Q for BFing moms

[miki]

I'm just curious--how much do you eat compared to when you were not BFing or pregnant? I read that when BFing, you are supposed to have about 500 extra calories. For a long time, I found that I didn't have the time to even eat as much as I used to pre-pregnancy. And I wasn't so hungry until I got closer to my former weight. I'm not worried about my supply or anything--the little girl is growing just fine. If anything, I'm worried that my own body is losing out even with the vitamin supplement I take.

[Rachels]

I still don't eat enough, and I've gotten very thin. The baby takes what she needs, and you get what's left over. If you're not eating enough, she won't suffer, but you will. I know that, and I still find it impossible to get enough in. Maybe someday when I'm less tired...

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[mommd]

I don't eat as much as I used to either. I find that I'm just not hungry, and when I get her to stop crying during the day, I choose to sleep rather than eat! I've been drinking protein drinks like Boost and hoping for the best!

[TraciG]

I just read not eating right can affect your milk supply, I know I haven't been eating so great and am thinking that's whats's happening to me.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I've been ravenous! I am eating even more than I did when I was pregnant. I'm having the same number of meals and snacks, but now I have added another snack before bed, and I am definitely eating as much at each sitting as when I was pregnant.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[etwahl]

karen, i'm with you. i'm ravenous all the time. i usually eat a lot more than dh. i guess that's why i'm still carrying 10 pounds :) i am starving most of the time. and i do EAT!!! i read rachel's post above and i get envious...being too thin, i remember when i was "too thin". ;) can you tell i have some body image issues?!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[chlobo]

I find that I can never find the time to eat. And since I had to give up dairy for the baby (suspected milk intolerance) I've cut out most of the "bad" in my diet (ice cream, cakes, cheese,etc). I'm not thinner than my pre-pregnancy weight yet but close. I don't think its affected my supply. I seem to have enough milk, even though the baby nurses constantly.

Carren
mom to Isabella 11/7/03

[lizajane]

in the beginning, i was STARVING all the time and ate like mad!

now, i eat when i can and i do eat large portions. i keep up with DH, who is 6'2" and 180lbs and has a crazy metabolism.

but i am not as hungry as i used to be (probably from adding solids to ds's diet...) so i eat a lot less and i am starting to get skinny. i am 4 lbs under pre-preg weight and i am NOT complaining!! i worry sometimes that i am not getting enough, and other times i think i look cute in my baggy jeans. ;)

[houseof3boys]

I was super hungry for the first 4 months and then it finally tapered off. I definitely get the extra 500 calories because I get kind of obsessive about it. I make sure that I eat enough protein, fruits and veggies since my milk is Ryan's nutrients and that makes it easier to force myself to eat healthy. For good measure, ice cream and chocolate are still in my food groups. :)

I am down to my pre-preg weight and it took 7 months to get there. Not bad since I eat the extra calories and it took 9 months to pack the weight on!

As Rachel said, the baby gets the good stuff and your body gets the leftovers so it is important to eat enough so you don't weaken your own system.

And my milk output is affected if I don't eat or drink enough!

[sarahfran]

Whew! I have to confess that I'm a little green with envy about those of you who've been able to lose all the weight. I'm close, just a few pounds above pre-preg weight, and I've lost a hefty 40 lbs already, but my belly is still hanging out there. I'm certainly not skinny yet. In fact, a new person at work saw a photo of me from pre-preg days and said "Gosh, you were so thin!" >sigh< so I'm clearly not there yet.

And yes, I'm still eating a ton. I like to think that all that will change when the warmer weather arrives and the BFing slows down with more solids. Not sure. I hate the idea of a diet, but I may have to go that route.
-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

Motherhood is such a joy!

[Rachels]

Don't be envious. Too thin is as problematic as too heavy, healthwise. I'm much more susceptible to illness, I'm more fatigued, and I get cold much more easily. I'd trade in my current jeans to fix all that.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[houseof3boys]

Sarah - just because I am at my pre preg weight does not mean that my belly is not hanging out over my low rise jeans!! :) My body is so far from where it needs to be and I am soft all over. Yes, the scale says one thing but I am really flabby and don't feel thin.

Winter is tough too since it is so cold and it makes it easy to avoid exercise. Okay, so that's my excuse. :)

I haven't dropped a feeding since Ryan has been on solids either...sorry.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I was super hungry for the first 4 months too, and I am back to that now for the last few weeks or so. I have noticed that my milk has changed to have more fat in it, so maybe it is because I am putting more calories in the milk for her now that she is older that I need more calories.

I have not noticed a difference since we started solids. She still drinks as much EBM at the babysitter and still nurses as much.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[suribear]

I was ravenous for the first 10 months and gaining a lot, then we went on a long vacation and I came back and lost a lot of weight as my appetite has decreased. I think it was due to jet lag and the change in cycles, plus ds is nursing full time as he still doesn't like solids (yep, at 10 months). And he's very active so I'm chasing him a lot.

My old philosophy was "I'm nursing so I can eat whatever I want". yeah, and have massive thunder thighs! I've cut out most junk food and eat lots of healthy stuff. Well, I've always eaten healthy meals, but chocolate was my downfall, so I've cut back on sweets and other snacks. I also started wearing my old (smaller) clothes for motivation, and I'm getting rid of the bigger sizes. I don't want to go back there!

Keep in mind I've been quite heavy for 5 years, so this is a welcome change. Still got a ways to go, though!

Kris

[nitaghei]

I wasn't hungry for the first few weeks - but I had my mom there to coax me to eat with all kinds of good stuff, so I did eat. Then I was ravenous for maybe 3 months, and then it tapered off to the point I was eating a little bit more than I did pre-pregnancy. Then we had a rough 5 months - where DS wasn't sleeping, so I wasn't sleeping, and I had (have) migraines almost daily, and didn't feel like eating. I ended up losing weight to the point that I'm now 8 lbs below my pre-preg weight and fit into clothes that I haven't been able to wear for several years.

I've always made a real effort to eat 3 meals a day - otherwise the migraines get worse, and my pumping output drops. I'm one of those people who don't mind eating the same thing for lunch every day for a week - so I make sure to cook large batches of food I like on the weekend - usually some kind of beans/lentils and 1 or 2 vegetables and rice- so I have something nutritious to pack for lunch every day. Lunch, sadly enough, is my most leisurely meal, because I eat at my desk.

Nita
mom to Neel 01/05/03
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[sntm]

I'm exactly the same! Was down to my pre-preg weight by 4 months PP. I've always had a little belly but now it is like a big flabby lump. Went to my first yoga class last night and my big shirt was getting in the way so I took it off and ugh! not pretty looking at that in the mirror.

I still eat like a horse, but then again, I always have. I knew my high school boyfriend would never last when we doubled at a pizza parlor that had a 2 foot diameter pizza which the four of us challenged ourselves to finish, and the boys were trying to cheat by not finishing the crusts. Wimps.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[ethansmom]

I was about to post about the fat content since I swear mine has increased!

[lfp2n]

wow this thread is depressing! I put on very little weight during pregnancy and was back to prepg weight in a couple of months. Then in the last 8 months I put on a whopping 12lbs. I just eat so much more, like I never really ate lunch-now I do, I find the sleep deprivation is what makes me eat the most. Also my tastes have changed, I never ate sweet stuff but now I chow it down. Right I'm going on a diet!

Lucy and Olivia (3/27/03)

[drsweetie]

After Laura was born, I had very bad postpartum depression, so I ate very little for a long time. My OB actually gasped, and not in a good way, when he saw how much weight I've lost. I'm taking Zoloft now and that has helped with the appetite. At Christmas, my mother and DH were astonished at how much I ate. "Where do you put it all?" my mother asked. Between mouthfuls of turkey, I pointed at DD and said, "In there!"

Ellen
Mom to Laura 6/9/03

[C99]

My experience is very similar to Rachel's. I struggle with it and find myself eating a lot of Nathaniel's high-fat, high-calorie foods to compensate, but I constantly feel like my nutrition is inadequate.

[sarahfran]

Thanks, Shannon and Debbi. I feel much better about my belly.

I have to say, I vascillate between being totally disgusted by it and freakishly intrigued. Fascinating, really, to see flesh just hang there like that... and the stretch marks! When my loving sister first saw them she exclaimed "you look like a reptile!"

Ahhhh yes. Perhaps I should change my handle to "sexymomma" or "toohot4words".

I've found that my aesthetic is now MUCH more generous than it used to be!
-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

Motherhood is such a joy!

[spu]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm eating enough, or too much... but judging by my current weight and lack of energy, I think I'm not eating enough. Like Rachel said earlier, the babies will get what they need first, and we get what's left over.

I found in the first few months, it was really important to drink lots of water and eat a combination protein/carb snack each time I nursed. Even in the middle of the night, I'd wake trembling from being so depleted nutritionally, so I kept healthy cereal and crackers by the bedside.

-- and to comment on the bikini topics, I'm bummed because I've never weighed so little but my skin on my belly is like pudding - it's so stretched out from having twins. ugh! I Keep thinking, how on earth would they possibly fix this mess without leaving tons of scars? So I think I'll opt for a high-cut bikini this summer...


susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/bash/nonflash/year.html

[houseof3boys]

I think toohot4words is my favorite! :)

[barbarhow]

I have always loved to eat. And eat I do...I thnk I am eating more now that I am bfing. I have lost most of my weight but still have the pouch. Sometimes I wonder if I am really a kangaroo and I should be carrying Jack around in it. It looks like I already have stuffed something in the pouch...It is so lumpy and ugly. Despite all of my stomach crunches...My DH asked me the other day if I was planning to come to the table to eat or if I was just going to continue eating things from the stove. I am a little embarrassed at how much I eat-at times much more than he does. (He is not a big guy) so I stand at the counter pretending I am carving up the chicken when in fact I am shovelling pieces of it in my mouth and then appear at the table with my plate of a normal sized portion and an innocent smile on my face.(LOL) As if he doesn't know what I am doing. I seem to be eating more now and losing easier than in the first few months pp. Not quite sure why but won't question it as I am hoping to be at my prepreg weight before Jack's first birthday. I'm thinking about a big juicy steak for dinner tonight. Big.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[macassi]

Not to put a damper on this topic, but I should warn you to be careful when you stop nursing. I have always eaten like a cow when nursing while losing all my pregnancy weight quickly. My problem is that as soon as I wean, I keep up my eating habits, and the next thing I know... the scale is heading in the wrong direction!

[barbarhow]

I've heard that and am prepared to curtail my chowing habits when we wean. Tonight after pork chops, rice and peas DH couldn't believe I was whipping up a batch of tollhouse cookies. Yumm. I eat a few and send the rest with him to work.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03