To ask your experiences of weight change after breastfeeding

[ItsAllBlahBlahBlah]

Curious really as my experience with my second baby has been so different to my first. With number 1 I lost a tonne of weight in the first six months of breastfeeding then it levelled out. I put on a lot of weight during pregnancy with my second due to illness and was hoping the same would happen but no such luck! My second has just stopped bfeeding this week at 16months and I'm curious to see if this will be a trigger to lose the pounds as despite dieting I'm getting nowhere. This will be my second period this month so hoping its linked to hormones!

Experiences anyone?

Very similar! DC1 barely put on weight in pregnancy and weight tumbled off me whilst breastfeeding. Put on more weight in 2nd pregnancy and it just didn't shift from breastfeeding, or when I stopped. 4 years later () I'm still trying to shift it.

always went back to pre-preg weight, tbh. Took longer (5m total) after pregnancy #3

Oh no. I'm no longer feeling hopeful!

To give you hope, I found it impossible to lose weight while bf, I was permanently and insatiably ravenous, and even when I was constantly denying myself, my body still stubbornly clung onto every calorie. It all came off naturally but fairly gradually once I stopped.

I lost weight while BF in the first 6 months and then put weight on once DC started weaning - because their milk intake dropped but my food intake did not

I gained a lot of weight due to breastfeeding. By the time I was done breastfeeding I weighed more than I did right after I gave birth.

Had to actively get the weight off via calorie counting. You only lose weight bf if you’re in a calorie deficit and if bf makes you really hungry and you eat more you’ll gain.

Didnt lose much in the first 5 or 6 months with first child, then the extra stone or so of baby weight came off easily. Second child has been much harder - lost no weight at all and DC is nearly 2. I'm tired juggling full time work plus the kids, so I struggle to motivate myself to exercise in the evenings, and I eat too much when I'm tired too.

I stopped breastfeeding about a year ago and I noticed a massive increase in my weight after it had been stable for a very long time. I really don’t like looking at myself in the mirror

I couldn’t keep weight on while BF. I ended up nearly 10kg lighter than pre-pregnancy which moved my bmi to the underweight category

Lost a tonne of weight immediately with my first one. Ate my way through my second pregnancy, needed a c section, and breastfeeding went pretty poorly. Slogging away to get back to a comfortable weight after a year.

I put on a lot of weight breast feeding. About 3 stone. It’s slowly coming off now that I’m almost finished. Everyone told me it would drop off but I lost a lot of weight in pregnancy due to HG and it piled back on and then added a bit just for good measure. I felt cheated.

Same as you.
First baby,rapid weight loss,even though it was mixed feeding from 3 months and stopped completely at1 y.o but was working since he was 3 months so maybe this contributed somehow.
2nd baby,exclusively EBF,continued until he was 2,5 but only noticed weight changes when he was 2 or so.I did hope to keep some of the weight as I was always underweight but no,always came back to 7,5 st.
However,shortly before having 3&4,I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism,put on 3 st and the most I've lost was around 10lb after pregnancies.Also EBFed for a prolonged period but it never works when you really need it .

Gained about two stone both pregnancies (including the baby etc), got back to pre pregnancy weight quickly both times, if nowhere near normal size.

First baby was a terrible sleeper and lack of sleep makes me crave sugary, fatty foods. I put on half a stone and am still astounded it wasn't more.

Second baby was a much better sleeper, so even though I've been generous with the old cakes, I haven't gained this time. I think if I hadn't been breastfeeding I probably would've done.

Winding down now and not looking forward to the weight gain.

Basically, I think I would've lost weight if I wasn't a complete glutton.

1st baby breastfed brilliantly and the weight came off really easily despite me eating anything I fancied. Currently trying to lose weight after baby two - he doesn't breastfeed as well and I'm having to combi-feed - finding it really hard to shift the weight. Don't know if it's the second pregnancy that's making it harder or the fact I'm not breastfeeding as much 🤷🏾‍♀️

Personally I can't make any link at all between breastfeeding and weight gain or loss. I've fed two children. I do think lack of sleep and exhaustion/being too busy to eat proper food so eating quick but unhealthy alternatives is a huge factor. I didn't find it easier to lose weight when I was young either. For me it's just calories in and a bit of stress/sleep deprivation that makes me fatter.

I dropped loads when DS was born then started to gain some again as he started to wean. He was a 99th centile greedy thing tho!

Lost weight ok after first two, sadly a year after stopping by my third I have a lot to lose.

Yeah, within a few months of stopping breastfeeding I'd lost the last 7-10lbs that wouldn't budge. Same with both kids.

Same as a lot of people here - gradually lost weight whilst breastfeeding for eight months. Piled the weight on after that and ended up as heavy as I was at full term. Still trying to lose it.

Put on a lot of weight while BF.,

I think age can be the deciding factor. At 26 I lost most of the weight during bf and the rest (tummy) after i finished bf.

At 39 it took dieting and effort. 3 csections also took their toll, but I think it’s mainly my age.