Starving

If you're starving, just eat, eat, eat, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Try to include lots of protein and complex carbohydrates (pasta & potatoes). As long as you're breastfeeding, you're losing weight even while eating a ton of food.

Very normal responce to breast feeding. I quiet and have no desire to eat. I would rather be hungry. I eat comfort food just to make myself eat. Just eat and exercise.

It is TOTALLY normal. Your burning the calories your eating VERY fast. The trick is to eat healthy filling foods not junky snack foods when you Do get hungry. Even though you make think it's too much...you BOTH need a few extra calories!

Totally normal. You burn a lot of calories when you nurse, because it takes a lot of energy to make milk and keep up your supply. You shouldn't gain any weight if you eat healthy, and are exclusively nursing. The problem (for me at least) is when you keep eating and aren't nursing as much :)!

You might want to add some healthy fats like coconut oil. Breastmilk should have a high fat content to help your baby gain weight, and it has to come from somewhere...if you're not getting it in your diet, you're going to be hungry. Just your body's way of telling you that you need something more...coconut oil, by the way, tastes really good in tea or even coffee (believe it or not) and shouldn't cause you to gain weight. Avocado would be another good thing to include in your diet...and probably a mercury-free fish oil would be good too.
Good luck!

B.

Hey S. -

Eat! I breastfed exclusively and weighed 10 pounds less when my son was 8 months old than I did when I got pregnant. You burn about an extra 500 calories a day nursing. When you stop nursing your appetite will decrease because you won't need the extra calories any longer.

If you're hungry, eat! Remember that nursing can burn TONS of calories (I think up to like 1500/day!). Listen to your body, make healthy choices (high fiber, low fat, lots of fruits and veggies), drink LOTS of water and remember that if your body is hungry, it needs to be fed.

You need to eat just about as much as you do when you are pregnant when you are breastfeeding. 500 extra calories a day. I would suggest eating more smaller meals to help fend off being hungry. I was always extra hungry when nursing too, but I tended to just grab whatever was at hand to eat because I didn't have time and I didn't end up losing weight like I should have. But I would say what you are describing is pretty normal. Making milk takes lots of fuel and nutrients.

EAT EAT EAT and DRINK DRINK DRINK. I have a one year old who I breast fed. You burn an extra 500 calories a day when your breast feeding so you need to replace them with healthy foods and snacks and lots of water because you can become dehydrated easily. So don't worry eat till your hearts content, this is probably the only time you'll be able to do this in your life so enjoy it. But beware that when you stop breast feeeding you will need to adjust your eating because you won't be burning those calories so easy any more, that's the hard part because you get used to eating anything and everything as often as you want. Good Luck.

My baby just turned 1 and have always breastfed her. In the very beginning till about month 5, I always found myself hungary. I also found it difficult to find time to eat. So long as you are eating healthy (not sugary or salty high fat snacks) then there shouldn't be any problem eating until you are full. I found that having ready made snacks in the fridge available for munching anytime really helped out.

I don't know that there is a solution other than to eat. I never had a problem with weight gain and in fact have lost 25 additional pounds since pre-pregnancy for a total of over 80 lbs lost (I dont work out - just eat healthy). I am healthy and happy and so is my baby. Breastfeeding was one of the best choices I ever made for her.

Try eating smaller portions more often. You need the extra calories (healthy ones) when you are breastfeeding, so don't worry about it. Protein and healthy carb-rich foods seem to help

Dear S.,
While you are nursing, feel free to eat a little extra if you are hungry. Perhaps smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day might help assuage your hunger. In any case, just don't continue it after you have weaned the baby.
Congratulations on choosing to breast feed from a grandmother who nursed her own six children.

This is very normal! Your body is working hard at making food for another little one. Just remember how hungry you would get while pregnant. I've been bfing for 15 mths now, and still get times where I am CONSTANTLY hungry. It all depends on how much she's nursing. Just eat until you are full and eat again when you are hungry...even if it is a hour later or less. You shouldn't gain weight going with what your body and your baby needs. I've continued to lose weight that way. Just don't stuff yourself, and weight shouldn't be an issue. You'll also balance out on your hunger after a few months of nursing (at least until another growth spurt ;-p ). Take care and welcome to the club!!!

EAT and love it that you can eat so much and still burn it up! You are making milk with all those calories, so keep on eating! You don't need to worry about gaining weight! Enjoy every bit of it! And if you find yourself hanging onto about 5 pounds for a while, that's normal too, a way for your bady to be sure it has the fat it needs while you breastfeed for a year or two.
Its wonderful, and it is such a short time in your life with your child. Love every minute of it.:)
gretchen

i think that is pretty normal. When I was pregnant I wasn't hungry at all but when I started breastfeeding I was absolutely starving. You need up to 1000 extra calories for breastfeeding - far more than you need while pregnant, so I think it is pretty normal to be really hungry. I would eat what you need and just keep an eye on the scale. I actually lost several pounds while breastfeeding.

Hi S.- I nursed all 4 of my kids and had no problem getting back in shape. If I were you I might start by drinking a big glass of water (sometimes hunger and thirst get confused) and you are sharing a lot of liquids. Also drinking the water will help you feel full.
enjoy
B.

Your body is working very hard to make food for that little one. You need more calories when you're breastfeeding than when you are pregnant. So, don't worry about how much you eat. Eat when your hungry and enough to satify that . Also, you should continue with the prenatal vitamins as long as your nursing.

When I was nursing - and I still am - I was always very hungry. I remember the first thing I wanted to eat after having the baby was a big greasy cheeseburger. Your body burns a lot of fat to make milk.

Good luck, and Happy Holidays.

Totally normal. I make healthy "nursing snacks" for myself. I buy big bags of walnuts, almonds, pecans, green raisins, sunflower seeds, etc. and divide them into bowls...all mixed together. I also have bottled water that is fast to grab. When it's time to nurse, I grab a pre-mixed bowl of snacks, a water and go sit and enjoy the time. It keeps me from getting hungry (and dehydrated) and it's healthy so I don't worry about added weight.

It's not about eating more...it's about eating more healthy. If you are eating a lot of healthy fats (like avocados) and healthy snacks (nuts--if no allergies are present, fruits, and veggies) and lean protein (chicken, eggs, cottage cheese) then you'll be getting what your body needs to sustain both you and baby and not have to worry about gaining any weight.

Good for you on breastfeeding! Keep in mind you are feeding for two and YES YOU SHOULD BE HUNGRY! Dang, girl you are feeding yourself and an infant. Just because the baby is outside the womb doesn't stop you feeding for two. Snacking, drinking more milk and eating more protein foods should help and of course snacking on veggies always helps to taper the hunger pains. Once you develop a routine, your infant will as well and you will find yourself eating while nursing to help multi-task and get more things done. I have found once being a mom multitasking is a necessary trait to get everything done in one's day time. Good luck!

I went through the same thing, I anticipated I would lose weight quicker since I was breastfeeding but found myself eating like a horse. An hour after dinner, suddenly starving, it lasted for a while after I stopped brastfeeding, but eventually it should go away. It did for me any way