 months to figure out that what was wrong with him wasn't colic). Around that time he had also started nursing again. He still doesn't like loud noises, covers his ears quickly after flushing the toilet. He still doesn't like wind and will bury his head in my shoulder or cover his face with his hood if it is really windy. BUT...he is now an incredibly happy kid and can survive life. We have always had to struggle with him being underweight which is one of the reasons I was glad I could nurse so long with him. He would eat, AND nurse so I knew he was getting his needed calories.
I was nursing my daughter while I was on a raw veggies diet. I was completely vegan and even stopped using sugar in my coffee. No sweets, nothing. My milk supply didn't dwindle that I saw.
From what I understand, your baby will get what it needs. Your body will just take it from your reserves if you don't consume enough of something. If you eat healthy, you should be fine with whatever. I would suggest keeping plenty hydrated though - lots of water is good for weight loss too (win - win situation!)
Yes, the baby will get what it needs from you...but eating nothing but raw veggies while breastfeeding could seriously damage YOUR health. That baby will zap nutrients, protein, calcium, and lots of things from your system. It is very dangerous, and not recommended. It also will produce a lesser quality milk, even if the amount does not decrease.
LLL and other orgs recommend that a nursing mother do not eat below 1800 calories a day, and that it is healthy and balanced.
Just like when you are pregnant, you owe it to your child while nursing to be eating nutritiously. When you are pregnant, the baby gets what you eat...and the same still applies while nursing. You simply cannot starve yourself while nursing a baby-it's bad for the BOTH of you.
I agree with lots of others, also try including oatmeal in your diet and drinking plenty of water. Make sure to nursing on demand, even if it feels like it's all you are doing, it's very very important. Both of my kiddos nursed for 2+ years, Vi is going on 3 and I never lost a darn thing except the first 20 or whatever that comes off because the baby and all the extras came out.
Question for the Breastfeeding Experts
I did try to cut back calories when I had my first son and almost instantly my milk supply decreased so back to eating crap I went. I agree with the other posters, now that I am older and wiser on the ways of eating healthy. I would just make sure to keep up your protein and make sure you get enough good fat into your diet, and of course drink your water.
The nurse who was a breastfeeding coach in our area wanted me to donate in fact. I was planning on doing it, but I never got around to it. With my second, I had a heck of a lot of trouble. So, just because you have a hard time with one doesn't mean you will with the next...or the opposite. 
