How many calories do I need to be eating while BFing? I had my little girl on May 2nd and lost 30 pounds in the first week I was home, a lot of which was water weight and of course the baby. I wonder if I am eating too much or not enough in order to BF and lose some pregnancy weight.
I did some reading up on this, too. You might need to experiment a bit. I would start at 2000 calories a day and aim to lose about one lb a week. If you find you are losing more, try eating 2100 to 2200 a day. If you're not losing any weight after a couple weeks, try 1800-1900. It's trial and error, everyone is different. If you notice your milk supply decreasing, definitely start eating more. Bear I n mind that some people just can't lose weight without it affecting their supply, so there's a chance that you might have to wait until you wean to really lose more weight.
Amanda
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Nov siggy challenge: animals eating Thanksgiving food
500 cals extra per day. Minimum 1800 cals per day.
It is strange that it only takes an extra 300 cals per day to grow a baby, but 500 to feed a baby (so you need to eat more than when you were pregnant).
Re: BFing and calories
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothersdiet/momcaloriesfluids/
I second the drinking a lot of water.
It really depends on your weight, activity level, and metabolism. There's no one set number.
Just eat when you're hungry, and you'll be fine.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
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Nov siggy challenge: animals eating Thanksgiving food
Rhys - born 04.17.2013
Harry - born 04.18.2016
500 cals extra per day. Minimum 1800 cals per day.
It is strange that it only takes an extra 300 cals per day to grow a baby, but 500 to feed a baby (so you need to eat more than when you were pregnant).