Question for women who breastfed

M

Monica11

Cathlete
Hi all.

I posted this question on the Fit Moms message board, but I wanted to see if others who don't visit that board but have some experience with this can shed some light on it for me.

I had a baby three months ago and I breastfeed her. At first I lost a lot of weight fast, but 10 pounds have stuck around. I have heard that some women hold on to extra weight when bfing, and that they lose it pretty quickly as soon as they wean. Other people say they lost all their weight quickly while bfing, in part because it takes a lot of calories.

I exercise and watch what I eat, but don't want to knock myself out with a strict regimen if it wouldn't do any good. On the other hand, I don't want to assume that this weight is attributable to the nursing if it's not and I should be more aggressive in losing it.

If you breastfed a baby, did you hang on to extra weight? If so, what happened when you weaned? I am getting so tired of not fitting into my old clothes but the thought of a diet kills me, esp if it wouldn't do much good.

TIA!
Monica
 
I gained 42 lbs during my pregancy. Immediately after I delievered my daughter I dropped 30 lbs which is unusual (a lot of it was fluid). I was back to wearing my regular clothes about 3 to 4 weeks after I delivered. I really do believe breastfeeding helped me get back into my regular clothes. I breastfed for about 3 months (only up until she started cutting her first teeth...then I decided I had enough of that...ouch!). I was extremely thin and remained on the very thin side for many years. After I weaned her I did remained the same weight.

Good Luck!
Robin
 
>I gained 42 lbs during my pregancy. Immediately after I
>delivered my daughter I dropped 30 lbs which is unusual (a
>lot of it was fluid). I was back to wearing my regular clothes
>about 3 to 4 weeks after I delivered. I really do believe
>breastfeeding helped me get back into my regular clothes. I
>breastfed for about 3 months (only up until she started
>cutting her first teeth...then I decided I had enough of
>that...ouch!). I was extremely thin and remained on the very
>thin side for many years. After I weaned her I did remain
>the same weight.

I will try not to post on sleepless nights...yikes on the typos
x(

Robin;)
 
Hi Monica,

Don't worry I experienced the same type of thing. It seems like I lost 20 of the 30 pounds I gained really quickly and then the last 10 just hung around. I think maybe my body just sort of craved enough extra calories that I was maintaining the weight I was at, but not losing anything. Once I stopped nursing after 6 months I lost about 3 pounds a month until I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

I used to get really frustrated too because it took me a really long time to fit back into all of my pants. I know some people do pretty quickly, but it took me a year for my waist to get back to the size it was. Thank goodness for low rise pants.

Hang in there, it will happen.
Noelle
 
I breastfed my daughter for 14 months. I lost every single pound I gained (and there were 60 of them!), plus a whole bunch more, but I can't attribute that all to breastfeeding. However, once she was weaned and I was back at work (I took a year off), I gained 10 lbs back. I started exercising more regularly and harder and stopped eating cookies:eek: and that weight came off pretty quickly, plus some more with it.

As someone else said, don't worry. It will happen.:)
 
i wouldn't worry about it so much. as long as you continue a healthy eating lifestyle and exercise once you ween you should be fine.when breastfeeding you HAVE to take in some extra calories for production but once you cut back you should be fine. i lose most weight when i breastfed but this was before i started working out to so i wouldn't worry so much it shouldn't take you that long after breastfeeding to get back into shape :).congrats on your new addition.

kassia



When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey
 
It actually took a few months before the csale ever budged. I breastfed my DD for 12 months and my DS for 18 months. Since I did lose the weight within that time frame, I cannot say if breastfeeding did the trick or not. After I weaned, I did gain back a few pounds (needed to, actually)

I do have a plea....PLEASE don't consider weaning just to lose the weight. I have seen so many articles that say if you lose the baby weight within 12 months, that is really great! It has only been 3 months. I hadn't lost much of ANYTHING at that point! I have pictures of me at 2 months and I am still in maternity clothes!!

Clean up your diet (watch the veggies while nursing...they give baby painful gas). Strength train and get some cardio in. Start a food journal. That is when I started a journal...a few months post delivery, and that majorly helped get the weight off.
 
Hi Monica!

I have had 3 babies and breastfed all for one year. When I weaned my first son, I was ALREADY pregnant with my second so I didn't experience weight loss then....but, after I weaned my 2nd, I did lose weight. I think the main loss was in my chest! Now, with my 3rd, I still have some baby weight.

The only advice I can give you is to eat well, stay full (nursing used to make me starving!), and stay active. Keep working out and don't worry about weaning right now. They grow up so fast and you will lose the weight. Just give yourself a little bit of time.
Good luck and enjoy that baby!!!

Sara B
 
I think what you have to realize is it took 9 months to grow that baby and put the fat and water and everything on to support it. Everyone wants to get the baby weight off fast, but for a lot of people, whether they BF or not, it takes time. I did not BF my son, and was back in shape around 1 year. With my daughter, I BF...and was back in shape around 1 year. With lack of sleep, the demands of a new baby, it is hard to lose weight, and it takes time.
 
Hi Monica,

I wouldn't worry about the last 10 pounds or fitting into your clothes at this point. It took me nine months to lose the extra weight and fit back into my clothes with my first baby...and 18 months for the next. At that rate it would have taken me 3 years with a third! I stopped after two children, though. I breastfed for the baby and for me and for "us". I was still in maternity clothes a bit after having the babies. I used a baby backpack and start taking daily walks with the baby (at about 3 months of age). You'll gradually lose the weight. Your baby will start to be "up" more now that it's over 3 months old (mine were). As you carry the baby around and take walks, the weight will become secondary to keeping the baby happy!

Best,

Beth
 
I actually hung on to about ten extra pounds until I weened and I gained about 50 my whole pregnancy. Actually, I didn't really try to lose weight when I was nursing him, I didn't restrict my eating at all because it is so important to get plenty of the calories and fat essential for milk production. I did exercise and was able to lose weight, but I didn't get serious about it until I weaned DS last June (and it was much easier since I wasn't so hungry all the time anymore!!!).

Don't worry about losing weight right now, your job is an important one. (I know that is easier said than done, right? ;) ) You will have plenty of time after you are done weening to lose weight by chasing your precocious babe around! :p Seriously, for me it wasn't hard to get back into my prepreggo pants after I weened him. I think that you will be okay. :)

Missy
 
The other factor that doesn't seem to be mentioned is your maternal age. I had my first when I was 23 and the 60+ pound weight gain was off within months (like, three). I had my second at 32 and the 30+ weight gain took me over a year to get off. So sometimes the weight comes off more easily for women because they're younger and their metabolism is faster.

I'm with the other ladies here; I know you're impatient to be back in your pre-preg stuff, but try not to be too hard on yourself. It's best to lose slowly, anyway.

Take care,
Marie
 
Monica-
First of all let me say. It is wonderful that you can breast feed your baby, and that you are concerend about not hampering your ability to do so. I breastfed my 4 children. The length of time for each child averaged 9 months. I held onto a few extra pounds during the time I was nursing my babies, but I didn't obsess about it. After I weaned esch child I then felt free to focus a bit more on stricter nutrition intake as far as quantity. ( some of that weight may be due to your larger breasts)

My suggeston is to not worry about it until wyour baby is weaned. Enjoy the short time you have to nurse your child; before you know it this time will have passed and you can be as strict as you like with your eating.

Judy "Likes2bfit"


If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation


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>The other factor that doesn't seem to be mentioned is your
>maternal age. I had my first when I was 23 and the 60+ pound
>weight gain was off within months (like, three). I had my
>second at 32 and the 30+ weight gain took me over a year to
>get off. So sometimes the weight comes off more easily for
>women because they're younger and their metabolism is faster.
>

Marie,
Very good point! I was also 23 years old when I had my first child so I didn't even have to try to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm very sure it would have been a totally different story if I had my daughter in my 30s or had a second child later in life.

I agree, take your time loosing the weight...eat healthy while you are breastfeeding.. your baby needs the nutrients.

Robin:)
 
Monica,

I breastfed both of my kids, and had slightly different experiences each time. With my first, I lost ALL of my pg weight, and much more (and I didn't have any extra to lose), really, really quickly. I actually had to somewhat force myself to eat a LOT because I was getting kind of gross skinny. I know, I know - what a problem to have, right? :) It was, indeed, as great as it sounds. I nursed James until he self-weaned at 2.75 years old, and my daughter was born 2 months later. Start the cycle again, but this time, I didn't lose the weight nearly as fast, and I didn't have the "problem" of getting too skinny - in fact, I had to actually pay attention to what I was eating and it took me a few months to really get to a point that I was happy with (I also nursed her well past 2 years old - I did definitely lose all the pg weight without weaning, it just was a little more work the 2nd time around).

Three months isn't all that long, and it could just be you are taking a bit longer to lose than you'd ideally like (I can totally understand the frustration, don't get me wrong there!). If you can perhaps give it a try with upping your activity level - in addition to your usual exercise, go on a few extra walks with your baby (congrats, by the way!), use a baby carrier to make it a bit more aerobic for you, go for a lap of walking lunges while you push her in the stroller, etc. Just add a bit more activity to your day, in addition to watching what you eat - really make sure you aren't taking in extra calories my munching while you nurse, etc. Also, if you aren't getting a lot of sleep just yet, that can do a number on your system.

But, patience might be all you need! Hang in there... No matter what, bf'ing is SO worth it, even if you have to deal with a few extra pounds for a while - try to remember that when you are frustrated.

m.
 
Don't forget that you CAN lose the last 5-10 pounds WHILE nursing. I was staring 30 years old straight in the eye when I had my second, lost all the baby weight plus an additional 15 pounds by the time the boy was 6 months old. I'm the one who couldn't get the scale to budge the first few months, too!

The weight will come off. Just dedicate some time everyday to exercise. Get some cardio, lift the weights and eat as healthy as possible, oh...don't forget to pop that prenatal vitamin while nursing!

Finally, enjoy that extremely special time when you are nursing. Think of it as "down time" for you, where you can SIT DOWN and relax a little. Enjoy the look on your baby's face and the sounds she makes while eating...nothing better in life!
 
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