While breastfeeding, did you put on weight or lose it?

[electra]

I've just been reading the thread in site stuff about weight gain (or lack of) in pregnancy.

It got me thinking about myself, and particularly that I didn't put much weight on at all when I was pregnant but tend to put more weight on during breastfeeding, and don't lose it all until I have stopped.

What have your experiences been? And if you put weight on during bf is it possibly because of how hungry it makes you and eating the wrong things?

I found I put on weight for the first three months breastfeeding, then it stays the same for months, then after six months it starts to drop off.

That's my experience anyway.

Yes, for me too.

I put on quite a lot of weight during my pregnancy (2 1/2 stone ish) and have lost it all whilst BF.

It's taken almost 10 months but I have stuffed myself- with cake/chocolate at every available opportunity haven't dieted at all.

I also put weight on whilst bf i didn;t put that much on when i was pg but i piled it on afterwards. i think for me it was like a release knowing that i didn't have to be that "good" anymore although of course you should eat well not just junk just because you are not pregnant but i think that was definitely part of it for me. that and bf for hours a day and sitting down a lot and munching on something at the same time!

I didn't put on any weight while pregnant (largely because of hyperemesis), but absolutely piled it on when bf-ing - but then I was eating like there was no tomorrow (entire packets of chocolate digestives, four-packs of doughnuts... real gluttony ). I've taken it all back off again now (still bf-ing), but I think there might be something in the theory that you're either programmed to lose weight while bf-ing or you're programmed to gain it while bf-ing - and if you're in the latter category you have to work hard if you want to take the weight off before you stop bf-ing (I've had to both diet and do a lot of exercise).

I lost weight while pregnant and piled it on while BFing. I was always hungry

I lost weight. Drastically. My fault, I wasn't hungry after I gave birth, too tired I guess. ds was a very big, very hungry baby, sucking more than double what dd used too. So I found that he was gaining weight healthily and I was losing it. Because I was losing weight, I was getting tired and not eating, which meant I lost more and it was just a vicious circle.

My doctor was worried and when she discovered that my white blood cell count was low, she ordered that I eat more red meat, more greens etc and if my cell count wasn't normal within a week she'd send me to hospital. So I put in some huge effort and managed to eat more, but it was always a struggle until eventually I gave in and stopped breastfeeding when he was 8 months old. Only then did I start to put on a little weight.

Definitely lost weight both times, but only back to the weight I'd been pre-pregnancy (within about 12 weeks), which has pretty consistently been my weight since I was 17 years old.

didn't put much on while pg (small bump described repeatedly as 'all baby'), lost it v quickly while bfing. And then lost a further stone by the time dd was 12m but not quite sure how - probably stress and pram-pushing

I was all a solid bump which was also described as all baby. I thnk my body went into shock and within the first week i went back down to my pre baby weight, then over the next few months (not sue when as didn't weigh myself i became 1.5 stone lighter than i was pre dd. I'm still BF and eat like a horse and and am between 1 and 1.5 stone lighter than i was (dd is 2 now) and i'm sure if i wasn't i'd be the size of a house!! So it worked for me , bet it won't next time though!!

I've had four pregnancies and put on 2 1/2 to 3 stone each time.
I lose the weight slowly with breastfeeding. I always feel that my metabolism slows right down when breastfeeding.
t goes gradually and I lose the last half a stone when I stop feeding.
Usually fed until about 9/10 months but this time still going strong at 18 months and back to my usual weight.

I lost loads breastfeeding, and ended up 2 dress sizes smaller than pre pg by the time DS was 6 months.

I put on a fair amount of weight while pg, and didn't lose it while bf despite at one point going on an elimination diet which meant I ate hardly anything!

I got my periods back when ds was 18 mo and suddenly lost a whole chunk of weight - was really weird as I was eating loads (dh was practically force feeding me to try to stop me losing my curves )

So there's clearly a hormonal factor for me.

Lost loads of weight. I was a size 20-22 and now I am a small 16. 4 years on I've kept it off. I BFed for 13 months.

My breasts were stunning and I miss them I should have kept expressing for a milk bank for my vanity.

I put weight on and felt very padded iykwim. Still do

I put on over a third of my weight while pregnant, 4 breastfeeding months later it's all gone and I'm back in my old jeans. Shame about the stretchmarks...

I put on 1 stone with this pregnancy - was back to my pre pregnancy weight straight after I had him - but put that stone back on now and he's breastfed and 4mths old! I put weight on with my first too and only lost it after finishing feeding him at 15mths. I think you can lose it whilst bfing, but only if you choose an apple when you are hungry - however, you're not supposed to diet, but healthy eating is supposed to shift any excess!

With my DD I was back to pre-pregnancy weight (although that was still overweight) within 2 weeks. Then gained a stone over the next year. I BF her for 9 months. Fell pregnant with DS when she was a year old, had him, was back to his pre-pregnancy weight 2 weeks after having him (still a stone more than before DD). BF him for 8 months. Then put on the grand total of 2 1/2 more stone which basically left me 3 1/2 stone heavier than when I fell pregnant with my first . I ate and ate and ate in the first few months of BF. When those hunger pangs stopped, I didn't stop eating, mainly cake . Have been doing WW on line since May and lost 2 stone. Have just joined meetings to try and loose another 2 stone. Wish I had been more sensible with my diet when BF. I had high blood pressure and the drugs that I could take and BF didn't really do the trick. Blood pressure shot up more with each child at about the same time, so I finally stopped feeding and took other drugs. Would have liked to have fed for longer and if I had kept the weight down, it would have helped blood pressure I am sure. Oh well, hindsight a great thing.

I lost weight. At first the weight loss was very slow and everyone told me that I would not regain my pre-preg weight 'til Istopped BFing as my body was storing fat. Then DD hit about 5 months and was eating so much that the pounds started to fall away. Between 5 and 9 months I lost 2 stone and was a stone under my pre-preg weight - that was despite the fact I was eating a muffin a day on top of three good meals. I felt like I was carrying round a portable liposuction machine. I was quite sad when I gave up BF after 13 months and actually had to start watching what I ate.

I lost weight at the start of bfing (lost 2 stone of baby weight in the first few weeks) but then gradually piled a stone back on again over the next 6 months.

Lost it again by doing the Neris & India diet when I stopped at 7 months. I'd got into some very bad biscuit related habits. Fun though!

with dd i was 55 kilos getting preg and put on about 20 kilos while preg, lost 5 after birth and another 5 dropped off over the next 9 months, at which point i got knocked up again while still bf-ing. piled on wieght with that preg and ended up weighing over 80 kilos after the birth (stopped weighing myslef while preg!) it took me 21 months to get down to 65 kilos and then i lost another 5 very quickly in the first trimester of this preg as i was puking loads, couldn't eat and am still bf-ing to boot.

so i dunno, i definitely didn't have it fall off like you're supposed to but i've also never dieted as such while bf-ing, only tried to reduce evening snacking and eating too much junk.

i eat an awful lot more since having my babies, i was always a very light eater whereas now i eat more than dp so considering more is going in, i'm not actively dieting to lose and it is gradually coming off then i guess bf-ing does help you lose it... i think

Lose while pg, put it on at the start of bf with all 4 due to eating lots of rubbish. This time went on Slimming World at 4 months and have lost lots

I put on three stone during pregnancy (maybe more, I stopped weighing myself in the last few weeks as I couldn't see the dial any more!)

Lost about a stone straight away and then put most of it back on over the next few weeks due to raging hunger, cake consumption and extreme laziness tiredness.

DS is nearly 8 months now, still breastfeeding A LOT and I still have just over a stone left to lose but it is gradually going due to cutting down on cake and walking lots. My aim is to be pre-baby weight by Christmas...

First time - didn't lose weight especially, took me a year to get back to pre-preg weight.

Second time - weight dropped off for some reason - by about 3 months I weighed less than I had for 10 years! DD2 must be a greedy guzzler!

For me, bfing is the best weight loss programme I've ever done, the weight fell off and I was back to pre-pg size (I don't weigh myself) by about 3 months. I ate all the rubbish as well, I found it very hard to eat proper meals. But I also think it's due to change in activity levels - I went from a reasonably sedentary office job (i.e. sitting on my arse 5 days a week) to doing a lot of walking, carrying, and up and down stairs with all the washing.

I stopped bfing at 10 months; when I went back to work after 11 months I was the slimmest I've been since school.