Q&A: Nursing and weight loss

Heather writes:

"Do nursing moms really lose weight just by nursing or does that only happen to Hollywood moms? I eat like a health nut and chase two kids yet 9 months later I am gaining weight. WHY?????"

Well, I hate to say it, but not everyone loses weight while nursing. I think most people lose the baby weight over time (9-12 months), but some women seem to hold on to an extra 5-10 pounds until the baby stops nursing. I have no idea why--it's probably just genetics.

If, however, you're actually *gaining* weight a few months out post-partum, and you are being honest about your diet, then I'd 1) pee on a stick, 2) look at how much sleep you're getting, because lack of sleep causes weight gain, and 3) go to your doctor and get your hormones levels checked. Wacky hormones and your thyroid can cause weight gain, depression, sluggishness, etc.

Anecdotal stories of breastfeeding and weight loss? How long did it take you to lose the baby weight? Did you ever lose it? Did you lose more?

Comments

[Anna]

My experience was a little backwards. I had a horrifyingly huge supply and breastfeeding was the magic bullet for me that people talk about. I lost everything and more within a couple months. BUT, I then spent the next year and a half getting used to eating pastries and cheese with abandon. So I slowly, nearly imperceptibly, started gaining again when my daughter started eating solids. It was disconcerting--I thought I had it made after I lost the pregnancy weight so quickly!

[sfsaf]

I was 150 when I got pregnant. Gained 35 pounds during my pregnancy. Lost 35 pounds within the first few months. Dropped down another 20 pounds in the months after that. I nursed on demand for 5 months and then went back to work and started pumping. Shortly after that, I went back up to 150 which is where I remain having just ended 2x a day nursing at my son's 2nd birthday.

The thing that I attribute my dramatic weight loss to was not so much the nursing. It was the fact that I wasn't eating anything because I was so whacked out on hormones and sleeplessness. When I finally went back to work I had time to eat again. I also have not exercised at all. So I am back at my pre-pregnancy weight but my body looks totally different post-pregnancy.

[liz]

I'd like to reiterate that even if you lose the baby weight, your body may not be the same shape and you may not fit into the clothes you had pre-pregnancy.

Please do not let this be something you beat yourself up about. You've just had your organs shifted around, you've had an entire person INSIDE YOU. That is amazing. Your body is probably going to show that.

[Sherry]

Good lord -- my experience was EXACTLY sfsaf's -- down to the EXACT weight. How weird. And yes, it was about stress, hormones, and sleeplessness. Except when I started pumping, I pretty much lost all milk supply. I continued pumping until daughter was 14 months old, but I was getting almost nothing. Daughter finally turned her nose up at my salty, bitter milk -- which I've read can happen when your supply is so low. I attributed the low supply to stress, weight loss, and Wellbutrin. So what I'm trying to say is ... I wouldn't worry too much about losing weight while nursing, if nursing is important to you.

[yes I know I'm lucky]

I gained 40+ pounds during each pregnancy. I nursed my son for 4 months. I lost all the baby weight in that time. And I ate like a pig, but it was because of that crazy nursing hunger. I wanted FOOD!

It took 6 months to lose all the weight I gained with my last pregnancy. I'm still nursing my 7-month old daughter. I plan on nursing for a long time with her because 1) this is my last baby 2) nursing & pumping at work are just so much easier with her than it was with my son and 3) I'm vain. There I said it! Its so easy for me to keep my weight down while nursing and I get to eat all time! I only half joke that I want to nurse her until she's 10.

Of course, my body is completely different. But I'm happy with it. I have the huge HUGE boobs from nursing (32H anyone? I'll be happy when those are gone). My small waist is now gone, but so is the huge butt I used to have. I mean big ol butt. Clothes fit so much better now. And my hips are smaller. I used the Srinkx belt this last time and it really really worked.

[stephanie]

My son is now 26 months old I am juuuuuust about 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I gained 45 pounds. It took me over 2 years to lose 30 pounds even though I dieted and exercised like crazy. No hormone issues. Nothing out of whack. My body was just all about being fat. And even though I am now only 10 pounds away from where I was before I got pregnant, my body looks completely foreign to me.

I think we breastfed for about 8 months total before the girls crapped out. So I don't think that had anything to do with it for me.

[dcfullest]

I lost 10 lbs my first tri, gained 25 in the next two. Lost 35 in the first month-- some nursing, mainly pumping, eating mainly healthy, with a few too many snacks. (I figured, I "needed" the cookies for fuel :)!)
Got back in my pants about 6 weeks after giving birth-- cause my weight might have been lower, but my gut was bigger. Weigh 20 lbs less than I did when I got pregnant, but still wear the same size. Still overweight though.

[Sharon @proactiveparenting]

It's been a while since I posted ladies, I've missed it. Reading today's post has helped me understand what happened to me 28 years ago. I gained 25 lbs with both kids. I lost 20 lbs at birth with both kids. With taller my second, I kept loosing. I lost about 10 more lbs during his 1st yr of life. Which at the time I thought was great, I didn't give it a second thought. For me I was skinny and figured pregnancy agreed with me and benefited me.

Now as I'm reading this you guys keep mentioning sleep deprivation and I had an aha!

I never really slept during the 1st yr of taller's life, not really. Taller slept for 20 minutes at a time for 10 looong months. That was due to health issues that required we address every sound to make sure he was breathing. He would wake, I would go in to make sure he was okay, that would disturb his sleep and I would have to begin again. This went on and on.
Even after that had been resolved I was too scared to let him find his own sleep pattern so I never slept more than 20-30 minutes at a stretch. Now I see how I lost weight.

As always another mystery solved on Ask Moxie! Thanks ladies!

[Melissa C]

Two babies, two nurslings, similar experiences:

When into pregnancy overweight for my height. Gained 30-35 pounds during pregnancy. Within the first 6 weeks of nursing about 10-15 pounds just melted away. Another 10 slowly worked off over the next five months. The last 10 did not budge, no matter how honest my diet, unless I was engaged in some sort of exercise routine (working out for 2-3 times a week in half hour sessions, more strength building than actual cardio).
For what it is worth, this was exactly like my OB preached it to me that it would be.

[SarcastiCarrie]

@Cloud, @Charisse - My OB didn't say anything about the Mirena. I liked the idea of no periods (with PCOS, Lybrel, pregnancy and bf, I hadn't had one in a long time and had NO desire to go back). BUT, I spot all the time. I've had it for over 13 months. Every single day I spot. Although, since I weaned, I have had a few days with no spotting at all. Maybe 1 of 4 days I don't spot. Maybe. That would be me being generous to the Mirena. I was so looking forward to my lactational amennorhea that this was quite a bummer. I even had an ultrasound to confirm correct placement (and it is correct). It does nto appear to be irritating my cervix. So, we're looking for something hormonal next. I probably should have gone for the Paraguard. Hindsight and whatnot.

[BlueBirdMama]

My data point: I gained 4-5 lbs while trying to get pregnant, then gained 40 lbs with pregnancy. I EBF'd until 13 mos (DS started solids at 5.5 months). The first 20 lbs I peed and sweated out in the first two to three weeks. After that I lost maybe 5 until 3 months postpartum, at which point I did Weight Watchers and started running again. Weight Watchers for breastfeeding moms is basically 2,000 cal a day-- wouldn't be a diet if you weren't breastfeeding, so it feels like you get to eat a lot, plus they encourage extra dairy and vegetable intake. By the time my son was 6 mos. I had lost a good 15 lbs on WW and I was down to my weight when I got pregnant (which was still about 4-5 lbs over where I wanted to be). After that nothing budged until I stopped nursing at 13 mos, at which point 10 lbs just melted away and I wound up at a lower weight than when I started and have more or less maintained it (w/ healthy eating and exercise).

I know a couple of overweight moms who breastfed a ton and didn't lose an ounce. I really don't think breastfeeding alone works because b'fing also makes you more hungry-- for a lot of us, you just eat more to compensate for the calories the baby is eating. The thing that breastfeeding does give you a huge advantage in calorie burning--it's equivalent to running 5 mi. as long as the baby is only on breast milk, less as solids start to take over. So if you can limit yourself to c. 2000 (healthy well balanced) calories a day (which is basically normal pre-preg intake), b'fing can make things go a lot faster.

[Elizabeth]

With both of my babies, I had an initial weight loss of 20-30ish pounds after delivery, but then it just crept back on! I can't EBF due to low supply, but I nurse 8 times a day on average, and he gets 60-70% of his milk from me. I am hungry all the time, and definitely eat, but I certainly do not feel like my metabolism is running any higher while BFing. I steadily GAIN weight the longer I nurse. This happened with my first daughter too. Just plain crummy. I am already on thyroid after my first birth, so low thyroid isn't it...I usually really enjoy a good mystery, but let me tell you...not this one!

[Jeannie]

I nursed my little one exclusively for about 5 months, then she started on solids and gradually lost interest in nursing - preferred the sippy cup (never did take a bottle, the little imp). Done nursing by just after her first birthday.
Data points: Gained 40 pounds pregnant, had 10 pound baby, was back to before-preg weight after about 4 months, then dipped below for a few months (my kid was huge - and hungry!), and now that's she's 2 1/2 I'm about where I was before pregnant - maybe just a little saggier. Oh - and I'm on my 3rd different set of bras since baby - these boobs are all OVER the place!
My 2 cents - its genetics. Nursing helps, and walking a ton was probably a big part of my fast weight loss, but some people just bounce back faster. I think its the luck of the draw.

[Becky]

I gained between 25 and 30 pounds for both pregnancies (thanks extended morning sickness!) I lost around 15 by 3 months pp, another 5 or so 6 months pp, the rest of it was gone by 9 months pp and then I went down a couple more pounds after that. I didn't watch what I ate at all and ate vast quantities in the 5-7 month stretch.

[regiemino]

I'm like Moxie suggested - my body always held on to 5-10 extra pounds until I weaned. I gained 40, 45, 35 lbs with each of my three pregnancies and I'm naturally pretty thin. I always lost about 5 lbs in the week or two after weaning (12-14 months each). After weaning my third, I was about 8 lbs above pre-pregnancy (the first pregnancy). So I started running again (after 7 years of body-sharing) and lost about 5 more lbs, then stabilized. I'm never going to see 124 lbs again, but I look good! (sucking stomach in)

[C]

@charisse...I'll tell you the truth, she didn't really mention the Paragard, and I had sort of leaned toward the Mirena from my own research, so it didn't come up. I said "no mini-pill", she said, "what about a Mirena?", I said, let's do it. That was more or less how it went.

[Amanda]

I was overweight when I got pregnant and only gained (a very healthy) 17lbs. I was 5lbs BELOW my pre pregnancy weight at 8 weeks post. Now after being mom to a high needs, nurse around the clock 6 month old I'm 20lbs below my pre pregnancy weight. Motherhood has been the best diet ever!

[Erin]

My experiences are more in the middle. I gained about 30 lbs with my first pregnancy and felt like the weight just melted off for the first three months of EBF. (Not that all of it dropped off, just that I was steadily losing weight - probably twenty pounds that summer.) I was starving while initially BF and ate alot and never worried about losing weight. I only exercised via activities with the baby (ie, walking to soothe). I didn't look skinny though, I had a belly and scary-huge boobs, had to buy new pants, etc. But I would say by around 9-12 months I had lost all but the last 5 pounds, and I had no intention of losing it since I'd been too skinny before pregnancy. I also gained weight when I weaned and then lost it again fairly quickly (but this time through some effort - more walking with a toddler on my back and by cutting back on fatty stuff). When I got pregnant again (DS was 15 months old), I was happily 5 lbs over my last pregnancy weight. My body didn't look the "same" as before, though - but I didn't care, either.

I wonder if there's any correlation between women who lost weight quickly/easily while BF and women who had delayed return of periods due to BF.

[Sarah]

I was about 10 pounds overweight when I got pregnant. I gained about 30 pounds during pregnancy. Baby was 8 and a half pounds at birth, as we nursed until he was 21 months old. I was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight when my son was about 9 months old. I lost another 10 pounds by the time he turned one, and was feeling quite pleased with myself. I was still eating what I wanted (but heathily) and active but not exercising.

However, I then managed to gain 20 pounds in the next 6 months. I've since started actively exercising and counting calories, but it is slow to drop the weight. Figuring out a way to exercise and work full time and be a parent is hard for me. I miss the metabolism I had in my 20s!

[Alice]

In my experience NONE of my weight moved from number 1 until after I STOPPED breastfeeding. I mean, I dropped 17 lbs when she came out and not a single thing for 10 months. Then 6 months after I stopped feeding I was back to normal (ish). It's a family trait. I wish my mum had told me while I was pregnant then I wouldn't have piled on the weight!

Having said that, I just had number 2 3 weeks ago and I piled the weight on again. And am still eating. I like the idea of eating whenever you want as long as it's healthy and real and only until full. Maybe I should get rid of the chocolate I bought today?

[Nancy]

Those early weeks/months are a blur, but I lost all my pregnancy weight, plus another 15 within the first 2-3 months (I honestly don't remember, but it seemed really, really fast to me). I was significantly overweight to start with, and had twins, so YMMV. I've gained about 20 back in the last 2.5 years and have lost 10 recently while trying to take better care of myself.

I think when the girls were nursing, I was just so BUSY, either taking care of them or trying to get sleep, that I didn't eat much. I lived on wheat thins for awhile, because I craved them and they tasted so good. We did our best to feed ourselves, but most of our energy went toward the babies.

[fahmi]

I am just weird. I lost about 5 pound initially, and then nursed for 2 years, during which my weight stayed constant. After I weaned, I still stayed constant. And then I got pregnant and lost 20 pounds in the first trimester - so I was back to my pre-baby weight. Now I am in the same situation again, constant weight, nursing for a year now.

Clearly I need to get pregnant again to lose that weight...but sigh.

[amom]

I am hypothyroid, and naturally thin. I was about 5 lbs over my ideal weight when I got pregnant the first time (about 2 weeks after starting thyroid meds). Between the new meds, morning sickness, and lots of exercise, I only gained about 25 lbs during pregnancy. I literally sweated most of it off during my 45 hour labor, and was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans after 2 weeks. I continued to lose while breastfeeding, got about 5 lbs below my ideal weight and really had to struggle to keep healthy. We stopped BFing at 15 months, and I gained back those 5 lbs fairly quickly.

[Steph]

I have a similar story to Mama Fuss above.

I lost weight effortlessly while breastfeeding. And I pretty much ate like a pig. LOTS of chocolate. (As well as lots of healthy stuff).

I never tried to lose weight, and normally, although I'm a healthy weight, I'm prone to putting on weight rather than being on the skinny side. For interest's sake I didn't put on a whole lot of weight during pregnancy as had all-day-sickness for about 6 months.

I know for sure that breastfeeding helped the weight literally fall off as when my baby was 4 1/2 months I travelled home to Australia (we live in the Caribbean) and stayed in my parent's house with my daughter in the room with me. I guess sharing a room and the long trip, being away from Dad, etc, meant she started waking during the night for voracious feeds which she had stopped several weeks earlier. During that 4 week trip I lost a further 5 kgs (about 10lbs). And I promise, I was indulging in all the treats I miss when I'm away from home!

My daughter is now a year old and I've been right on my pre-pregnancy weight since about 4 months post-partum. I'm still feeding her twice a day and I'm definitely feeling a little, if not heavier, not as toned as when I was feeding more often.

I've heard and read a lot that people hold onto the pregnancy weight until they finish breatfeeding, but that is almost the opposite case fro me. I feel I'm on the verge of putting on weight now we're finishing up. I have to really make an effort now to put some exercise into my day.

Also, if anyone who has always been frustrated by having big boobs might be happy to know you may go down a size when you finish feeding. I'm VERY happy about that!

[Snarky Mommy]

With my first one, I BF for a year and lost a ton of weight (steadily), was back in my "fat" pre-pregnancy jeans two weeks later and by the time he was weaned at exactly 12 months, I was 5 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. Pregnant again three months later, BF my daughter for a full year and ended up 10 pounds below original pre-pregnancy weight. Had a surprise pregnancy three months later and now three months postpartum, am expecting much of the same.

After my middle child weaned, I was the thinnest I had been since high school. We went on a beach vacation and my husband couldn't stop gushing about how great I looked in a bikini. I was thrilled.

To be more annoying, I didn't work out a day after having either of the kids, but did walk a lot just because we live in the city and walk everywhere. Was off dairy with both of them for nine months, so wasn't eating pizza, ice cream, etc. which I think made a difference.

Hoping this time goes as smoothly, although this babe doesn't appear to have a dairy insensitivity, so that makes it hard to stay away from the pizza and the ice cream.

[Heather]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback. I waited until everyone in the house was asleep so I could sit and read the responses and not be bothered. What a treat!

I gained roughly 40 pounds with all three of my children, give or take 5 pounds. With #1 I lost it all at 12 weeks. Breast fed him for 12 weeks.

#2 I gained 40 pounds but was given so much IV fluid that I left the hospital actually weighing more than when I went in to give birth. I was so swollen three days after coming home with baby that I actually went to the ER to have my feet/ankles checked out. I never lost the last 20 pounds from #2. I bf #2 for 8 weeks. He had colic, reflux, screamed 24/7 and had to ultimately be fed Alimentum.

Now here I am with #3. When I got pregnant with #3 I has not lost all the weight from #2. Again, I was pumped full of fluids for a c-section. I bloated. In the first two weeks I lost 20 pounds, much of it water weight. Here I am 9 months later and I am still 30 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Still bf at 9 months.

It's tough to swallow that because I can honestly say I am not over eating, not *that* sleep deprived, and I am fairly active (meaning I don't sit on my butt all day). I walk with the 2 year old and baby to the park, to the store, around the block, I clean, I chase the kids around the house, I carry the baby everywhere (20 pounds!), I carried the toddler everywhere before the baby came.

I am going to make an appt to have my thyroid tested. I'll also request that my vitamin d levels be tested, although I am taking a dropper of vitamin d each day. I don't think I am depressed. Watching my two smaller children all day can be boring and monotonous but it doesn't make me depressed. I do sleep, waking once a night to nurse.

There is just so much pain when I see other moms just melt the baby weight away and fit back into their smaller clothes and here I am *still* as big as I was 5, 6, 7 months ago. It is just not coming off. I snack on carrots, I don't eat junk, I cook and meal plan with a my children's nutrition in mind. I don't look to add any addition breast feeding calories, I just eat normal, healthy, balanced meals.

Genetics might be to blame, although my mother and her sisters are all naturally thin. I was thin up until my 2nd pregnancy at which time I also entered my 30's. Could a shift in my metabolism due to age be the culprit? I don't expect the weight to just *POOF* and be gone, but 9 months after the fact I feel like a failure. Like I am not that mom on the sofa with a soda and donut. I am the mom running after her 2 year old with her baby in a carrier while snacking on green tea and an apple.

Reading what other moms have experienced was very comforting. I'm so glad so many women have had good experiences with pregnancy weight loss, and I am also glad I am not alone in my experience.

Thanks you Moxie, I appreciate you posting my frustration and gathering feedback! Now off to bed to get that precious sleep.

Heather

[bethp]

About 10 lbs overweight when became pregnant - gained about 18 and slowly lost to be back at 8-10 lbs overweight by one year.

I found I lost most of my weight at around 15-18 mos. When my son started walking, and was heavier - still walked a lot in a sling. Had a huge growth spurt at about 18 when he ramped up nursing from a pretty constant 2 X per day to 5 or 6 for about 3 weeks.

i started gaining weight again - imperceptably - around 2 years, although i was still breastfeeding. I realized that my excercising had all but ceased - with this newly independent two year old who now wanted to "walk" everywhere, I was now strolling at a bug's pace down two blocks in an hour rather than making it down to the other end of main street and back with kid on back or in stroller. Finally weaned at 2.5 and joined a gym and the pounds melted away, it was the easiest 10 lbs I've lost in my life - then I broke my foot and was fearing for my waist line. But it's been 2+ weeks and I think the hormone shift post-BFing is really been beneficial...

[doe-a-deer]

I gained 40 pounds during my pregnancies. Breastfed each child for 2.5 years. Lost 10 lbs in first months after birth. Lost about 15 pounds over the course of the first year of their lives. The last 15 never came off until after I stopped breastfeeding. My experience is that breastfeeding did not contribute to weight loss and I held on to weight, in fact, as a result from breastfeeding. It bothered me during my first preg., because I was exercising, eating healthily, and still had a big belly and bum. With my second, I just chilled out and enjoyed the fact that my body was holding onto weight, because she NEEDED it.
A side note about extended breastfeeding...I had horrid periods and mood swings after my kids turned 18 months. My doctor attributed it to the prolactin hormone, which can also affect weight-loss (or lack thereof). I agree that a hormone check is never a bad idea. Those beautiful body chemicals are responsible for so many goings on within.

[Diane D]

Definitely person-dependent. I got lucky.

I was responsible-- ate well and exercised during pregnancy, and was lucky enough not to be too sick to manage that. I gained 26 pounds. I give myself some credit for at least trying, but I know a lot of that is genetics and luck.

By 1 week postpartum, I was down 20 pounds. Crazy. By 4 weeks, the other 6 had come off. I do credit breastfeeding! I'm certain it helped. It was a good 6 months, though, before I had any semblance of shape back. I was in maternity pants for a long time postpartum.

I had gained nearly 10 pounds BEFORE I got pregnant, though, and I held onto those until I quit breastfeeding. About that time I started reading up on HFCS, (Michael Pollan, anyone?) and cut out all soda, all HFCS, and most artificial ingredients from my diet. Lost 7 pounds without otherwise trying. Wow. Started exercising to manage some serious joint problems, and I'm down the other three.

I hear it's a lot harder after #2, though. I don't expect (though I can hope, right?) to get so lucky next time (which hopefully isn't too far in the future. #1 is 2 1/2 years old now.)

[Rosie]

I nursed for 5 months and while I lost weight quickly at first, the remaining 5-8 lbs stubbornly stayed on. Once I stopped nursing (which I did cold turkey and I do NOT recommend-daughter was fine but my boobs, another story) I felt like I was more in control of my life and therefore made the conscious decisions to take care of myself. While I was still nursing, I was eating really well 80% of the time but eating crap the other 20% and when you are trying to lose weight, stubborn baby weight no less, there isn't a lot of wriggle room for even 20%.

After having my daughter and nursing, I have since scoffed at any celebrity that says they lost it all by nursing. It is such bullshit. They lose it quickly b/cause they have an army, or at least one other person, caring for their kid and taking care of the messy details of life that don't magically stop when you have a newborn at home. THAT, my friends, is the true secret of weight loss.

[THW]

I gained 10kg during my pregnancy. One week after the birth of my son, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight; a fortnight after that, when I returned for the final post-C-section evaluation, I had lost a decade's worth of weight gain, almost 14kg, thanks (?) to breastfeeding every 2 hours ON THE HOUR, and yes, we actually DID set a clock by him ;-)

[salty.]

My baby is 10.5 months old (still nursing) and JUST TODAY I was able to (somewhat comfortably) get into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans. I've noticed the weight loss picking up slightly the past 2-3 months. I still have about 5 lbs to go. If I remember correctly with baby number one, I never felt like I was back to my "normal" body until he was almost 18 months (nursed until 16 months).

I agree, hollywood moms lose it so fast because they have personal chefs and night nannies and so on.

[Carla Hinkle]

I gained 35-40 lbs while pregnant with the first two ... probably more like 45 with the 3rd (I stopped getting on the scale with about 2 weeks to go!).

With the 1st 2, I lost all the weight plus about 5 lbs by 8 months post partum, approximately when I weaned. I then promptly gained the 5 lbs back as I had been enjoying the extra calories I used from nursing! That seems to be normal for me ... lose pregnancy weight plus a little more, then gain back the extra when I wean.

With the third ... I am now 2 months post partum and have lost 28 lbs. I am trying to lose another 7 by April 3 when I have to be a bridesmaid for my sister. :-) Then I would like to eventually lose another 10, but I'm assuming it will take awhile.

[scharkey]

I started out slightly overweight when I got pregnant with BG. I lost 5#, then gained 17#. I was in my regular clothes a week after giving birth (also back down to lowest first trimester weight - Yay!). I EBF'd for the first 3 mos, then went to work and started pumping. I kept the pumping up for 4.5 months and then stopped - I don't get a ton of milk out and it wasn't worth the effort, although I continued morning/evening feedings. I then gained 7 lbs - I totally didn't adjust my calorie intake. BG is now 13 mos, and I am 10 wks with #2, and have lost 4#. I know better this time to watch what I am eating, especially when I start to wean and when #2 starts eating solids. Also I am hoping to carry high again - I could barely eat for one when I was pregnant with BG, let alone for two!

[Kim]

I am curious about this whole subject- I am 26 weeks with my second kid. My stats from the first one=

I started out at 5'2 and 98-100 pounds. I had been at that weight for something like 12 years, and though I was TECHNICALLY underweight, I was comfortable there- not sluggish and very healthy and active.

I gained 40 pounds while pregnant. My OBGYN is this awesome cheerleader of a Dr, and she was just so! happy! when I gained weight.

After my daughter was born, I literally walked out of the hospital at 115. She was an almost 9 pound baby, but still, t hat must've been a whole lot of water weight.

I breastfed for two years, and the least that I weighed was 110- and I ended up being more along the lines of 120, which is quite frankly more attractive than 100 pounds or less.

So that brings us to this one- morning sickness made me lose 12 pounds. At 26 weeks I am only 3 pounds heavier than my starting weight. I try not to worry, but I wonder, is this going to be a struggle? Weight isn't something that I have had to fight or think about really, and frankly I don't want to start with that.

[Steph]

I'm sure people in the celebrity spotlight may bend the truth about how they lose their baby-weight, but as I and many other women on here have attested, some of us DO have the "bounce-back-quickly" gene. Not only did I lose all the weight plus more within a matter of months, but my shape hasn't been changed by having a baby.

I know I'm lucky as I didn't try to lose weight at any point. Just wanted to say that is DOES happen to some women.

[Tami]

If you are on any kind of hormonal birth control, I'd look at that, too. I gained while BF on hormonal birth control, but lost while BF without BC. Just another angle.

[Holly]

I'm still trying to lose the last 5 pounds of the 65 (yep, 65) I gained while pregnant. I have to work my ass off. I have 2 trainers - a crossfit trainer that I work out with twice a week and a pilates/running trainer that I work out with twice a week and then I work out on my own 2 other days with one day off. I had a constant case of thrush (so did my DS), my supply was shit and pumping was extremely painful so I stopped after 2 months. I also had PPD and at a little over a year old, my DS is still not sleeping through the night. Some days my food is great and somedays it's downright awful. I try to do the best I can. I work 40 hours a week and commute 12 hours a week so this is the best I can do for now. I live in Los Angeles and see these starlets first hand. It's pretty sickening. I really think it has a lot to do with genetics and having help so you can sleep, exercise, etc. like other posters have said. It's a real battle for me.

[Wilhelmina]

I'm metabolically skinny with floppy, hyper-mobile joints so I don't tolerate extra weight very well.

As it happens I had hyper-emesis all during the pregnancy, and a very bad bad spell landed me in hospital at 26 weeks for re-hydrating. Consequently I actually weighed less, excluding the baby and the fluids for the baby, than before I became pregnant. I gained enough for my passenger but I had no fat reserves.

I still listed sideways and needed a giant tubi-grip knitted support bandage to stay upright after 20 weeks. That's trivia, sorry.

I breast-fed successfully after a
slow start and rapidly gained 10 lbs by cravings for nuts and sugar and oils in the worst way.And I ate and ate them.

That went on until my baby was four months,and my appetite decreased and then I lost the ten pounds by 9-10 months. My daughter was 50th centile at birth to nearly the 99th in her first year and fed a lot. I soon looked haggard according to my good friends. And complete strangers.

So I ate a lot extra until she stopped breast-feeding abruptly at 16.5 months and I was the same weight as before I became pregnant and my appetite decreased from when I was nursing. I didn't get my period back until 18 months after the birth.

I found that yes, I did burn lots of extra calories feeding. I had to supplement after nine months and can now eat a lot less to maintain the same weight as when I was nursing.

[Alison]

I think I must be completely abnormal. I didn't even get the hang of breastfeeding for a good two months after baby boy was born, and he stopped nursing altogether about a month ago (I actually didn't take note of the day because I thought it was a fluke; by the time I realized he hadn't nursed in a week, I'd forgotten which day he'd really stopped!).

I didn't weigh all that much to begin with, didn't put on all that much during pregnancy - I know, you all hate me, but I have a lot of problems putting on weight ("waa waa, shut up skinny girl!" I can hear you saying it!).

So when I finally did nurse "for real" (without nipple shield), the weight came off fast and furious. I was starving all the time, and ate more than when I was pregnant (lost my appetite a lot while pregnant) and STILL lost weight.

Everyone is different, and every pregnancy is different, and every stage of life is different. I like Moxie's comment about "go to the doctor" because hormones can seriously mess with your metabolism and you'd never know that was the reason unless you had the blood tests to show that's what was going on.

[beatrix]

I lost most of the baby weight quickly while breastfeeding, but then something with my hormones (or thyroid, possibly?) shifted when my daughter was close to a year, and although I was still nursing her a lot, I started *gaining* weight and ended up weighing almost as much as I did 9 months pregnant, for over 2 years before I STRUGGLED to lose 25 lbs.

It is my hypothesis that many new moms, nursing or not, have wonky thyroids. Those who are hyperthyroid are the ones where the weight just falls miraculously off. Those with hypothyroid don't lose weight no matter what they are doing. I think a more normal pattern is to lose weight at a steady but nonalarming pace while breastfeeding; it's not supposed to all fall off at once unless you really didn't gain much! Nor are you supposed to inexplicably gain weight while bf, but this totally happens. In my case it was NOT diet-related.

Thyroid issues also can cause major depression and anxiety which (again, in my humble anecdotally-based opinion) may account for some cases of PPD/PPA.

[suzy]

I took about 3 months to lose my baby weight (I'd put on 10 or 12 kg in pregnancy - not sure exactly, I stopped weighing myself after 10), but then kept losing weight while I fed my son. I was thinnest when he was about 9 months old when he was really big and active but still not eating a huge amount of solid food. As he ate more food and nursed less I gained weight again, until he was weaned completely and then my metabolism pretty much went back to normal.

To be honest, even though it was great to lose weight easily and eat lots of chocolate, I looked pretty terrible - I was back to what I weighed as a 15 year old but looked haggard.

[Julie]

My story's more about blood sugar. I'm tall and really skinny and have always had to be super careful about eating any sugar. As soon as I got pregnant, I could eat anything... and did, all the way through nursing. I had to eat several times in the middle of the night for months after my baby arrived. By the time he was 1, the nursing started to slow down and my blood sugar started to go wonky again so now I'm watching it. He's almost weaned and now I'm trying to wean myself off baked goods;)

My weight has always been super stable. I'm about 5 lbs less than my pre-baby work-out weight (muscle weighs more).

[ARC]

Awesome topic, as usual. I was about 35 lbs overweight when I got pregnant, and gained another 35, which included HUGE amounts of water. When I left the hospital, I lost about 12 of that but was still retaining a *ton* of water.

We are lucky enough to be EBF, and wonder of wonders, the weight started falling off. I was back in my regular pants at about 3 months (probably could have tried them sooner but didn't want to face disappointment).

However, I'm still about 5 lbs over my prepg weight, and would love to take advantage of this nursing calorie burning frenzy so I keep thinking I should start Weight Watchers but then I get distracted by all sorts of crap food. Sigh. Baby is going to start solids soon, though, so I need to get going on that before I miss my window.

It's also winter in Seattle so the weather isn't reliably nice enough to walk outside
:(

[Shelley]

I've got a pretty small frame. I found that while breastfeeding (pump only, unfortunately) I could not lose the last 5-7 pounds no matter WHAT I did -- and I really did exercise and watch my diet. I think it was my body's way of making sure my baby and I would be OK if there were a famine, or something. Once I stopped pumping, the rest disappeared. Flabbier around the middle, definitely, but my weight is about the same as pre-preg.

I think Moxie's right that you should have your thyroid checked, though -- I have several friends who have thyroid issues that first appeared after they gave birth.

[Mom of Twins 2]

No time to read other responses. Sorry if repeating...

I EBFed my twins for 7 months and then continued breastfeeding until they weaned at 18 months. And I NEVER lost one pound. I tried Weight Watchers for nursing mothers. I tried exercise. I was eating healthy just as I had eaten while pregnant. And I never. lost. a. pound. So frustrating!

Then, when the girls weaned...voila!! I lost 35 pounds in six weeks. I am not exaggerating. I know some of that must have been water weight, but it had to be hormonal to be that fast. My appetite dropped off some, too, but my OB explained that some women RETAIN weight while nursing rather than losing it. Lucky me. Wish someone had told me that was possible so I wouldn't have felt like such a failure and a freak.

I am down below pre-pregnancy weight now and it required no work on my part. YMMV, but I hope it is easy for you, too.

[Acai Optimum]

I enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for a wonderful job!

[Sandra Anderson]

Great advice.. Yes, it seems that we should talk about healthy eating instead of weight loss or diets. Thanks for sharing and possibility to comment! Welcome to visit Ideal Weight Blog http://www.idealweightblog.com/ to find some recipes and great articles! Thanks!

[Meg Mass 2000]

Valuable information! Looking forward to seeing your notes posted.

[Gucci Handags]

We turn our attention away from our own defects, and when we are forced by untoward events to consider them, find it easy to condone them.