Breastfeeding but mum thinks i should diet

[emmajlh]

Hi,
i'm exclusively breastfeeding my 4 mth DD and although i have lost the weight i gained during pregnancy i'm still overweight (as i was overweight before getting pg).
I'm 26, weigh 15 stone and am 5"6. I spent a few days at my mum and dads last week and it's always a bit like visiting a health farm and i'm hungry the whole time, what i did notice while i was there that my milk supply decreased, i don't think it was by too much as my DD seemed fine. Anyway mum dropped her usual hints about my weight and even gave me a weight watchers cookbook to take home.
I know i'm overweight but all i want to focus on right now is my daugther, i'll start weaning her in a few months and i can think about losing weight myself then.
Sorry just wanted to have a bit of a rant as it got me down.

Well breastfeeding is great for eventual weight loss, and to be honest, it won't matter that much to wait a few months before worrying about your weight. I found the weight came off after ds weaned, as I got more sleep and could get out of the house for walks more easily. DOn't even think of dieting just yet.

oh no. ((hugs)) Taking on a healthy diet will help you lose weight, but will be better to breastfeed but that doesn't mean dieting. You need to eat little and often, don't cut down on carbs but I guess cutting down on fats and sugars and exercising will help... but I am week 40 weight and DS is one next month TO be honest, not being keeled over with tiredness was my main concern at this time, not losing weight xXx

Oh goodness don't worry about losing weight yet, you're right to just concentrate on looking after your dd. It's a good idea to eat healthily to keep your energy levels up, but I certainly wouldn't diet. As your dd gets mobile you will spend a lot of time running after her so that will help

Rude mother IMO. I am still a stone overweight and ds is 10 months old. I didn't attempt to diet until he was 9 months and I fed exclusively til he was 6 months. Dieting because someone else thinks you should is doomed to failure anyway. I've just stopped eating cakes and biscuits and am having fruit as snacks instead and it's falling off at the mo. Wait a while til you feel like it

emma - sorry to hear your mum is getting you down. YOU are doing what is right for you and baby on focusing on bf. tell your mum how hungry bf makes you and that you need food to maintain your energy level

if you need to lose weight do it for YOUR long-term health as extra pounds put pressure on your heart - don't do it just to look thinner

bf DOES help you to lose weight and if you find you are not losing it quickly enough, you can do weight watchers or some other diet that allows a bf mum to eat more calories while bf

kellymom.com has a section on how many calories to eat to maintain your milk supply when bf - have look if interested

good luck

if you did want to diet, which I'm not saying you should at all, then weightwatchers gives you a huge amount of extra points if you're breastfeeding .. I seem to recall I couldn't eat enough points when I did it

Hmm, breastfeeding helping you lose weight is a bit variable (there have been discussions about this elsewhere on MN). It does use up calories, but some people find (me for instance) that while they're bf they also get massively hungry, which makes it very difficult indeed to lose weight until you stop. I seem to remember last time it was discussed that people who breastfed for longer than 6 months had a generally positive view of it helping, while those who fed for shorter times were more likely to report that it was easier to lose once they'd stopped (though there were of course exceptions in both cases).

Anyway the bottom line is, that your priorities seem absolutely right - focus on your dd and don't stress about weight - it's really early days yet anyway.

I was overweight before I had ds and I too had lost all my baby weight within 4 weeks of giving birth. I was just pleased all the extra went so quickly and felt quite slim after the birth (even though I wasn't).

I really would not diet until you have finished the exclusive breastfeeding. When you start weaning and your dd is well onto solids then think about losing weight if you want to. Even if you are still breastfeeding you can diet then as long as your dd is not exclusively breastfeeding. In the meantime focus on your baby and try not to put on any weight. I actually found a lost a little bit more over time anyway. then I went to the US for 6 months and gained loads but that is another story. It's all off now and I'm as slim as I've ever been.

Unless you were totally starved whilst you were at your parents' your supply is unlikely to have been affected.

i don't know if it's based on science or just in my head,but when I was stressed this week my ds started waking up a lot more during night wanting a feed and I didnt feel my supply was as good as usual so I suggest that if your supply was affected it's more likely to me as you're stressed than to do with calorie intake.

Stress won't affect it either.

Do, please, remember that babies are funny buggers. It helps

thanks everyone for your messages they've really helped

EmmaJLH, in case you weren't aware, dieting will reduce your milk supply. It happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. As long as you're eating a balanced diet without too much sugary/ fatty food, etc, you're doing the right thing. Respond to your hunger. Be kind to yourself, and tell your mother that what you need is her support and not her criticism. xx