Stupid question of the day - can you be too slim to breastfeed?

[GentlyDoingIt]

I am 33 weeks and so far have only put on 20lbs, which I am delighted about as last time I put on 4 stone and really struggled with post-natal mobility (c-section compounded the problem). I haven't been on any special diet, just eating good stuff little and often. Midwife's quite happy with me.

I am now stupidly worrying that unless I gain a bit more I'm not going to produce decent amounts of milk. Breastfeeding was about the only thing that went well with my first baby and I've managed to convince myself that my copious milk supply was down to all the extra blubber (which by the way didn't shift for 6 months, despite breastfeeding throughout and beyond!)

I imagine this will draw a bit of , but I'm genuinely interested and can't find an answer anywhere (unless you count photos of immaculately groomed size 8 models pretending to nurse in the NHS leaflet).

I am eating a bag of liquorice allsorts for 2nd breakfast as a precaution.

No, you should try and eat properly for your own sake (as it sounds like you are doing anyway), breastfeeding or not it's tough looking after a newborn (as you know!!) but your milk will be fine.

I'm size 8 and although not even close to immaculate have managed to breastfeed for last 9 months!

I was underweight according to the BMI thingy when I got pregnant and didn't gain much at all - prob stone and half to 2 stone and had plenty of milk from the start.

No harm in indulging yourself for next few weeks though

Thank you both! Nice to have it confirmed by some real people.

I will definitely be indulging myself this summer though (heartburn/foot in diaphragm permitting)

I was the same weight at 24 weeks as I was when I got pg, and only weighed 5kg more at 35 weeks just before DS was born. I then lost 2 stone in the next 4 months.

I had loads of milk, bf exclusively to 6 months, and bf till 23 months.

Crikey, I was the same and didn't put on much weight at all during pregnancy. It all melted away as well really quickly and am now a small 8.

In the early days (weeks, actually) I had a huge problem with over-supply - I think my body thought I had produced twincs. Gallons and gallons of the stuff. It was really distressing at the time as was pretty much housebound.

I think your body produces what your baby needs. I was in awe that my body seemed to know what to do! Amazing thing, the human body.

I remember going to see my friend 3 days after her c section, she asked me to weigh her (am WW leader ) and she was 7stone2 . She managed to breastfeed fine.

Good luck.

I have always been incredibly scrawny and fed all 4 dcs for over a year each. They were all on the top centile (in fact, greedy dd1 burst off the top of the chart and health visitor refused to believe it was on 'only' breastmilk )

I did always eat well while feeding too.

A friend of mine is quite petite (with a naturally very low BMI) and has frequently had trouble keeping her weight high 'enough' during her life (e.g. loses weight rapidly if she is under stress). She found that she lost a lot of weight when bfing her first daughter but no problem with milk supply at all (in fact she felt she overproduced - unlikely me who put on 4 stone and waited for ages for my milk establish ). She just had to eat A LOT to keep up.

I'd see it as a benefit if I were you

i didn't put on any extra weight with either of my two and was back at normal wt (7.5 st at 5 ft 4ins) within a week of giving birth. I am currently tandem feeding.

No need to brag Foxytocin.

I just wanted to add to the chorus - DS is 9 months and not that interested in solids, yet has come back up onto his centile line which he dropped off at 4 months. (Have not had him weighed in between). I have lost far too much weight post birth and am probably about a size 6 now - am usually an 8-10.

I'm a size 8, put on hardly any weight when pregnant and lost that very quickly after giving birth - I'm now slimmer than I have been for years (back to a small 8 rather than 8/10) which sounds great except that my clothes don't fit! DS is 8 months old and has always been fully breastfed, his weight's always been fine and my HV has always been very impressed! And my Mam is thinner than me and breastfed me as well.

I didn't put on much weight with both of my pregnancies, less with the second where I was back in size 8 jeans a week later. I have always been quite small but managed to feed both babies until nearly a year and no problem with milk supply. I did find I had to eat a bit more though to avoid getting rundown.

I had quite severe postnatal depression with my son. I totally lost my apperite and became serverely underwieght.

I had a very good milk supply inspite of this. As far as I know being skinny only affects your milk supply if you are close to death.

My milk supply with my daughter is not as good as it was for my son, but I still have enough milk. Incidently I am not underweight at the moment.

Thank you for all the reassurance everyone.

I have bought another bag of liquorice allsorts though, just to be on the safe side!

I am v skinny and managed to bf both of mine (still feeding ds at 19 months). I did lose weight very quickly after both of them and went too thin for a while but milk supply was fine-I even had oversupply with ds.

The only thing I found was that both of mine fed very frequently but this on kellymom explains why.

hee hee PeppaPig!