Breastfeeding

[swhitney]

Hi all,
I have some questions about breastfeeding and postpartum fitness. I'm determined to breastfeed my son James for at least a year (he's 2 months old now) but wish it was easier to lose those last few pounds.

Before I had him I read all about how breastfeeding was the best way to lose weight because of all the calories it burns but now I'm finding out and hearing that it actually makes you hold on to those last few pounds. And Cathe mentioned losing 5 pounds within days of weaning-- is that last 5 just extra fluid weight?
It seems there has to be more to the equation than just calories burned since breastfeeding and working out SHOULD make it easy to even lose too much weight.

I gained 32 pounds while pregnant and lost all but the last 5 really quickly. Now I'm working out at my usual intensity again and have been since about 4 weeks postpartum. My aerobic and muscular fitness is about the same as before pregnancy but I have that dreaded little belly and the scale reads 5 pounds higher (even though now I can fit into all of my old jeans except one pair). My waist and hip measurements are both about 2" bigger, though.

I have also read that upper arm exercises can lead to breast infections-- has anyone found this to be true? I'd love to hear how other people did with weight loss and breastfeeding.

Finding time to work out now is a real challenge-- never works while the baby is sleeping. I have to do it while my husband watches him when he gets home at night. I'm trying to cram all the exercise I can in before my maternity leave is over so I can be in good shape again when I go back to work, since I'll have to cut down to just a few days a week and maintain when I go back to work. How have other moms fit in exercise while busy with children who never seem to sleep?
Wish it was going a little faster, although he is only two months old-- working out until the week I had him made jumping back in easy.

 

[Gayla]

If you're only two months postpartum and you've already lost all but five pounds of the weight you are doing really well.

My body hung on to about fifteen pounds the entire time I was breastfeeding (five months postpartum). I got pregnant about two weeks after I stopped nursing, so I can't say how quickly I would have lost it all--but I had already lost five pounds of it in just two weeks! Other mothers I know have a similar experience--their bodies somehow just retain the weight no matter how much they work out.

As for finding time to work out, I have not had that much trouble. I do find that it's easier to split up an hour of exercise a day into two 30-minute sections. I get up early in the morning before my daughter wakes up and do one segment at night while my husband watches her. I have at times done step while she plays--I'm not traveling all over the floor when I step (unlike hi-lo) and she really gets a kick out of watching me.

 

[Joanna]

My experience

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Jul-06-00 AT 07:22PM (EST)</font></center>

I breastfed all five of my children, with mostly positive though varied weight loss results. I seemed to gain different amounts with each, so there was no exact schedule of getting back into shape that I could count on. However, what I found was that with regular exercise and balanced diet, by about three to four months weight began to come off more quickly. I became more active as my babies needs were increasing and the combination provided for weight loss.

I was cautioned, and will caution you, to make sure that you maintain plenty of protiens and fats in your diets as these produce the best milk. That may seem counterproductive to weight loss, but consumed in the right way (i.e. via healthy, whole foods)this shouldn't be a problem.

Everyone is different, but I am fairly sure that as you return to work and with disciplined eating/exercising habits, you will find yourself back to a new normal. I say 'new' normal because those hips never quite seem the same again after delivery !!

Take care, love on that baby, and be sure to allow time for rest too...

Joanna

 

[deedee]

I agree with Joanne

My experience has been the same as yours Joanne. My son is four months old and it wasn't until about a month ago that I finally started fitting into my skinny jeans. My body does tend to hold on to the last 5 pounds until I'm done. I'm not worried about it because I know breastfeeding is the best thing for my son. My nutritionist explained the reason why a breastfeeding woman holds on to weight, but he was talking in medical terms so I'm not quite sure how to explain it. So Swhitey don't worry , your doing the best thing for your baby . You have the rest of your life to exercise. I'm curious to know since you said you started working out at four weeks postpartum if you feel that you have healed completely? I started exercising at a low intensity at 3 weeks post, and I still don't feel that I have healed completely . I love to run but after I'm done I'm sore and crampy. I've taken time off and have been taking it easy, but once I start again at high intensity I get my symptoms again. Any feedback would be helpful Thanks so much.

 

[kimlav]

It worked wonders for me

since I could eat whatever I wanted to (and I did eat healthy but I ate a lot) and still lost weight. In fact, I ended up being about 15 lbs. lighter than I was before I got pregnant. So, for me, breastfeeding was an excellent way to to drop the weight. And, I was not really into exercising back then either.

I guess it is different for everyone but for me, breastfeeding certainly took the pounds off.

Kim

 

[BLinda]

Not to be depressing-

but I remember a study where they compared breastfeeding mothers who did and didn't exercise, and there was no difference in the rate or amount of their weight loss. I exercise and breastfeed anyway, because I know it is best for me and my son. I must admit, I can see developing muscles (on me) and my son is very healthy, but I would still love to see the fat melt off. It is especially depressing because I have a friend who has a child about the age of mine, and she has dropped about 20-30 lbs, and doesn't exercise. I exercise (not as much as I would like to , but a respectable 3-4X a week) and have lost nothing. In fact, I just added 6 lbs of PMS bloat. Yuck!

 

[Heather Y]

My experiences

With my first, I dropped the 20 pregnancy pounds and an additional 20 pounds (I was 20 pounds overweight) without hardly even trying. I was so starving all of the time that I would constantly eat ice cream and still loose weight. As time went on and I started slowing down my nursing (at 6 months I added more solids) I noticed I had to be much more careful of my food intake. Exercise wise, I started back with a light jog at 4 weeks (when I stopped bleeding) and I immediately started bleeding again. I ended up having to wait until I was about 8 weeks post pardum to resume exercising. I wasn't doing any weight training and was only running for about 30 minutes three times a week at an easy pace and would through in some easy aerobics once or twice a week. I couldn't count on a good time to exercise until he was about 3 or 4 months old and I would just do it during his nap - or I would run with him in the jogger. I nursed him until he was 14 months old.

With number two I had a more difficult time loosing weight. I had to watch what I ate so much more. I did loose the weight while breastfeeding - at around 3 months or so I finally got it all off. I started weight training that year. I found that the best time for me to exercise then would be during a nap. Sometimes I would put him in the swing by me and get my older one involved in an activity. The baby would generally take his nap in the swing and the older one would just have to wait until I was done (not always easy). When the baby started sleeping through the night I started working out in the morning before he woke up - if I was lucky I would be done before he woke up.

As for a breast infection - I got one with my first with no weight training and I didn't get one with my second where I started weight training.

Sorry this was so long - these were my experiences and I thought they may help you.

 

[Sheila]

Breastfeeding experience / Upper body work

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Jul-21-00 AT 06:42PM (EST)</font></center>

Hello there,

I just wanted to chime in and share my breastfeeding experiences with you. I have nursed both of my children. My first experience was totally different from my second. Four months after giving birth to my daughter, I was 10 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with her. I am still nursing my son when I put him down at night and I am still holding on to 5 pounds! I am teaching a lot more classes now than I was after having my daughter. Go figure........ Just as each pregnancy is different, each nursing / postpartum weight loss experience is different. We have moms in our classes whose weight just "falls off" and we have those that are exercising 4 or 5 times a week and are still holding on to a little bit of weight, which can be depressing.

As for your question regarding upper body work and breast infections.............. Breast infections (Ex. mastitis) are caused by germs (Ex. staphlococcus or "staph"). Doing upper body work DOES NOT cause breast infections so continue with your strength training. You need those muscles for motherhood (i.e. lifting baby, the carseat, the stroller, etc.)

Good luck.

Sheila Watkins

 

[swhitney]

recovered

Hi Deedee,
I actually started exercising about a week and a half after delivery, but extremely lightly. I did Cindy Crawford's Postpartum Workout (the first one that you can do right away) and could do it in my pajamas-- it's that light. At 4 weeks is when I started doing tougher workouts but not as tough as before pregnancy. And if I exerted myself too much or exercised too long, I would bleed. I did the Firm Vol. 3 and that one always made me bleed up until about 7 weeks postpartum. I asked my doctor about the bleeding (I had an episiotomy) and she said to keep exercising-- the occasional bleeding wouldn't impede my recovery. And then it just stopped. As for recovery, my son is now 11 weeks old and I do feel I've recovered completely. However, when I work out really hard or for longer than 45 minutes, I do feel wiped out like I overdid it. I get a little achy or tired. I think part of that is a combination of lack of sleep and energy put into making milk and taking care of a baby. If you think about it, you exert yourself all day taking care of a baby; lifting them, carrying them around, etc. I put my baby in a front pack and he spends a good portion of the day in there, so I'm walking around constantly with a 13-pound weight strapped to my chest and continually squatting and standing. If you think about it, you work out all day long.

Thanks all for your input!! I'm still hanging on to the last 5 pounds but all of my pants fit. I still have 2" on my waist to lose but don't expect that to come off anytime soon.

Sara