[DansGoddess]

Hello everyone, I have a question about how many calories you need while breastfeeding. My son is almost 6 weeks and we're doing really well with bf, he was born Oct. 10 weighed 7.1, when we left the hospital he went all the way down to 6.3, but we just had him weighed Friday and he was 8.14, (hope thats good?)

Anyway, so I've been doing a little research on the whole "calorie intake" thing and I've been getting conflicting info. Some sights say between 1800-2200 to be able to keep up a good supply, and then I read 2700 is the best, which was a big shock! What worries me is that I'm not a really big eater, and when I actually sat down and recorded my calories for a couple days, to my horror there were days I was barely getting 1500 calories, more like 1200. Now, it certainly wasn't like that when I first had him I was eating a lot more, but my appeitite has slowed down, and I just don't want big meals, especially during the day. I do eat good for dinner, but during the day is just not a lot. However, I nurse on demand, so he eats a lot and my milk supply seems to be very good. But, when I read "Do NOT dip below 1800 calories a day because it can reduce your supply," well that has me a bit worred. I've tried in the past few days to eat more, but now its affecting my stomach, almost like its too much!

The weird thing is, this all stemmed from the pregnancy where I was very sick with ms and couldn't eat and I had to be medicated. And I think my body just got so used to not eating that it still can't handle a lot of food. So, now that I've had him, I'm not sick anymore, but my appetite has never been the same.

Can someone please shed some light on this, and tell me what the facts are about how many calories you really need. Am I really comprimising my supply if I'm averaging around 1500? And, do you have any suggestions for me?

[LaLa]

Well, from what Ive read supply is only minimally effected by calories - however - YOUR health is affected by yuor caloric intake.

Some people simply eat more than others for starters, but we must consider that breastfeeding alone burns 500 ish calories a day. So - to maintain energy levels for YOURSELF you must account for that and try to consume more calories.

There used to be a lot of discussion about calorie intake (several years ago - think your mom & grandmothers generation). It was once thought that if you didnt eat well your milk wouldnt be rich enough. Well - thats not necessarily true. Your body prioritizes from what we know now and will first and foremost provide the baby with the milk & nutrients necessary to survive, sometimes depriving your body in the meanwhile though.

Women in third world countires who barely eat & are severely malnourished breastfeed & their supplies sustain their children far beyond what most mothers here nurse.

My suggestion would be to take a few days - get a general idea of how many calories youre consuming & take note of how you feel. Rather than trying to eat a lot at once, try to snack on things that are high in protein & calories (chicken, nuts, etc)... the general rule of thumb is 2000 calories give or take. You may just need fewer calories to operate esp if youre a small person - I"m not a fan of the one size fits all mentality on anything.

And heres a great article from kellymom.com - the site I trust the most: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-...ies-fluids.html

But it sounds like your little one is thriving just fine - the initial weight loss is absolutely normal & even expected. The new weight is absolutely perfect & says hes doing wonderful! Whatever youre doing seems to be working! And keep in mind -when you do those growth charts, they typically use the one for formula fed babies - ask for the breastfed baby weight chart if you do start comparing percentiles

Lala...

[andi2284]

I have heard 500 extra calories to help maintain your milk supply. Basically, eat to your hunger though and you will be fine. Your body will ask for enough food to keep up a good milk supply, so follow your own hunger cues. I actually lost about 10lbs extra over the first 6-9 months, so breastfeeding is great for losing weight too!

[srs]

I agree with eat to hunger, As long as you and the baby are healthy and feel good, then I wouldn't worry about it.

[DansGoddess]

Well, from what Ive read supply is only minimally effected by calories - however - YOUR health is affected by yuor caloric intake.

Some people simply eat more than others for starters, but we must consider that breastfeeding alone burns 500 ish calories a day. So - to maintain energy levels for YOURSELF you must account for that and try to consume more calories.

There used to be a lot of discussion about calorie intake (several years ago - think your mom & grandmothers generation). It was once thought that if you didnt eat well your milk wouldnt be rich enough. Well - thats not necessarily true. Your body prioritizes from what we know now and will first and foremost provide the baby with the milk & nutrients necessary to survive, sometimes depriving your body in the meanwhile though.

Women in third world countires who barely eat & are severely malnourished breastfeed & their supplies sustain their children far beyond what most mothers here nurse.

My suggestion would be to take a few days - get a general idea of how many calories youre consuming & take note of how you feel. Rather than trying to eat a lot at once, try to snack on things that are high in protein & calories (chicken, nuts, etc)... the general rule of thumb is 2000 calories give or take. You may just need fewer calories to operate esp if youre a small person - I"m not a fan of the one size fits all mentality on anything.

And heres a great article from kellymom.com - the site I trust the most: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-...ies-fluids.html

But it sounds like your little one is thriving just fine - the initial weight loss is absolutely normal & even expected. The new weight is absolutely perfect & says hes doing wonderful! Whatever youre doing seems to be working! And keep in mind -when you do those growth charts, they typically use the one for formula fed babies - ask for the breastfed baby weight chart if you do start comparing percentiles

Lala...[/b]

Wow your reply was VERY informative and made perfect sense! Your right, women in other countries barely eat and bf their babies just fine. And here I am stressing on counting calories and trying to force myself to eat more. Although, for Thanksgiving, I had no problems with getting a lot of calories, lol! But, what when ever I do eat I make sure its healthy and packed with a good amount of calories and I always drink lots of water, so hopefully that continues to work!

I love our bf relationship and the fact that he's gaining knowing that is all from me makes its soooooo much better, and just want to make sure it continues. And one other thing to note is, I'm not losing weight, my weight is steady, so maybe like you said, "What I'm doing is working."

Thank you so much for your reply, very helpful! Hope you don't mind me popping in again if I have another question. Thanks!