Weight loss injections or breastfeeding?

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Hello,

Title says it really - I’m a size 18, in my 30s and everything aches. I really need to lose weight and I know it.

The complicating factor is I have a 10 month old, who is breastfed and we’ve got on with that amazingly (super lucky I know!). It works for both of us and is such a nice bond. He is also fed overnight as we co-sleep.

Prior to a complicated pregnancy/pelvic floor birth destruction I was fat, but active - HIIT/running/swimming 3-4x a week (although I won’t pretend I could keep up with a lot of super fit people in the class, but was happy with my progress). I’m finding exercise difficult due to ongoing incontinence (I’m working with a physio and it is slowly improving).

I know some people feel breastfeeding helps with weight loss, but for me it’s been the opposite - so hungry all the time. Holding onto weight rather than losing it due to the large volumes of food I want to eat.

Im considering a weight loss drug, but obviously I couldn’t breastfeed with this. I feel really torn - should I stop and focus on me, or should I suck it up, try my best with healthy choices at the moment and put off injections for a few months (you could argue what is a few months compared to years?!)

I guess I feel a) selfish about considering it when breastfeeding is working so well for us both, b) sad about stopping feeding and c) fed up with being very fat and achey!

advice/opinions gratefully received x

Couple more months and you can stop bf and do the injections. Not long to go, just hang in there until it’s time and you can concentrate on losing the weight properly without guilt.

I would keep going until you can just wean onto cows milk (if you even want to give him milk in a cup or bottle). I would definitely not start the inconvenience of bottle feeding when you’re so close to done!
I would start to disassociate breastfeeding from falling asleep though. I found once my baby slept through and I wasn’t feeding overnight any more I felt less hungry too.

Breastfeeding had the same effect on me, it made me absolutely ravenous. If you can hold on for another few months, you might find it easier to stop breastfeeding or that your baby might stop on their own. Both mine stopped at around 15 to 18 months without any encouragement from me.

Yes - I think you are all probably right and to wait a few more months. I tried giving a bottle instead of breastfeeding (husband is a shift worker so he couldn’t do it) and it just ended up with us both sobbing! I’m also going back to work in a month so I guess waiting for a few more months makes sense. I’m just a very impatient person and a bit sick of my weight limiting me a bit (definitely can’t be as active as I normally would) - but good advice all! Thanks x