Can't stop losing weight

[bluebellaa]

Hi all,

Prior to having DS, I was an amateur bodybuilder and weighed 57kg when I found out I was pregnant. I didn't eat particularly well during the beginning of pregnancy due to nausea and so gained perhaps more body fat than I could have. After having DS I returned to pre-pregnancy weight within three months, however since then (he is now six months), I have continued dropping weight to a point that I am now regarded as underweight and it's showing no signs of stopping. I am losing approximately half a kilo per week still despite being under 50kg.

I am breastfeeding and DS has CMPA and so I've had to cut out dairy, which I used to consume a lot of. I will eat a whole (vegan) chocolate bar or a whole batch of homemade baked treats most days, on top of normal food, and it's not helping at all. I don't exercise at all other than a walk around the block with DS and lead a sedentary lifestyle compared to before.

I know breastfeeding is relatively demanding but I am eating way more than an extra 400 calories a day to compensate. My OH has hugged me on a couple of occasions recently and exclaimed "are those your ribs!?" or "is that your hip!?" because I've lost that much weight. I'm really becoming scared that I'm not going to be able to feed DS sooner or later and I don't know what to do.

Have you had your thyroid checked? GP should be your first port of call as losing weight could indicate overactive thyroid or a range of other things to be rules out.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Thyroid problems can pop up after pregnancy and hyperthyroidism can cause weight loss.

Hope you get it figured out soon ❤️

Thank you both.

I haven't been tested yet, my GP said I had to keep a food diary for six weeks before they'd investigate because they said they're not suspecting hyperthyroidism based on the questions they asked me. Given their first answer was "have you considered weaning onto solids so you don't have to breastfeed anymore", you can imagine the support.

@bluebellaa that's ridiculous! Maybe contact the GP again and say you're worried about the unexpected weight loss, and don't mention anything about breastfeeding. Unexpected weight loss is a warning sign, breastfeeding or not. And I'm sure most breastfeeding women will tell you that losing weight during breastfeeding is a myth- I'm one of those who gained more weight breastfeeding than being pregnant! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I lost a lot of weight breast feeding. Not in the early days - my body clung to every calorie - but post the 8 month mark it just kept dropping and dropping. I was also dairy free due to CMPA. We started the milk ladder at 12 months, initially with me eating dairy, and my weight slowly crept up after a couple of months. I think some of my weight loss was due to him feeding so much at night. He was still waking to feed every two hours and once we got it down to one feed a night, that also had a big impact on my own weight. I think it’s sensible to get yourself checked out in case there’s anything else going on though.

Get yourself some high-calorie nutritional supplement shakes in the meantime as well as getting a thyroid check, or make your own vegan ones with avocado, nut butter etc mixed in.

DS also feeds A LOT at night (I've wondered whether the lack of consistent/deep sleep is contributing). How old was DS when feeds began to reduce, and what did the process look like (did you do anything to intervene or was it a natural reduction)? I do feel like I'm never going to get more than 2 hours sleep ever again.

Could be overactive thyroid, do you have racing heart/anxiety?

@astronewt I already eat spoonfuls of nut butter out of the jar throughout the day just to try and increase my calorie intake. With the amount of homemade baked stuff I'm eating too I'm already getting around 3,000 calories.

That's worrying, and does sound as though there may be something else going on than high calorie burn in pregnancy.

I hear you that you don't want to stop breastfeeding for the sake of your DC, but if your weight continues to drop, you may need to consider it; it won't help your DC if your health ends up being seriously affected, and unless something else obvious is found, any sensible doctor will want to exclude breastfeeding as a cause of the weight loss, and they can only do that by you tapering down or stopping.

I breastfed and for me it didn't lead to me loosing weight. I've always been very slim about 7st I gained 3 stone whilst pregnant but it wasn't until the breastfeeding really cut back at about 18 months that I went back to my usual weight. I think I was feeding a lot so ate more and gradually as I fed less I ate less as I wasn't hungry. Do you have any other symptoms that might indicate thyroid issues? I had my blood tested after feeling really unwell for 6 weeks after an infection, I was really tired and shaky and felt like my heart was racing. I was tested but was on the border of an over active thyroid but still in the normal range. I would make another appointment with a different doctor for a second opinion.

I couldn’t stop losing weight after my first child was born. I ate like a pig but got down to 129lbs (for reference I’m currently around 150lbs and don’t look overweight I think). It eventually settled down prob when the baby was about one. But I enjoyed eating what I liked! Are you eating high calorie foods like a big bowl of porridge made with vegan milk and banana and honey?