Breastfeeding - fatigue

[cpat122]

Has anyone given up breastfeeding and found their energy levels increased? I can't decipher if low energy levels are due to feeding or just general tiredness. I don't think there's adequate info out there on nutrition etc and depletion with bf. Thank you!

No I haven’t but having had one bf baby and one ff baby I can say I was equally exhausted with both of them.

How old is your baby?

I found energy levels generally improved as DC got older, initially as I recovered from the birth/haemorrhage I had, and then as they started sleeping better etc. I don't remember any specific improvement from stopping breastfeeding.

I definitely felt more energetic and nimble after I stopped. Baby was 1 at that time, so easier than a newborn or younger baby.

I think that's just having a baby, isn't it? Not down-playing how you feel, I have a 3w old baby and I'm EXHAUSTED lol

But I'm pretty sure it'd be the same however I fed him - if anything it's the nighttime nappy changes that are tiring me out more than BF as I have to get out of bed - don't think I could face trekking down to the kitchen to get formula too

Thanks all. I feel general advice your given if you mention you're tired is to stop bf. Any difference with move to solids? Anyone combi feed and find a change?

But also given the calories burned by body it must take some sort of toll when already depleted.

I think they say you only need to eat 200-300 extra calories when BF, I read that somewhere. It's really not that much. Like a small cheese sandwich. You're probably more tired from lack of sleep.

Eat and drink more and take vitamins... I'm EBF'ing my 6 week old and feel a lot better being more proactive with this the last few days. How old is your baby?

It won’t be a calorie deficiency unless you’re on a low calorie diet anyway. It could be a mineral or vitamin deficiency- make sure you are taking a supplement if that’s a risk.

I found that’s my energy levels improved when I didn’t have a tiny screaming person waking me up to bf through the night! The exhaustion is cumulative.

I tried to switch to combi feeding but my kids weren’t having any of it - I tried lots of different bottles. But they wanted to bf, and I wasn’t prepared to starve either of them into submission to a bottle the didn’t enjoy (they didn’t like expressed milk either).

Taking a brisk walk in fresh air every day might help with energy levels.

I felt like that @cpat122. Like I couldn't keep my eyes open when breastfeeding. I think it's a hormonal response which affects some of us more than others. I also had supply issues though, so moved to combifeeding for that reason.

Baby is 3 months, must make effort more to get for walks, it's a vicious cycle of tiredness! I do think your right on hormonal part, apparently it's low estrogen can put you into a menopausal state (stand to corrected here!) which I imagine impacts too.

Ive been combi feeding and it worked out so well for me. Best of both worlds really. Bfeeding in the morning and evening, bottles during the day.
My baby is 5 months now and I am currently waiting on my milk to dry up. I've found I'm just not enjoying it any more, particularly since I got a tummy bug a few weeks ago. I felt so weak trying to breastfeed while ill. I've come down with another virus this week and I've just decided to bottle feed from now on. Baby is also mostly sleeping through the night now so it feels like the right time 😊

I have no point of comparison as I only breastfed, but I wouldn't say it seemed particularly linked. It's more that once each of the kids were weaned , there were fewer night wakings and by a year old they only breastfed during the day. I stopped feeding the last when she was three, to much resistance, and didn't really feel any different.

@Mystro202 that's sounds amazing at 5 m. May I ask how you prepare the bottles (sorry if that sounds ridiculous) but every time I go to give a bottle it's takes too long to prep , baby gets hysterical and I just end up bf.

Cpat122 oh the demanding breastfed baby! They are not used to waiting round!! I actually have one of the prep machines
I got it fairly cheaply on marketplace (just needed to buy a new filter) not thinking I would use it too often but if has come in really handy. I am in the habit of boiling the kettle often too as my lo likes it a bit warmer than the prep machine makes it.