Breast feeding mums - How hungry do you get?

[burstingbug]

I'm sooooo hungry all day and even wake up hungry in the night too. I think I'd eat all day if I could, constantly looking in the cupboard and fridge for things to eat. Should I be this hungry? DS2 is 9wks and hasn't increased his feeds.

Yeah, I was like this in the first months. I just felt like my stomach had a hole in the bottom, I could just keep chucking anything down there, and it would still be empty.

Don't know if you should be, but I'm also bloody hungry all day every day. Ds2 is 16 weeks. I read somewhere BF uses up 500 calories a day, but probably should be replacing them with apples not Magnums at £1 for three in Sainsburys...

This is something noone warned me about when I was bfing ds. I don't remember ever not being hungry. I fainted several times cos I was so hungry. When he woke up during the night for a feed I'd be eating then as well.

Lost all the weight within 9 months though...wish I'd remembered to stop eating extra when he stopped feeding cos now I have put all the weight back on

It's not just me then.
Today I've been quite good and tried not to eat much but.....
2.5 crumpets
6 jaffa cakes
3 pieces of cheese on toat
10 small coconut maccaroons
spag bol
angel delight

Would have had more but we're running out of food and its not the end of the night yet!

If you're hungry then eat - you obviously need it. I tried not to (hence the fainting). As long as you try to make it all reasonably healthy then there isn't a problem.

I used to take a lunchbox up to bed for when ds would wake in the night.

yeah totally normal

dd is now 16 months and I am still like this

I do wonder if bf is really that much cheaper, given the necessity for me to buy quite a lot of green and blacks chocolate.

bb, thats not a lot, btw.

I think i'll load the toaster up for 4 bits of toast. I made porridge at 11.30 the other night!
lol at taking up a lunch box. I took up choccy bics for a few nights, but then I ran out

Agree thats not a lot, i can eat that on a good day, if ds is on a hungry day i eat loads, not even the dog is safe.

seriously bb I looked at that, thought you'd probably posted around lunchtime, looked again-

that's not a lot, honeslty, especially if bf

eat what you need to. oh one thing that works for me is GI diet style stuff (no calorie restrictions though)-ie complex carbs, fruit etc over sugar. had great blood sugar probs when bf. can explain more if you want.

Today is a good day
toast
banana
pasty
choc bar
stir fry
syrup sponge
handfull of jelly beans

I use those build up shakes you get in Boots as meal supplements - I know they've got a good vitamin/nutrition balance & it tops up my fluid intake.

I think they're actually supposed to be meal replacements but hey ho

and now i am eating more toast

Im always hungry... I made poor DH whack on some chips we had at the back of the freezer about 4am the other morning Its the only way I can keep going! I went "healthy" for a week, and cut out all my snacks etc. - never again! I was never sooooooooo tired!

don't want to be a bore, but bf really takes it out of you & it's important to eat well - or are those things you've mentioned additional snacks ?

Need to be eating 3 meals a day & an afternoon snack (scone/crumpet/oatcakes with houmous), plus of course water.

DD2 is 14 weeks & whilst I'm not feeling hungry, I'm eating much more than you. Generally, cereal, latte, sandwich with (organic) chicken or tuna or avocado & houmous + fruit juice, homemade scone & decaff coffee, then tea is more protein (fish tonight) + veggies, yogurt ( & then montezumas violet & rose creams...polished them off last night). I'm 8st 10lb, not surprisingly I'm not waking up hungry in the night..& neither is DD

The way i see it is that i want ds to be putting weight on, but i am back to pre baby weight (although not as fit)so i can say that.

Im not far off 8 10, 9st last time and that was a few weeks ago.

I couldnt stop eating and didnt see it as a problem.
Breakfast alone was bowl of porridge,2 slices of toast and a banana,and then more toast

Look, just EAT! I didn't at the beginning, and bf went all wrong, and ds was readmitted to hospital for failure to thrive. Later, I said sod the diet, ate what I wanted, and it all went right again, and now I've stopped, the weight is actually just falling off. Idon;t hink you actually NEED to more to bf (you need an extra 500 calories, but that is essentially an extra round of toast), but if it helps, go for it. I would suggest eating protein and starch rather than lots of Cadburys Roses though.

With a baby that young you really shouldn't worry about overeating.

I bf a 2.4 year old toddler and still eat like a pig. In fact it is good excuse to say "I am letting him self-wean" as it allows me to continue stuffing my face !

Oh, and despite what this might sound like, I am not that fat, just a few lb's overweight, I just like my food

Littlepiggie - I just read something you said earlier. To make sure baby puts on weight, all you have to do is make sure he is bf frequently and on demand. There is no correlation between how much and what you eat and the baby's weight.

Not making this one up, that is what the experts say !

littlepiggie at "not even the dog is safe"

18 weeks and I am hungry hungry hungry, craving protein especially.

I just eat what I feel like eating - I assume my body knows what it needs. I agree, it makes no difference to the milk, but I want to make sure I have enough energy for myself too.

I always had a huge appetite until I stopped breastfeeding and then it took a while for it to settle down. Must be something to do with hormones.

Right so keep stuffing til I burst then I need to go shopping desperately, will live off toast and pasta for a bit til I can hit the shops
So far I've had a sausage and mushroom sarnie, will put a pan of pasta on in a bit as I'm peckish again.