BFing and weight loss ?

ll3414

Those who are BFing - have you noticed a change in weight loss at all?  I know everyone says it helps you shed the preg weight in the beginning, but did anyone find that they continue to lose weight?  I'm down quite a bit below my prepreg weight and just wondering if this is normal... or maybe something else is wrong?  And please do not take this as me trying to AW - I'm actually a little concerned it might affect us TTC in the next couple of months.  I've heard people say they stop losing weight after the first couple months of BFing, and others say the 6-9month range was when they really started to shed weight. 

Just curious what your experience has been....

hclavalley

I lost almost all of mine before the 6 month mark.  When Sean started solids I almost immediately gained 10lbs back.  I am still 15+lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy, but it was nice to have those extra pounds off.  Now I am back to not being able to lose much if any.

dr.girlfriend

I have not lost a ton of weight, but I've been eating HORRIBLY (ice cream and cookies are my best friends) and haven't gained, so I would expect if I hadn't lost my mind I would be losing.  :-)  I never got cravings while pregnant, but for some reason while breastfeeding I crave sugar and salt all day long.  I lost all the pregnancy weight (~20 pounds) in the first few weeks, and then have stayed pretty steady since then, but my pre-pregnancy weight was chubby.  I'm cracking down on my eating now hoping that I'll lose more in these last few months before I wean him, so I'll let you know!

Maggie816

I was back to my pre-preg weight by 4.5 months and I gained about 50 lbs with the pregnancy.  I was surprised that it only took almost 5 months...But then again, I wasn't eating very well during the day since as you know, it gets quite hectic with a baby...

847Christine

I got down to 7 lbs less than my pre pg weight by about 4 mos pp but gained some back when she started solids.  I'm still BFing, but not as often.  I just started losing again a little over a month ago though, when Evie started walking.  Apparently chasing her burns calories almost as much as BFing her does! 

ECUTeacher

I have been using WW to help me loss the weight and I get a lot more points for BFing. When I started, I would have normally had about 25 points a day, but he 39 due to BFing. Now that I have lost 30 lbs and Austin is eating solids as well as BFing, I get 29 points. But that is still about 7-9 more points than I would get if I wasn't BFing.

*2 points is about 100 calories so I am "allowed" to eat 350-450 more calories per day and still loss weight.

cluiss1

I lost all my pg weight within 3.5 months (44 lbs).  I lost majority of it in the first 6 weeks, and then the rest a little at a time.  Since then, I have continued to lose weight and it is a concern for me and my dr.  I'm naturally a slender person, so losing an additional 10 lbs is a big deal for my dr. (I'm 5'6" and currently 110 lbs.)  I'm not dieting or watching what I eat.  I just keep losing weight.  I'm trying to eat protein-rich foods and more often.  Hopefully, I can stay at a stable weight before we start TTCing next yr.

ll3414

cluiss1:

I lost all my pg weight within 3.5 months (44 lbs).  I lost majority of it in the first 6 weeks, and then the rest a little at a time.  Since then, I have continued to lose weight and it is a concern for me and my dr.  I'm naturally a slender person, so losing an additional 10 lbs is a big deal for my dr. (I'm 5'6" and currently 110 lbs.)  I'm not dieting or watching what I eat.  I just keep losing weight.  I'm trying to eat protein-rich foods and more often.  Hopefully, I can stay at a stable weight before we start TTCing next yr.

This is exactly my problem too!!  I'm thin to begin with - and now my BMI is really low because I keep losing weight.  I'm really afraid it will affect our chances when we TTC. 

rowanthefrog

I lost a lot in the beginning and continued to lose until he was about 9-10 months old and eating a lot of solids (so I was BFing less.)  I fit in clothes that I haven't worn since I got married!!

Of course I'm no doc, but I think that losing weight while BFing is very very normal.  Of course if you feel bad or have pain or something then you should get checked out, but weight loss is normal (and fantastic!!)  Congrats to you

A 

jnealet

I lost all but 8 lbs by my 6 week check up.  But then I started to eat everything I could get my hands on and went back up.  I've been doing weight watchers for about 3 weeks and have lost 6 lbs.  Its been much much easier then I thought it would be, so I suspect the bfing helps a lot.

mrs.kcanne

ll3414:

Those who are BFing - have you noticed a change in weight loss at all?  I know everyone says it helps you shed the preg weight in the beginning, but did anyone find that they continue to lose weight?  I'm down quite a bit below my prepreg weight and just wondering if this is normal... or maybe something else is wrong?  And please do not take this as me trying to AW - I'm actually a little concerned it might affect us TTC in the next couple of months.  I've heard people say they stop losing weight after the first couple months of BFing, and others say the 6-9month range was when they really started to shed weight. 

Just curious what your experience has been....

Hey Labor Buddy!   I gained 41 lbs and it took me about 5 months to take it all off, it came off VERY slowly. But then I kept losing. Now I'm at my pre-pg weight exactly and on some days I'm a couple lbs lighter than that even. I don't think you need to be concerned, but if you are really concerned go ahead and mention it to your OB maybe? I think it's pretty common for BFing mothers to lose lots of weight, especially if your LO is still nursing quite a bit. I've started to watch what I eat the last week or so because Allie's consumption is starting to wane a little bit, but we're hoping to make it to 1year of BFing also.

As an aside... I've read your posts here and there over the last several months and I know you have concerns about not having had a PP AF yet, and wanting to TTC. We're in the EXACT SAME BOAT. Allie even started STTN last week and still no AF for me. On the one hand it's great not having it, but on the other, I'd really love to start ovulating again and start TTC #2 at anytime now, but it looks like I may have to wait until after the 1 year mark and we wean completely before AF comes back. I'm crossing my fingers for both of us that AF comes back quick for us (maybe even before our girls hit 1 year!) and we conceive quickly!

MrsSmith81

I lost all of my weight around 3mo and dropped 7lb under prepg weight by around 4mo when I cut dairy from my diet. I was WAY too skinny and the ped pulled me from that diet after 6wk because of it. I'm still underweight, I'm about 5lbs under prepg weight so i'm still pretty small (I'm only 5' so the 2lb gain made a difference). I've always been tiny with a small frame but I know DH would like it if i put on about 5-10lb. I mentioned to him the other day that I wonder if I haven't gotten AF yet because my weight isn't high enough. We are down to one feeding and if I don't have AF by 8wk after completely weaning I'll assume its weight related and call the OB.

maramarrie

I gained 35lb during pg. After 3 weeks I was down 28lb. Now I am down almost 40, so I now weigh a little less than pre-preg.