Weight gain breastfeeding

[Rbear9]

Hi all,

My baby is nearly 8 months old and is breastfed alongside solids. I fought incredibly hard to breastfeed exclusively and I was triple feeding for a while so to get this far is a huge achievement! I’m a huge advocate for breastfeeding and the many benefits of it for baby.

However, I’ve gained so much weight breastfeeding, I’m feeling absolutely horrified with my body. I’m heavier now than the day I gave birth and I wasn’t ever slim. Rationally, I know that prolactin is likely playing a part but I also find I’m so hungry I could just eat and eat, I wake up so hungry I feel sick.

Lately I’ve been thinking about weaning myself baby, even though I love breastfeeding and I know it’s the best thing, because I simply cannot lose weight and any time I try my milk supply drops. I really just want some advice from other mums and what did you do? Part of me wants to power through to a year because then we won’t have to use formula and can continue feeding through the night easily/co-sleeping with ease and feedings are convenient wherever we are. But another part of me wants to stop so that I can get my body back and finally start losing weight without guilt.

I feel so conflicted, I don’t want to stop but I do want my body back and to lose some of the fat I’ve stored! I used to be very active and go to the gym but I haven’t been able to go because I have a koala baby. My baby only sleeps on me and contact naps so time for workouts is limited as I do household jobs in the day, play and then go to bed with my little one.

When did you know it was the right time to wean? What did you do about breastfeeding weight gain?

Thank you!

Hey I’m also someone who struggles to lose weight breastfeeding. With my first 2 babies I really struggled to lose weight while breastfeeding then once I stopped I found I was able to as appetite went down and I calorie counted/gym/walked more.
it’s totally up to you when you decide to wean, whenever you feel you an baby are ready.
I think personally I’m going to breastfeed another month and then stop as I originally said I wanted to do 6 months
Did you have a rough time frame in your head?

I was reed thin when I breastfed. It’s funny how it affects us differently.

I did it for a year with each and didn’t mix feed. It helped that I didn’t have an increased appetite so didn’t eat extra calories and obviously there were no wine calories (my usual downfall), despite feeding a ravenous sumo wrestler with my first. He got fatter and fatter and I got thinner and thinner.

This was me too OP, I really struggled to feed her and ended up breastfeeding, pumping and feeding that then topping up with formula per feed. By 5/6 months I was producing only a few mls when pumping so it stopped being worth breastfeeding at all so the conclusion to it was a bit more obvious for me. It was relatively easy to lose a good few kg after I stopped. I never stopped needing to eat when breastfeeding

The act of breastfeeding does burn less calories as time goes on. It doesn’t make you physically put weight on though although as you say it can be time limiting. I found though that the first few months I was slinging anything I wanted into the trolley and when I was sat down feeding I was just eating way too much. I noticed my weight and I started being stricter with bringing less crap into the house. I wasn’t on a diet or anything but I had to stop having so much sugar.
Weight is mainly diet and then exercise second so I didn’t worry too much about that- but I did go for walks with the pram or buggy as much as I could. I know it’s freezing at the moment but I found a walk in the crisp winter air could be really good.
You could also do couch 2 5k as it’s 30 mins slots so much quicker then going to a gym and worrying about leaving the baby for too long.

It took me til my baby was about a year old or so? To loose the weight I’d gained in pregnancy which was about 3 stone. With my first baby it took 9 months but I didn’t have such bad snacking habits with that one! I Bf both of them until they were about 3.

Another idea - if you’re waking up and feeling like that I’d get your iron levels checked. Are you taking vitamin D too? I wouldn’t assume those feelings are necessarily from BF.

I think the weaning question is difficult as it’s so personal and has to be entirely your choice. Whatever you choose to do is totally valid.

Regarding weight loss, I wonder whether you could lean into the koala baby thing and turn the contact naps into walking naps, with baby in a sling?

My third baby is 9 months old and has had pretty much all naps in the sling, partly because I like using it and partly out of necessity as the youngest. It means I do about 20,000 steps a day. I am also very hungry when breastfeeding - baby still BF and older two went beyond a year - but I have managed to get back to or below my usual weight after each pregnancy. I think it’s the activity offsetting the BF, rather than BF causing weight loss if that makes sense? It could be something to consider if you wanted to continue feeding.

I’m having the exact same issue. My son turned 1 a few weeks ago and is exclusively breastfed, I never planned to BF for this long but he refused formula and bottles from 3 months. How often does your baby BF in a day? You don’t necessarily have to completely stop if you’re not ready to you can just replace one feed to start with. I’ve put on just over 2 stone since having my son and even after a year I’m so unhappy with my appearance. My son is very much a mummy’s boy so I don’t get any breaks or me time for anything

Ideally I wanted to get to a year, which is realistically only on 4 months. I’m just so unhappy with my appearance at the moment. I’ve spoken to my mum and she is going to have my little one so I can get back to the gym. I’m also going to set time with my husband for him to have bubba each weekend where neither of us plans anything so it can be a non negotiable for me to go to the gym! I’m hoping that will help me start to feel a bit better and not to want to eat chocolate etc.

Oh I so understand. Mine will take a bottle and formula but I just don’t want the expense and inconvenience honestly! Now we’ve got into such a great rhythm with breastfeeding it is easy now, it’s just how I feel about myself. I’ve gained over a stone and my little one is the same - she is a proper koala and just wants to be on me all the time, which most of the time I love! But I’m starting to need some time to put energy back into me. It’s so hard because people say “just put the baby down” she sobs and I’m not doing that. I do wear her quite a bit and have mastered doing things one handed but it isn’t always easy! I’ve got no idea how much she feeds because she’s fed on demand and a boob solves everything lol

This happened to me with DS1, and I dropped it when I stopped feeding him. I had a theory my body was holding onto fat to make milk?! Could be a load of rubbish. Didn’t happen to me the second time with a less hungry baby, I did lose weight that time. I’d just feed til you want to- 4 months in the grand scheme of things I promise isn’t that long- then worry about it afterwards. It might at least partially sort itself out when you stop!

Waking up feeling very hungry can be dehydration playing tricks on you (I'm so so thirsty all night after BF overnight).

Try a warm milky tea first thing in bed, and see if you're still hungry 5min later.

You are right - it’s the hormone prolactin! I know the science of it and the practicality of it, I’m just feeling frustrated I think. You’re right though, 4 months really isn’t that long, I can deal with it then ❤️ thank you.

Thats great your putting a plan in place to have set times to go to the gym with family helping. I always find when I go to gym it makes me want to eat better too.
I’m also personally trying to walk more too, even just adding in a 30 min walk each day will help burn fat.

I agree though it can definitely be hormones making things harder for some of us.

Im going to stop breastfeeding in the next few weeks I think or at least cut down, so il report back how I get on. Want to lose 23 lbs in the next 4-5 months
How much are you wanting to lose?

I have no idea how much he feeds either, and I’m the same I can’t just put him down and let him cry I’m not made that way. I’ve found breastfeeding makes me hungrier so I’m eating more but I also have pcos so my hormones do play a part in my weight. I’m going to start dropping his feeds and see how he responds