Breastfeeding and Diet Indulgences - please make me feel better

[DefNotYummyMummy]

My baby is close to 6 months old. This week so far my diet has been shocking.

Yesterday I had a packet of chocolate digestives and fish and chips for dinner. I had a pint of ribena before bedtime. (I was busy working around the house and didn't have time to do a proper dinner/lunch etc).

Then today I am exhausted after yesterday, but have managed some crisps, a full fat coke, a twix, a crunchie, 2 pieces of cheese on toast and some fizzy fruit juice.

I'm too ashamed to tell the health visitor this one - but also sick of being told to follow a healthy diet. By the way, usually I am pretty healthy with at least one of meals of the day !

Baby still EBF by the way. She's not interested in solids yet (must curb this diet by then as otherwise may gain back pregnancy weight !)

Just thought I would confess my sins. Please tell me I am not the only one with this guilty secret !

Thanks for all the posts. Really making me do lots of 'wobbly' belly laughs here !

if you feel bad about it eat carrot cake and fruit gums

Tell Hv that the reason controlled crying works is because baby's survival reflex kicks in, they think no one is coming to save them from the tigers and so they play dead! Nice. And your diet in no way affects the quality of your milk. In fact i think you should write and complain about her - she is giving out dangerous advice!

My breastmilk primarily comprised of chocolate digestives and tea, and pizza.

Just stop seeing your HV, she sounds like a nightmare! She will be putting people off BFing because of this myth that you have to eat and drink like a fasting monk.

The best piece of advice I had was from the wonderful BFC/midwife at the hospital when DS was about a week old. She said 'eat what you like, when you like and don't let anyone tell you any different. It is better for the baby that you BF and eat burgers rather than give them formula'. She also encouraged me to have a glass of wine whenever I fancied - just to watch out incase it made my letdown too slow. Nothing to do with any of it getting into milk.

agree with all previous posters, tell HV to sod off, you are totally normal, you eat whatever you can lay your hands on and can be cut with a fork when you are BF.
I ate my way through the universe for 6 months and am still fat as chuff, but am proud of the fact that dd got nothing but mummy's finest, albeit mostly chocolate, kfc or bacon frazzle flavoured.

I actually PUT ON weight after my baby was born from eating such a huge amount - the more she ate the more I seemed to eat. Having said that I started couting calories while still breastfeeding and the weight starte plummeting at one point I was losing a pound a day - I ate cake to slow it down [grin}

Me too Fernie - I weighed a stone more when ds was 5 months old than I did when he was 6 days old

i must totally be due some extra cake this week. DS is 16mo and usually only feeds 2-3 times a day. he's been ill :( and off his food and bfing like mad.

i lost loads of weight at first, only cos i didn't eat much due to being a bit spaced out after emcs and infection etc.

can feel it starting to creep back on now so starting to watch my portions a bit. my milk must have been pizza flavour all the time as i ate it at least 3 times a week while cluster feeding and dropping crumbs in DS's hair. he does love pizza now, i am so proud.

my MIL was when i told her i could eat what i wanted while bf. she was convinced i had to avoid spicy food and feck knows what else.

your HV sounds like a right plum!

I get through most of a packet of jammie dodgers during the long nap every afternoon. I must start being careful now that DS is eating solids - it would be better to cut down on the unhealthy snacks now and use BFing to help shed the last few pounds rather than carry on eating at the same rate and gradually start putting weight back on.

I read that a baby my son's size (almost 20lb) needs something like 1000 calories per day, so when that was all coming from me, it was a fair amount of biscuits!

Agree with stopping seeing your HV. :)

I lived on cereal bars & Cadbury's Dairy Milk for the first couple of months (I did eat oatcakes at night for the healthy contribution).

Now DS is 13 months I've improved my diet to be home-made cake and Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

People say it gets better when they stop feeding so much, but my consumption has only gone upward.

Now that's a revalation! I really thought somehow the vitamins in what you ate got through to the baby somehow through the milk - I should probably research more . I have been eating badly and then throwing in the odd banana and glass of orange juice and feeling guilty. Phew.

HOLD IT! HOLD IT! Galaxy truffle in bar form??? I thought Galaxy truffles only came in Celebrations? Where can I get five one?

Fwiw I find Frosties & Coco pops are a good sugar hit without being too bad for you.

The milk production takes vitamins and nutrients from your body, so if you have a poor diet you're only damaging yourself

Another one here who ate like a pig during BF and loved every minute (as did both DS's, who thrived).

OP - definitely stop going to see the HV - no need to go to baby clinic at all to be honest unless you have specific concerns. I took DS2 once (for the 8 week check) and a second time ten months later for the 12 month one....just didn't see the need to take him any other time.

My typical BF diet would involve three big meals plus plenty of cake, chocolate and crisps, a glass of wine on a regular basis and daily infusions of diet coke...someone did once try and tell me that consuming caffeine would lead to the baby being very unsettled, but I had two of the mellowest babies who have always been fantastic sleepers so that argument was clearly bollocks

The great thing about putting on weight whilst BF (which I definitely did) is that it can then drop off once you stop. I didn't really change my eating patterns that much once I stopped BF, but as soon as the milk had dried up the weight just came off without me really needing to do anything.

I figure the wine and the caffeine will cancel each other out... won't they?

Oh definitely, makes complete sense

Bumperlicious - they are half price in Tesco here at the moment.

However I bought one earlier and only had two squares. Either they are not very nice or there is something seriously wrong with me

Another trampoline tummy here...

Most days I eat 3 healthy meals - and then supplement it with a big load of chocolate and cake and biscuits.
There's just something about feeding that makes me ravenous and apples just aren't going to satisfy the hunger. (I do keep trying!)

I am so glad I've read this ladies! I've just eaten half a green and blacks milk choc and almond bar. And a mini chocolate swiss roll. and a jammie dodger. and i did the same at nap time, and had two enormous meals and cereal and loads of toast.

I've been feeling really guilty about it, but now I see I'm not alone! I'm the same as duckymum, healthy meals, but then loads of cake, biscuits, chocolate...and pots of rice pudding, custard, hot buttered toast. My jaws never stop!

My excuse is I'm looking after a toddler and a baby who feeds a fair bit at night, mostly by myself, and I need the energy! I am a bit worried about my teeth though if nothing else.

Thank u for putting this thread on :D

This thread has really made me chuckle, I hauled myself onto the Slimming World support thread yesterday but feel this one is my true home at the moment

Thanks for making me feel more normal

So glad it's not just me either. duckymum I totally agree apples just don't do it.
I've been feeling really guilty about all the cake, biscuits etc... So I stocked up on healthy food, as I was preparing my grilled chicken salad I somehow managed to consume an entire packet of boasters biscuits.
My DH has resorted to hiding any biscuits he wants as they don't last long around me. Although he has appreciated my new found enthusiasm for baking... when I actually let him have any!

Oh yes, the baking!
Is it wrong to rationalise it as a creative activity for a toddler?

I'm a HV (runs and hides!), currently on mat leave with dc3 (now 10wks). I firmly believe that chocolate is essential for good production of milk - or at least that's what I tell myself and my clients

Sleeping through at 6 months??? What's your HV on?

Whatever you eat your baby is fed first with the best of what your body makes, you get the rubbish afterwards, if there's not enough good stuff your body will leech itself before it starves the baby. Breastmilk is very similar to your blood, you don't have tea and coke running through your veins because your body filters out what it needs and gets rid of the rest.

When my eldest was in the NNU I lived on Mars Bars and Coke because the hospital were being awkward about feeding me(!) When I got home I fed so much that I added shortbread to the mix as I couldn't get to the kitchen. The Neonatal Midwife said that it was fine as long as I got a proper meal at some point in the day - which I did, I had breakfast before OH went to work and he did the cooking so it was only during the day.

BTW my youngest didn't wean until she was almost a year old, so nearly 6 months is nothing.