Anyone put off of breastfeeding as it can actually slow weightloss?

[Cheekychops84]

hello I've had 2 breastfes babies in the past and I was planning to breastfeed this one however after reading up on breastfeeding I realise now this may b y I never managed to shed the baby weight? It states whilst breastfeeding your body clings onto fat stores thus not loosing much weight until after weaning? And the fact u still need extra calories to keep up your supply?

This is now putting me off as I think after baby is born I really jus want this weight gone ! I know breastfeeding has so many benefits but I will his be miserable knowing it's keeping me fat ?

Well for me it was definitely the opposite, the extra calories needed for bf meant that I could carry on eating cake while the 4+ stone I gained in pregnancy just sort of fell off without me dieting at all. Or exercising much.

But everyone's different. How did your body respond to bf the last 2 babies? That may be a better indicator of what will happen than something you read.

But it's not for your weight loss, it's for your baby

I don't mean to sound judgmental - really. I just can't understand this as a reason for not breastfeeding if you're able, and normally would do.

As I have met women who didn't breastfeed because they wanted to wear their "pretty bras" as soon as possible (I kid you not!) it doesn't surprise me to hear that another woman is concerned about her figure.

As another poster pointed out, breastfeeding means you can eat those treats without putting on weight, and I found that once I weaned the weight fell off.

Are you sure there isn't another reason why you're not losing weight? Perhaps you just need to eat a healthier more balanced diet and do a bit of exercise?

Yes I know it's for my baby but I'm worried the extra weight I'm actually v big now have gained nrly 2 stone am 35 weeks but I have been much better this time around :) but I dnt want to get pnd cause after 6 months I'm still where I was after birth ?

i lost nearly all my baby weight when i breastfed wthout even trying. that sounds like i'm bragging but i don't mean too, everyone i know who has breastfed says that it has helped them shed their baby weight rather than making it harder to shift.

The only part that makes you retain fat is eating more calories than you use. You can diet and bf, you don't need extra food for your supply although you use extra calories whilst bf.

Some women find it makes them more hungry or gives them a craving for sweet stuff, mind you sleep deprivation can Di this too:)

I breastfed and only lost a stone of the 2 stone I gained because I only really ate healthily for about 4 weeks then kept eating cakes and snacking as I was tired and hungry.
I lost a bit more weight after I stopped breastfeeding as it coincided with the baby sleeping longer and therefore me being less tired and I exercised more.

I'm won't let that put me off. I just know I need to try harder this time to stop snacking.

I don't think its really the breastfeeding itself though may be wrong.

I do exercise as much as I can I have a really physical job and walk At 2 miles every other day I think I retain a lot of water or something ?

Thanks for your comments on this subject I will give it a go again an see how I go .

I think you should try breastfeeding if you can and track your calories (allowing for bfing of course) and I'm sure you'll lose weight. If you don't then reassess.

It's hard to compare because if you do one you haven't done the other.
Wouldn't stop me breastfeeding though as it's a small part of my life and I can worry about my weight later.
I'm always going to be heavier at 31 after dc4 though than I was at 21 when I got pregnant with dc1 as my body shape is completely different.

Breast feeding keeps me fat.

It's one of those things - I don't really put on excess weight when pregnant and go straight back into pre preg clothes but for as long as I BF I have a stubborn roll round my middle.

When I stop it goes.

Try and think how good it is for your baby though

I don't see baby weight at fatness, it doesn't really count. i've always been weight conscious but after I had DS I didn't care because I had him with me all the time so everyone that saw me knew it was baby weight.

No problems for me. Dd1 was ff after 3 weeks and I just ballooned. Lost it all after watching what I ate
Dd2 is 4mo and bf, I'm down to the weight I was before having dd1, and I'm eating like a bloody pig I tell you!

When I stopped bf it all fell off along with my wonderful Jordan-esque busoms!

I'm interested in where you got this information.

On a personal note I always found that I lost most extra weight quickly while breastfeeding, then plateaued and lost lots more once they reached 5/6 months (they didn't cut down on feeds at this point and really weren't into solids).

AFAIK it can also depend on weight before getting pregnant - slim women tend to lose quickly where as 'bigger' women tend to not lose, and sometimes put on, weight while BF. It seems to be very much downto the individual.

The key with BF and weightloss IMO/E is a) drink loads of water b) really listen to your body telling you when it's hungry - eat when you are starving hungry and don't when you aren't. The danger is that you get into the habit of hot chocolate and a muffin every morning when bf, and then carry on eating it when you stop. The upside is that if you've had slightly unhealthy eating habits before pg, the experience of actual hunger when bf can enable you to train yourself out of habit-eating, which sets you up for healthy eating for the rest of your life.

Thanks Im glad I'm not the only one was thinking I must have been imagining it but I remember with my 2nd I jus couldn't understand y the weight wouldn't go? And I still didn't really loose it but I spose that's y they say once u have kids that's it u loose ur body ha ha I'm
Not bothered by my shape as I too had my first at 21 I'm now 28 so my body isn't going to be perfect and never will despite any dieting ! I'm jus worried as I'm now at my biggest that I have ever been that I will at least loose some of that quite easily [sceptical]

librarians that is interesting.

Pre preg I am a size 10 but tend to go up half a size post baby so some of my clothes are snug on my stomach.

That middle flab is stubborn until the day I stop and then it disappears virtually overnight.

Everyone is different

Hi librarians I get my information from other threads/forums and I guess not everyone is same some will loose some won't as u can see on here not everyone actually lost weight whilst breastfeeding?

I feel the opposite to you op, I believe bf'ing really helped shed the last few pounds and I was back to my pre baby weight a few weeks after giving birth.

It's also a great excuse for sitting around in your pjs watching tv and eating what you want when you want.

I also liked being able to say to the DC I couldn't help with x y z because I was feeding so go and find your dad

My experience was the same as librarians. I lost loads of baby weight quite quickly to start with while breastfeeding, and then it stabilised for a bit (but I didn't care as I actually had a much more positive body image than ever before - I felt that my amazing body had carried a beautiful growing baby and was still feeding the baby all by itself!)

I lost a load more weight at around 5-6 months and became a size 10 again. The baby was still feeding loads at that point. I wonder if some women connect losing the last bit of weight with stopping bf because lots of women tend to give up bf at about this stage.