Dizzy spells when breastfeeding

[PRoseLegend]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone else has had dizzy spells when breastfeeding, particularly at night?
I'm 7 weeks postpartum, I did have a Post Partum Haemmorage but my iron levels are back to normal now.
I've tried to counteract the dizziness with drinking water at every feed, and making sure I have some healthy snacks on hand to boost my blood sugar levels.
Any other ideas or suggestions?

Ditch the healthy snacks and eat as much cake and biscuits as you can . But seriously, I think many people underestimate the calories you need to successfully ebf.

I developed vestibular migraine after giving birth. It may easily not be that but just throwing it out there as it took me 8 weeks to diagnose it. No pain, just dizziness and never any migraine symptoms previously.

Eat more. I used to have a 6-pack of Mars bars by my bed.

Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? If not it may be worth having that looked into. And same with iron levels - you say they are normal now but when was it checked?
Agree with pp, make sure you eat plenty

Blood pressure has always been on the low side. Had it tested on the weekend, it was normal.

I'm due for a blood test this week, but I've been taking iron supplements since the birth.

When you say "eat more", just how much exactly should I be eating? I'm having normal meals but also snacking in between on things like fruit, nuts, muesli bars, and the occasional pieces of chocolate too.
I have no issues with supply, I actually have oversupply and fast letdown, so I assumed my eating must be fine?

I used to get this. I think it was an oxytocin rush. Not sure everyone feels the physical symptoms of it but some people are just particularly sensitive I think. You should obviously speak to a medical professional but it could just be that. If so, it wears off

Cake. Shit loads of cake. Quickest way to get calories in.

Healthy snacks are not actually healthy right now. The nutritional needs of a nursing mother go complete against everything we assume for other adults.

Eat the cake.

I felt incredible nausea and dizziness when I was feeding my newborn, no other issues only thing that resolved it for me was too eat something with a big flavour, while feeding and time. It's too do with the hormone and if you arer over supplying it could be that is over supplied too

They say you need 500 more calories a day.

Drink even more water, seriously! Are you sitting in a way that's interfering with how you are breathing causing dizziness? I had terrible trouble after my second with shortness of breath etc. My diaphragm had gone into spasm, not pleasant!

I am having exactly the same problem, it feels like I am missing something but at the same time feel a bit of a rush. The oxytocin rush mentioned above sounds interesting and I wonder if that is the problem. I am also trying to not eat so much sweet stuff!

I found 200g of dairy milk over the day, plus perhaps an extra bowl of cereal in the night (with sugar and full fat milk) did me, particularly in early days. Still bf at 2 years and lighter than pre baby despite this diet. Appreciate I’m probably lucky to a certain extent.

I lost too much weight while bf my first, the advisor at the bf group told me to forget all the normal healthy eating rules and go for full fat everything. So real butter, full fat yoghurt, avocado instead of apple... And I ate a chocolate muffin or slice of cake every day which is not like me at all, I don't really like cake when not breastfeeding!

Thanks for your responses guys.
I'm due to have another blood test this week, and I'm trying to make sure I eat and drink something each time I feed.
Vestibular migraine does sound like a possibility, although I have had an actual migraine the past few days :( glad I can take ibuprofen again!

If it is vestibular migraine you won’t get much help at your gp and it won’t show on a blood test, it’s more a diagnosis of exclusion. Def go to rule out everything else tho and check for any deficiencies. Drink plenty of water, lots of full fat foods and not too much sugar if you suspect this. Sugar doesn’t help my migraines at all. Salt does funnily enough. Enough that I actually take some with water a few times a day crazy as it sounds.

Are you counting calories OP? I think in the early weeks you need to eat a lot and not worry about calories for now

I'm not "counting calories" and I never have counted calories, I'm just eating my usual 3 meals a day and some small snacks in between e-g at night I'll have a muesli bar or some nuts, mid afternoon i'll have some fruit or chocolate etc

I was just enquiring if you were PRose. No offence meant.

None taken :)

I agree with the cake suggestions! Basically ate at the same time as each feed and more in between, definitely felt dizzy if I didn't.
Hope you feel better soon.

Hugely. For me it was dehydration and low blood sugar