how long did u have to wear maternity clothes post-partum?

[catsnkid]

Okay, I posted less three months, but I need to amend that- I was wearing clothes a size or two larger than now! I lived in sweat capris most of the summer and wore the one pair of maternity jean capris I owned. When I went back to work I was wearing the *larger* clothes in my wardrobe and bought a few larger things. When DS hit about 6 months he kept me more active and I joined WW, and I finally dropped the last ten pounds.

[cvanbrunt]

I may be way off here, but the highest number I've ever seen regarding calories burned daily while breast feeding is 500. That's pretty easy to eat in a day. An additional bowl of cereal and dish of ice cream would cover that. Have you thought about keeping a food log to see how many calories you are eating in a day?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

bubbaray - really,after only 6 months ? i can't imagine that in one month my son drinking less than he does now (and i've started solids). or is that the body is supposed to get more efficient at producing breastmilk (and thus no extra calories are needed?)

catsnkid - that's ok, the poll i meant to ask how long wearing maternity clothes, not how long back to pre-prego size/weight (which i imagine would take longer on average). i haven't even thot to getting back to my pre-prego size, i just want to be in regular clothes first!

cvabrunt - well at my hospital the handout the nurses/LC's gave out said that i needed to eat extra 800 calories per day for nursing. yes, i too thought that was totally ridiculous at first, and didn't plan to heed that at all. especially since i don't even like to eat. but i found that with nursing my son i would get hungry to a level unparalleled to anything i've ever experienced in my life. I've never kept a log, but I estimate I'm probably eating about 3000 calories a day (pre-pregnancy i probably ate around 1600 calories a day). I would not eat that much if I didn't feel like i absolutely had to. If I don't eat as much as i do throughout the day, i get headaches and muscle cramps almost immediately. Often times I awake in the middle of the night starving. I do wonder if maybe postpartum my hormones got way out of whack and are making me eat more than i physically need to.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Sorry to butt in again but I was wondering if there are some food changes to be had? I only say it because when I finally really and truly got serious about things I started focusing on good, whole grains, fiber and all those things I had been eating but not enough of. For b'fast I feel an incredible difference in my hunger if I have shredded wheat w/ peanut butter vs a bowl of another kind of cereal or something even less nutritious (). I can stay full longer and thus eat better all day as a result of that change. I'm sure that isn't a revelation of any kind but I know I can easily fall into a food rut that isn't as good as it could be...especially when there are small children around to care for.

BEth

[salsah]

i am impressed with how many people got out of maternity clothes so quickly. i know a lot of it has to do with weight gain, but i think part of it also has to do with body type. i carry all my weight in my belly (and i have a diastasis -- not a good combo) so even three years later, the extra weight i have is no longer "baby weight" but i still fit in maternity clothes better than non-maternity clothes. a friend of mine, who is skin and bone from the hips up but carries a bit weight in her hips, butt, and legs, had a relatively flat stomach the day after her baby was born. (maybe it was the same day, i visited her in the hospital and she only stayed a day or two, so pretty much immediately after the baby was born, she didn't have a belly.)

[newg]

is it possible the muscle cramps and headaches are from lack of liquids? I was told to drink even more while BF than I did while pregnant. I'm drinking at least 64 fl oz. a day while pregnant.

Would drinking a vitamin enhanced water, or gatorage type drink, help maybe?? You'd get some good electrolites (sp?), vitamins and such and not so many calories.

I started the mommy/baby exericise class when DD was 6 months old. It was a combo of cardio and strength training that helped shed the fat and strengthen my muscles. I think there are even some baby wearing exercise classes on DVD that you could do if you can't drive anywhere.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Sorry to butt in again but I was wondering if there are some food changes to be had? I only say it because when I finally really and truly got serious about things I started focusing on good, whole grains, fiber and all those things I had been eating but not enough of. For b'fast I feel an incredible difference in my hunger if I have shredded wheat w/ peanut butter vs a bowl of another kind of cereal or something even less nutritious (). I can stay full longer and thus eat better all day as a result of that change. I'm sure that isn't a revelation of any kind but I know I can easily fall into a food rut that isn't as good as it could be...especially when there are small children around to care for.

BEth

yeah, i discovered 2 weeks post-partum that most cereals were much useless in terms of breakfast, as i was hungry not even an hour later. so for breakfast i usually have a mozzerella cheese stick, glass of oj, a few pieces of toast with peanut butter (or instead of toast & pb, a frozen waffle or two). i snack on cheese sticks, almonds, full-fat yogurts throughout the day, since in my experience i need to eat foods high in fat & protein to stay full. i try to limit carbs somewhat.

i really should keep a food log for a week or so, i'd be curious to see how much i really eat.

[bubbaray]

bubbaray - really,after only 6 months ? i can't imagine that in one month my son drinking less than he does now (and i've started solids). or is that the body is supposed to get more efficient at producing breastmilk (and thus no extra calories are needed?)

catsnkid - that's ok, the poll i meant to ask how long wearing maternity clothes, not how long back to pre-prego size/weight (which i imagine would take longer on average). i haven't even thot to getting back to my pre-prego size, i just want to be in regular clothes first!

cvabrunt - well at my hospital the handout the nurses/LC's gave out said that i needed to eat extra 800 calories per day for nursing. yes, i too thought that was totally ridiculous at first, and didn't plan to heed that at all. especially since i don't even like to eat. but i found that with nursing my son i would get hungry to a level unparalleled to anything i've ever experienced in my life. I've never kept a log, but I estimate I'm probably eating about 3000 calories a day (pre-pregnancy i probably ate around 1600 calories a day). I would not eat that much if I didn't feel like i absolutely had to. If I don't eat as much as i do throughout the day, i get headaches and muscle cramps almost immediately. Often times I awake in the middle of the night starving. I do wonder if maybe postpartum my hormones got way out of whack and are making me eat more than i physically need to.

Your body becomes more efficient and once you introduce solids, they generally *do* nurse less (though that can take a while). They also have fewer growth spurts, which is when your body really needs the extra calories to keep up.

I would actually try eating differently (like Beth said) AND drinking more. Headaches while BFg usually mean you aren't hydrated well enough. Of course, thyroid issues can cause headaches too and you need to rule that out. Muscle cramps + headaches more than likely means dehydration, not the need for food.

Even at the most calories I ate, it would have been around 3,500 or so. And that was when I drastically losing weight. Like the PP said, you really only need about 3-500 calories extra -- so, in your case, around 2000 calories if you previously ate 1600. If you really want to go with 800 more calories more, thats only 2400 a day. That means that you're eating almost double extra than you need to.

JMHO.

[twowhat?]

I seem to recall that by 6m, you don't need to eat extra calories while BFg.

What about (assuming your tests are OK) trying Weight Watchers? They have a BFg friendly program.

HTH

Yikes, no way can that be true (at least not for every person). My girls were EBF and at 6 months of age, they were getting ALL their nutrition from BM. They weren't interested in solids, even though we tried. They weren't taking in any significant amount of solids until closer to 10-11 months. At 6 months, that was when I felt the MOST hungry...and from what I understand a 6 month old is taking the greatest volumes of milk. I did not start to lose weight until they started taking in significant amounts of solids.

IMO, you need to eat if you are nursing and your body is telling you to eat. You can worry about weight loss once your DS is weaned. Or at least wait until he is taking larger, more significant amounts of solids. Yes, check in with your doc, but to me it just seems that 5 months post-partum, with a rapidly growing EBF baby, is the worst time to worry about losing weight. I just don't think it's worth messing with your milk suppy at this point. Yes, I agree with PP who suggested that you maybe try being more careful with WHAT you are eating - making sure the calories count and you are eating a healthy balance of whole grains, veggies, protein. But IME, at 6 months post-partum, I would have eaten my husband alive if my MIL weren't making massive amounts of food for me so save her son from that fate.

eta - I believe the 800 extra calories/day. One of the books that I have, written by a PhD who was specifically an expert in pre- and post-natal nutrition, lists about the same for a singleton baby.

[jgenie]

if I have shredded wheat w/ peanut butter

How do you do this? Do you add the peanut butter to the bowl of cereal or eat the cereal dry like crackers with peanut butter? TIA