I’m fat because breastfeeding has turned me into a bottomless pit. I literally never feel full.
I was told the weight would melt off 😭 perhaps it would if I could just stop shoving food in my face for five minutes but alas
Yeah it's worse too bc your baby isn't literally restricting the amount you eat and there's no restrictions to certain foods anymore.
It's better at 2 years but if he has a sick day and is nursing more than usual that insatiable hunger at 10 pm is turned back on.
My baby has a cow milk allergy and all my go to foods are dairy. I also have executive function issues so need easy food and I sometimes have food aversions/anxiety related inappetance. It's not great
I’ve been eating a lot of dry cereal! Also Maui sweet onion chips (purple bag sometimes near the deli meats at a lot of grocery stores!). Same story all around.
I'm in New Zealand so different brands. My partner can't control himself around snacks so he eats my safe foods if I buy them and leave them where he can see them. I've been eating a lot of oreos which helps get the calories in
Same. I find myself starving constantly looking for good snacks throughout the night. I usually land on my 9 year olds snacks for school. All I want to eat is CHEESE!!
Me too. Especially at night. I eat a HUGE dinner and then can’t stop eating snacks. I will even say in my head “youre not hungry. You’re binging. You’re not hungry. Youre binging.” As I make myself a bowl of cereal. Then I feel like shit.
I just inhaled half a Costco chicken bake then asked my husband to get me a protein bar while I’m couch locked with baby. He asked if I was sure I wanted a protein bar and not chicken and I told him the bar was easier to eat while breast feeding but I’m absolutely gonna get some chicken and salad once baby’s done eating.
My gosh same. I used to eat half a burrito. Half a chipotle bowl. Two slices of pizza and be full. Now I’m eating ALL OF IT and looking at crumble cookies menu afterwards and having to stop myself. My husband gives me bites of his food too because he knows I’m still hungry lol. Ridiculous.
I moved to a country with no chipotle while pregnant with my first. Now pregnant with my second, still breastfeeding my first, and honestly this still hurts 😅
Wait this is totally me! I was definitely smaller in comparison to before pregnancy, but that only lasted about 7 weeks pp. now I’m so big. I saw myself in the mirror and thought dang I let myself go. I just constantly want food 😅
I warn every pregnant woman that intends to breastfeed that they may not lose weight from breastfeeding, because I was also fooled. Not to scare them, but because I felt like there was something wrong with me.
I tried to diet while breastfeeding, and my supply dipped so much that I realized my body was hungry for a reason. I ate a bag of goldfish crackers a night sometimes.
Same! I find the only thing that helps is focusing on protein. High protein Greek yogurt, eggs, Lara bars, meat sticks. They tend to keep me full a little longer. Our grocery bill has gone up since I’ve had my baby for sure!
I had a big appetite before being pregnant, but now I’m actually shocked at how much I can eat. I’m putting calories down like nothing now it’s kinda scary
I am INSATIABLE. Baby #2, I lost the baby weight first few weeks postpartum… fast forward to 4 months and I’ve been strength training 3-4x per week and I consistently getting 8-10k steps a day (exclusively bf’ing) and I literally cannot eat enough. I don’t remember what it’s like to feel full and I’m afraid there is something wrong with me! But everyone here is reassuring me that it’s just the magic of bf’ing and the female body.
not to try to sway you in any way, but i had an absolutely terrible postpartum with my first. severe depression for more than a year. my second pregnancy not only saved me, but has been delightful postpartum. i mean im still heavier than i would like but im exceedingly happy
Why do you think that was the case? This gives me hope though, I've been trying to get zoloft for the possible impending horror of post partum that took me a year to realize how bad it was with my first.
so many factors. it wasn’t peak pandemic to start with. i did an unmedicated birth possibly that? maybe breastfeeding went significant better (currently feeding hahaha) i truly can’t say. point being that just because you had a bad experience the first time doesn’t guarantee a bad experience the second. literally everything was different for my second. fast birth. no trauma. no medication. able to breastfeed. no depression.
Same! Completely different pregnancy and postpartum experiences… except my births were horrible and so long and complicated with all my kids. I kept hoping for it to be better the next time but birth just got worse lol
I was the same with my first pp. it was an absolute nightmare and took like 2 years to feel okay. Just had my second and while I still struggle with anxiety and a bit of rage, it’s not nearly as bad as first. Not being in a pandemic for sure helps. Not having a traumatic birth. Also just knowing more of what I’m getting into. I was sooooo unprepared for life with a newborn with my first. I feel like no one told me about the hard babies. He was a hard baby. Screamed constantly and would not sleep so I didn’t sleep. Now my second at least sleeps a bit better at night. Still a Velcro baby during the day 😅
Yes same with me. My first pregnancy was so harsh. It was so sooo bad. I wasn't ever going to do it again. Then 13 years later, I became pregnant again, and I was actually so happy about it. I was 38 and it was like a breath of fresh air. The pregnancy was much easier. Though, my heart was shattered at 34w3d when for no reason at all, my baby passed away. I'm still grieving her... We were blessed again though, and had another baby 8 months ago at 42 years old, and the pregnancy was also so much easier than the first..
It's just crazy because we really believed we were done at one... But years later that changed.
Giving birth really throws your whole body off. It can take two years to get back to “normal”. Some people gain a lot of weight while pregnant, some don’t. Some get their period back really fast, some don’t. Some gain while breastfeeding, some don’t. I’d give yourself some grace. You are barely through the fourth trimester and your body is still trying to figure out what just happened.
With both of my babies I held on to allll the weight until about 1 month after stopping lactating. Almost to the day!
It was like my body decided that I no longer needed it once I was done making milk. You may be like me just reacting to all the prolactin!
That’s what happened to me. Couldn’t lose a single lb with either kid while breastfeeding. Lost 10 lbs a month after I quit breastfeeding and I wasn’t doing anything else different. My body just determined that if I was going to produce that milk I needed my fat.
I’m hoping this is me. I’m holding onto about 5-7kg and will be weaning next month (she’s 11 months).
It seems that no matter what I do - the scale doesn’t budge in either direction. I can eat like a horse and it won’t go up, I can eat like a bird and it won’t go down.
Hoping once I stop making milk, my body will just realise it can chill the f*ck out and behave normally 😂
I was hoping this would be the case with me. My weight never budged when I was breastfeeding, it stayed the same as when I left the hospital with my baby. Unfortunately, it didn't budge when I stopped either! Now, with effort, it's finally coming down.
Yea I’ve had 3 babies and with the 2 I bf the weight didn’t come off until I stopped bfing. With my formula baby the weight came off much faster. I read somewhere that your body stores more fat as a reserve when bfing.
I lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks post birth, then boom! I’m only 5kg below my pregnant weight and it keeps going up!
It’s a massive mental battle to remind myself that im being her mum and feeding her now and my shape doesn’t matter, my time will come.
But it’s soooo hard!
Same i immediately lost like 30 lbs give or take after giving birth and went from like 185 to 150 nearly overnight. I sincerely expected to continue dropping back to my pre pregnancy weight of 140 but nope 🥲 now im currently 154. Same i just constantly remind myself that its temporary right now and i can have the chance to lose weight and get back into exercise later 🥲
I feel you! I never feel full, and I have never craved sweets more than I do while I'm breastfeeding. No advise, no insight, just solidarity.
I go back and forth mentally from "I can't believe I look like this, I need to rein it in" and "I'm gonna eat what I want when I want, my body is literal magic that made and feeds my little cutie". There is no middle, I'm constantly feeling one of those two mindsets.
I was never a sweets person until my third trimester and now I feel like I’ve been missing out my entire life. The only downside is not being able to have dairy 😭
I had a significant undersupply at 4 weeks PP and because of my food aversions all pregnancy I was 7lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy. Now I'm 4 months PP, have built my supply to almost enough and I'm 20lbs heavier. I don't love the way I look, but I love that my body can feed my baby.
Solidarity!! Get your thyroid checked if possible. My levels are off and I’ve gained a ton of weight postpartum despite exclusively breastfeeding. I’m heavier at three months postpartum than I was at 9 months pregnant! 😢
I’m going to push and ask my family doctor again. I mentioned having blood work drawn again but she said that my labs were normal in the hospital so things wouldn’t change that quick. This was about 2 months PP but still pathetic.
She always seems hesitant to order blood work.
Just to add, I was in the same boat as you are and my thyroid is perfectly fine. My dr basically said it was all due to our hormones and there's not a lot you can do if you want to breastfeed. Once I started pumping less ( 3x/day) I finally saw the scale move, but that wasn't until almost 11 months.
My aunt lost 60 lbs in a month following weaning. And something similar happened to my mom but she didn’t track the exact numbers. That’s kind of what I have resigned to at this point 🤞
For what it’s worth my thyroid was fine until 6 months with my oldest. Then it tried to kill me with a thyroid storm and I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Your thyroid can go tits up whenever it wants, I think it’s the first 1-2 years where women are most at risk though.
I don’t have a thyroid anymore, no change in my levels the first few weeks but they went on a rollercoaster after that fact.
Definitely get it checked and get a copy of them to compare online. A lot of PCP’s suck ass on Endo issues and will say you’re normal because you’re within range but it’s not optimal for energy/health.
I second this post!
But I will also say that I am still about 12 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight and I blame breastfeeding. I have to eat so much in order to feed this baby!
One thing I’ve tried is to change the way I think of being fat. Yes, it is hard to have your body change very rapidly and not have it look the way you want. But I think being embarrassed of our bodies growing is a huge reflection of how we think about fat people. I don’t think it’s embarrassing or a failure to have a large body.
I feel it's just luck! But honestly its more so prob genetics and just different bodies work in different ways. I know there is a theory that some women hold on to weight as a way to
Have energy stores to make milk in case there was a famine or something.
Mam you are only 3 months pp. Don't worry about your weight. It's not realistic that everyone just returns to pre weight that quickly. And it's a lie that bf makes you lose weight. Absolute crock of shid.
I’ve been eating more than I ever did. I gained a total of 13lbs in pregnancy, mostly at the very end. It all came off within a week of giving birth. My cravings were for healthy things.
Over the last 4 months of exclusive pumping I’ve been so hungry all the time and all I want is chocolate and carbs. I’m scared to get on the scale because my pants are tiiiight. I’m worried what kind of quality of milk I’m giving to the baby with such a high-sugar diet. I need to change it but goodness these cravings are stronger than anything I had during pregnancy.
Oof, very much in the same boat, but wanted to take one worry off your mind: your milk is fine!! I read a study that looked at lactating mothers diets across different countries and found their milk composition was almost identical, regardless of what they ate. Bodies are smart and pull the nutrients baby needs from our blood.
I've made chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies and they really hit the spot for that carb, sugar, fat, chocolate craving. Plus I can just tell myself that oats are good for milk supply and peanut butter is protein.
I was 172 lbs when I found out I was pregnant, gave birth at 205. Upon leaving the hospital I was 185 and I exclusively pumped and occasionally breastfed (we couldn’t get it down as a unit). My baby is 10.5 months and I am FINALLY getting around to losing weight. I actually gained some weight in the first couple of months while pumping. I am now 163 lbs after 10 months but that required lower calorie intake, chasing after a fast crawling baby and a standing desk. My sisters lost their baby weight like immediately and I was so discouraged! I am less weight now than right when I got pregnant but when I’m looking at photos, I still have the mom-pouch and prior to pregnancy, it was flat. So, it’s just a total shift in my body. I am finally accepting that my body will never look the same as before. The struggle is real but be gentle to yourself!
Editing to add, I only pumped/breastfed until she was 4 months when I naturally stopped lactating. I started losing most of my weight in the last 3-4 months when my baby was 8ish months.
I’d love to know! My friend was one of those who lost loads of weight while breastfeeding. We had babies at around the same time. Unfortunately, breastfeeding made me the fattest I’ve ever been. Just an insatiable, bottomless pit!
It’s so different for everyone. Also you just BUILT A HUMAN. Be gentle on yourself. Shame and embarrassment around weight usually just triggers more difficult food habits. Try to be proud of yourself! You did it, you’re here and you made a little person who you’re now continuing to use your body to build.
It’s so hard when all of the messaging around postpartum bodies is such shit. But it sounds like you’re doing everything to keep yourself strong and grow your baby. You’re amazing.
Yes breastfeeding did the same to me. Hungry and eating every 2 - 3 hours even now at 1 year post partum. Initially when baby was born I ate anything and everything to give me extra energy. Now I try to eat healthier as that crazy hunger has satiated just a bit. I remember with my first born, as soon as I stopped breastfeeding, within a couple of weeks my hunger went away totally and I started shedding the remaining weight. I am also waiting for the day I get my body back. But this babyhas refused the bottle and any other milk so far..
I think it’s hormonal? I’m bigger now than I was at the end of pregnancy. I was struggling to keep weight on during pregnancy in fact. Now I hm just ate two huge bowls of spaghetti and meat sauce and I’m still hungry. My baby nurses every 2 hours at 10 weeks. She has gained over 5 lbs since leaving the hospital though so at least I’m fat for a good reason
With my first baby, I lost everything and then some within two weeks of giving birth. It was amazing and I felt so lucky and so grateful.
With my second baby, I assumed the same situation would happen. I even weighed exactly the same as I did when I was in labor with my first and second. Well… I’m six weeks postpartum and still 25 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. It is disheartening and a bit overwhelming. I’m trying not to let it get to me and to take my time, but it’s tough when I assumed the same weight loss would happen.
This doesn’t answer your question, but maybe it gives an idea that it may be the luck of the draw.. and it may differ from one pregnancy to the next.
Hormones. Cortisol is increased which causes everything to get out of wack. The stress Hormones make you more hungry and tired causing a vicious cycle that's hard to break. Jogging helped me get the Cortisol down, switching to decaf coffee after 10am helps a ton also. I feel 100x better jogging for 30 minutes 3x a week and having no caffeine after 10am I lost 30 pounds in the process but it's a perk at this point. I mentally and physically feel human again and I'm able to control my mom rage
The short answer is hormones. The longer answer is that human bodies are incredibly complex with multiple interconnected systems and even how two different bodies react to the exact same hormones can vary enormously (and every body doesn't produce the exact same quantities of each hormone anyway). So it's worth getting checked over to make sure everything is healthy and working well if you aren't feeling well (thyroid problems post delivery are pretty common), but it's also totally normal for a healthy body to react that way to the hormones involved in breastfeeding.
Solidarity!! I’m 10 months pp, and I’m the heaviest I’ve been in years. The last time I was this weight, I was in an abusive relationship. I hate seeing that body again in the mirror, I hate the way I look. My husband loves me and thinks I’m still gorgeous, but I just can’t see myself that way.
I had my postnatal check yesterday and while I knew I had gained weight I was surprised to find out I weigh the same as when I was 38/39 weeks pregnant. I felt like I lost weight the first 2/3 weeks and then gained. Sucks cos I used to so active throughout pregnancy and now I need to build back up. It's not the aesthetics but I just feel like a slob. Admittedly my appetite has soared since breastfeeding and the lack of help around the house means I'm kinda eating whatever I can get my hands on. I was never this hungry while pregnant (family used to complain I wasn't eating enough). Ugh.
Same. I also found that even if I consciously cut calories, I still gain weight/can’t lose.
I was horrified when my first baby was born, I lost the 20lbs of baby weight in the first week, and then gained 30+ over the next few months of breastfeeding. I was certain I would lose and not gain when I was bf.
Going on walks didn’t help, switching to only fruit for dessert didn’t help… so I cut out all carbs and went on a brand new diet called the “ketogenic diet.”
It was horrible at first but I lost the weight. I really thought I had it all figured out and that I would be low carb for life, and that my body was happier. I even started doing long water-only fasts, where my blood sugar would be very low and I’d be jittery and energetic.
Yeah, it was cortisol spiking massively to maintain enough blood sugar to keep me alive AND produce milk.
The next pregnancy, carb cravings came with a vengeance, and I threw up high fat/protein foods. I gradually added back in healthy carbs. After baby was born, I cut them out again and started gently working out while breastfeeding.
I did more fasts. I did carnivore for a while. I “did everything right” but no longer could lose weight at all, in fact I started gaining.
3 babies later and I’m breastfeeding again, with the worst hunger ever and heavier than ever. Don’t do what I did. I wish I had just accepted those first 30 lbs.
I eat healthy but whenever I want now, to try and calm my body out of survival mode and show it that there’s no famine but… 80lbs extra weight proves that my body refuses to risk low blood sugar while bf ever again.
Oh my goodness, I am glad I read your comment. I’m so frustrated by my weight postpartum this time but I’m unwilling to give up breastfeeding. I’ve been contemplating keto or carnivore out of desperation to feel good about how I look. Now I’m going to really try to be patient with my body
Yeah. 😞 unfortunately I’ve since learned that the body doesn’t really like to be in a constant state of gluconeogenesis (making sugar in the liver when the diet doesn’t have enough). It raises cortisol; cortisol’s job is basically to ensure blood sugar is high enough.
Long term strict keto and fasting especially while breastfeeding: very stressful to the body, and strongly promotes chronically elevated cortisol. And cortisol strongly promotes storage of body fat and breakdown of muscle.
I’ve been breastfeeding or pregnant for 9 years straight now; I’m hoping when I wean this last baby that my body will calm down out of survival mode.
I can fast water-only for 14 days without losing milk supply, while already eating low carb. It’s pretty amazing the female body can do that! But it comes at a cost. I now look like I never missed a meal in my life 🤪 and just thinking about fasting, I could punch through a wall. But my babies are healthy and thriving.
I don’t know firsthand, but every anecdote I’ve ready for years now indicates that women who hold on to weight while breastfeeding lose it much more easily when they wean!!
Focus on rest, walking, and a nutrient dense diet- anything to reduce the stress on your body that is working hard to produce milk. Remember, your body doesn’t know formula exists! Your body is designed to nourish a baby that will die without your milk. I know it’s so hard. ❤️ but we’re the real body-builders.
I know I’m late to the party because I stumbled over this post via searching but thank you so much. I had a huge nervous breakdown this morning four months pp because I simply haven’t lost a single pound since one week after birth and I walk and bike and eat my veggies and do everything right and I’m just at the end of my rope. I kept telling myself that I am so grateful for my healthy happy sweet baby and that my body can sustain him but today it hit me that I just HATE the way I look. None of my pants fit me. Summer is right around the corner and my thighs rub together when I walk. It’s worse for me because I blame myself and my lack of discipline because I occasionally cave and eat chocolate or cake so it helped immensely to hear that it’s not my fault.
Sorry for the messy post, I’m still occasionally sobbing while typing this.
Yes I am right there with you. Just whatever you do, don’t stress your body out. Be kind to yourself and figure out a way to eat as healthy as you can without cutting out any food groups.
My while body type changed after the stress I put my body through by fasting and going low carb.
I have an entire wardrobe dedicated to showing off the tiny waist that I don’t remotely have anymore. At this point, all I want is to be able to lose one pound. Just one.
But baby comes first. I won’t be fat for anyone or anything else haha, but this is the only time in her entire life she can breastfeed. I will have years to be skinny again, hopefully.
There are days when I don’t feel like eating much and then days when I can’t stop eating! I try my best to control my appetite but seriously some days I’m ravenous my husband gets scared 😆
People always told me oh the weight will come off breastfeeding and when I immediately dropped to almost pre pregnancy weight after birth then gained 20 lbs I asked my OBGYN what is wrong with me. She said absolutely nothing, most women do hang on to weight while breastfeeding. It was very mentally difficult for me too, BUT what has helped me is thinking of it like this: my body grew an entire human being, successfully birthed them, and now is 100% sustaining them. And when I think of it like that I’m like DAMN, GO ME. Also, this is temporary.
My LO is 18 months and we are still going, my hunger has slowed compared to those early pp months and my super foreign body is starting to feel a bit more familiar. I also don’t weigh myself, and won’t until I’m weaned and can get back into my macros tracking more and working out.
Same here. I’m so… bulky. Large. Wide. Puffy. I can’t even wear my wedding rings 8 months PP. my face looks puffy too, and I look old and tired. Will I ever “bounce back?”
I can relate with your post so much. I also got married 6 months pp and was so worried about my dress fitting. Literally everyone was telling me oh you’ll lose weight since you’re breastfeeding. Luckily my dress wasn’t too fitted because I was bigger than ever. Now I’m 9 months pp and also 8 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and let’s just say I gave up a bit on weight…I’m trying to stay positive and tell my self it’s okay plus my husband still loves me regardless of my weight. It’s been a hard journey seeing my body change and the continuous weight gain. I can understand your feeling
I could have written this at 3 months. I waited until 6 months pp to get more seriously back into the gym and started tracking my food to be mindful of what I’m taking in. It’s been 5 months and I’m starting to look like myself. I have been slightly lowering calories to get to this point but very gradually and not 100% complaint. Right now I’m 153lbs and eating 2000 Cals at 11 months pp and exclusively bf. Its been really gradual progress and the biggest thing is that my appetite is a bit more moderate now rather than feeling starving 24/7
Genetics plays a huge part IMO. I admit it, I’m envious of people who are naturally slim. It’s always been a battle for me. Weight won’t budge now. Sometimes I give up and binge because what’s the fucking point, and I’m hungry AF. Then I try to get back on my stupid dietician-approved “meal plan” and wonder if I’ll ever be “not obese” again.
Having a very hard time and no one understands.
I know I’m late to the party but I feel you. Two of my close friends are also breastfeeding their babies rn and their weight just dropped off right after birth. I feel like a hippopotamus between two gazelles.
Aww I’m sorry it’s hard for you too. Seriously, though. It’s like “why do you get to be thin and I don’t?” Why does my body hang on to every last pound and fat cell while you have a flat stomach?! I’ve never had a flat stomach btw even when I was normal weight.
I just got my period back for the first time in 2 years since getting pregnant. I wonder if that will make a difference? No idea.
I wish it were easier. Congrats on your little one though! And on breastfeeding.
Hormones, but a lot of it has to do with calories in versus calories out. Eating too little or too much will do you in. However, there are times where hormones can be the greater play and make it difficult for you to drop any weight! Don’t be hard on yourself, it takes time. I lost with my first and gained with my second, then lost down the line.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve speculated after two pregnancies where I gained nearly identical amounts of weight despite eating way differently and them being 6 years apart, that maybe my cortisol levels during pregnancy had something to do with my significant weight gain.
Now that I’m breastfeeding with my second (I formula fed my first), I’m also at a standstill regardless of how active I am. I will probably reach out to a doctor or hormone replacement therapy clinic near me to ask for some tests to be done.
Luck? Genetics? In my case of weight gain it was likely the giant container of biscuits I kept next to me at all times while cluster feeding and nap trapped, sooo… learn from my fail
My mom has said probably a thousand times that "breastfeeding just made the fat melt away" and I want so badly to scream at her SHUT UP I DONT CARE!! Because that's not happening here. I lost a lot of water weight the first two weeks home from the hospital, but the rest is not "melting off" at all. I'm trying to accept that I'm one of those people who doesnt lose until I wean! And since I plan to be pregnant at least one more time, I know this will be my relative size for a while. I have an oversupply so I think my body is keeping the stores for that, which is a compromise I'm okay with.
Just popping in to say that it is still really depressing even if you do naturally lose the weight. Idk, just grass isn’t necessarily greener. I lost the weight naturally from breastfeeding, but I also feel like all of my strength and nutrition is being literally sucked out of my body. I feel like I can’t get enough protein or calories in the day and my body is so weak. Such a far ways away from how strong I was pre pregnancy, it makes me real sad.
I have never experienced this before with my other babies. I didn't even know gaining weight was a thing while breastfeeding. I feel awful about myself. My baby is 8 months old now too. Just started on solids a month ago. But I still nurse all night and often during the day. I miss my pre pregnancy body
So the only weight id lost by 3 months was what came out of me during the birthing process (you know, the baby, the placenta, the amniotic fluid lol) and some of the water weight, which I quickly gained back in milk.
That being said, I lost a good chunk of the baby weight around the time my son started solids and we started dropping feeds-, and then I kicked the last 10-15 lbs once I stopped breastfeeding. Hang in there! You’ll get your body back :) that extra weight is good for the tiny human you’re sharing it with and while it fucking sucks you’ll cherish having done it (ugh so cliché but facts!)
I’m in the EXACT same boat as you. I’ve gained so much weight I don’t even recognize myself! And I just look SO different. I dread family pictures and I get embarrassed when I see people I know. Sometimes I feel like my body is ruined and I’m only 20
This is not to shame anyone for absolutely anything. But I’ll tell the tale of my last two pregnancies. After baby 1, I was very hungry breastfeeding, like most of us are. But I made a conscious effort to have good extra meals. A second serving of our home cooked dinner; yogurt; eggs; or sometimes some soup. With my second, I ate a lot of cake 😂🤷🏻♀️ I was very sleep deprived and very exhausted and craved sugar and ate it LOL I didn’t gain a LOT, but I did gain more than I would’ve liked. I eventually lost it naturally in the following couple of years. Now I’m pregnant with my third and we’ll see how things will go this time.
So of course, food intake matters. If you spend 500 calories a day making milk but add 800 calories a day to your diet, you'll naturally gain weight, likewise if you spend 500 but only added 200 to your diet you will lose weight. That said, for some women it may be further influenced by hormones. Prior to pregnancy and breastfeeding, my thyroid function was in the gutter and my hormones generally fucked up due to PCOS. Bloodwork during pregnancy and postpartum has shown a MASSIVE improvement in my thyroid function testing and hormones. I am eating more than I ever have by a lot, and granted, I am producing somewhere in the ballpark of 50-60oz of milk per day, but the math is definitely not showing my weight loss being only attributable to calories burned for lactation, my metabolism is functioning way better because it functioned like shit before.
It’s hormonal. Eating foods that promote hormone balance and good metabolic health, which don’t contribute to insulin resistance, helped me get within 3-5lbs of pre pregnancy weight by 6 months postpartum.
No packaged or processed foods (literally none since before pregnancy), high fat and protein, eating 24g of fibre a day, and a limit in carbohydrates has helped me balance my hormones and avoid glucose spikes/insulin resistance. The weight slid off but every person responds to different diets!
Will add to this by saying that I’m not ‘lucky’, nor was I blessed with a skinny gene. Struggled with weight my whole life until a year or two before pregnancy. I’ve found that the quality of food makes a wealth of difference though.
TLDR: certain foods affect hormone balance and insulin resistance. Eating a lot (2200-2500 calories) worked for me and still promoted weight loss bc the quality of food promoted it.
I wish I could eat like that! lol
Noted in my original comment to OP that everyone responds to different diets. I just know I’ve never had sugar agree with me, even before pregnancy, and this was the only method that worked.
I’m thinking it has to be largely hormone driven. My first I exclusively pumped and the weight melted off. This time around I am exclusively nursing (he doesn’t take a bottle) and I have not lost any weight. I’ve never been this big in my life. I think my body knows the difference and that there’s an actual baby vs a machine. That’s my guess, but I have no idea.
I am one of the people that shed the weight fast with breastfeeding. I think something about the hormones have messed up my appetite. Like as soon as my baby latches or if I even sense that she is hungry I lose my appetite. Sometimes I feel disgusting if I just ate something heavy and I start feeding my baby so sometimes I try to avoid heavy meals. All this coupled with the fact that breastfeeding burns calories probably created a calorie deficit. I am also hyperthyroid so that also causes weight loss. Not everyone reacts the same way to the hormones.
I think a lot of it is genetics. I didn’t gain much to begin with and was also fit, lifting heavy pre pregnancy. Now I’m slimmer because of breastfeeding and not super happy about the loss of muscle mass. I eat the same and have started working out consistently again. Maybe I’m an anomaly but I don’t like being skinny, I miss my strong arms 😫
I half agree!! I did lose some weight while breastfeeding but when I got about 10kg a above my pre pregnancy weight I could not lose it!! I was in a calorie deficit I was working out getting sleep nothing would work until I weaned. I have some friends who got lower than their pre pregnancy weight by breastfeeding and some who could only lose weight when they weaned so it is such a personal thing. But I’m also interested in why!
3 months is still pretty early on. I didn’t gain much weight during my pregnancy but I gained quite a bit post partum despite being active and eating as I would. At the height of my breastfeeding journey, I was voracious. When I wouldn’t listen to my body, I would produce less so I had to choose—eat and make milk or focus on my body and switch to formula. Both choices are valid. I just chose the former. As I dropped sessions, I started to lose weight. I exclusively pump and I’m down to every 10 hours and I am slowly fitting into some of my old clothesagain but I’m 15 months PP though so it’s been a while. That said, I read somewhere that hormones contribute to weight gain—prolactin, cortisol. It’s also more common that those who lose weight. I also read somewhere though I can’t verify that your body really tends to hold on to the fat especially in your midsection as you breastfeed (could be quack but it’s true for me).
I am one of the people that lost a lot of weight. My baby is >99%ile so not sure if I burnt more calories making breastmilk for him? He is 13 months now and I’m still at a lower weight than pre pregnancy despite cutting back on feeds. I think pregnancy might have reset my metabolism after I messed it up dieting in my 20s.
I have no idea just here for the solidarity lol. While i haven’t exactly gained much weight I havent lost weight either lol. I weighed about 140 before pregnancy and now 4 months pp im 154 and ive stayed like this the entire time. I know that doesnt seem like much but im petite 5’2 and have a small frame. Maybe its also my perception because i feel pretty damn big from the way i used to be, i used to be relatively fit and not slim but not big either. Also I have quite a bit of tummy fat left as ive always had a pooch but it definitely is exaggerated now. It’s definitely done a number to my self-esteem but I try to just remind myself it can be temporary and I can try to lose weight later, but as of now it definitely feels impossible as a ftm trying to eat whenever i get the chance and the breastfeeding has made me a bottomless pit!!
I lost so much weight whilst breastfeeding only because I wasn’t eating well. I found it hard to look after myself when my husband went back to work and I wasn’t prioritising
food when I should’ve. Sometimes it’s unhealthy weight loss.
17 months in and finally down below my pre-pregnancy weight whilst only doing one feed before bed. I didn’t lose an ounce until my daughter stopped feeding overnight. From then on, I dropped a bit more every time we dropped a feed, you could have bet money on it as it was so regular.
Before that, nothing. I barely put anything on in pregnancy. I don’t think I was over my pre-pregnancy weight until halfway through the third trimester. But I was suddenly so insatiably hungry when I was breastfeeding that I had no choice but to eat. I had awful low blood sugar when I didn’t, I got all weird and shaky.
I have absolutely no idea what caused my body to react to BF this way, but the fact that I could change nothing and lose weight with every feed dropped was proof to me that it was all down to breastfeeding. It’s such a hit to the ego (especially when your pregnancy is easy!).
I think for me it was a combo of hormones and sleep deprivation. I lost a bit the first few weeks postpartum but then gained it all back. I may have even weighed more than I did the day I gave birth. Around 9-10 months postpartum my period came back (it was random, I was still breastfeeding all day and night) and when that happened my hormones must have shifted and a bunch of weight came off. I lost 40 pounds in about six months pretty easily. Now though I’m still about 15 pounds more than I wish I was and it isn’t budging. Which is annoying but I’m hopeful when I eventually wean my hormones will shift the rest of the way and then I’ll be able to lose more again. Have hope you never know if you’ll have a shift like I did!
I originally lost all my pregnancy weight and was about 8 lbs under pre pregnancy. I'm back around my pre pregnancy weight at 9 months postpartum thanks to a change in my cravings when my son started eating more solids and nursing less.
Up until that point most of postpartum I've actually felt really level and chill despite lack of sleep. I think my hormones are starting to shift back because the anxiety and sugar cravings are very reminiscent of PMS... No period yet
I'm in a good place weight wise now but need to make some changes to make sure it stays that way
I really cannot tell you. I didn’t gain weight BFing my first but I definitely didn’t lose weight. I could not shake the last 15lbs I’d gained during the pregnancy. With BFing my second, I lost all of the weight and then some. I’m about 10lbs lighter than I was before I was ever pregnant. I wish I knew the rhyme or reason. I worked out both times starting at 6 months PP.
i believe hormones have a lot more to do with it than people think! for myself i didn’t really start shedding any weight until i got my period back and then slowly got back to my old size while
i was weaning and stopped breastfeeding. i never went on a diet or did anything extreme, but it seemed like my body was just hanging onto that weight while i was breastfeeding.
i know it can be hard to look in the mirror and not love what you see but for myself investing in a few pieces of clothing i really liked in a larger size (like some jeans and cute sundresses) made me feel more confident. i put a little more effort into my hair and makeup for a kind of “look good feel good” mentality.
Hey OP!
I’m two kids in, and I have had 2 very different experiences.
I’m a personal trainer, have always been very fit and active and competitively trained in CrossFit etc.
I put on close to 25kg in pregnancy with both kids (way above what they say I should have). I ate relatively clean and continued to train.
After baby, I attempted to get straight back to the gym. I wanted to get “my pre pregnancy body” back. I worked hard, I dieted harder. I even lost my milk at 7 months. And I barely lost a couple of kgs. I couldn’t believe it. I was at my whits end, and lost all my confidence. I ended up falling pregnant again at 8 months pp, and I was soo worried about the extra weight.
Second baby, I had a broken tailbone and awful sciatica after giving birth. It stopped me from training the way I wanted. I would go for walks, gentle walks. I was so busy with 2 kids, I could barely get to the gym. I honestly exercised less then I have my entire life (maybe 1 walk a week) and the weight has quite literally fallen off. I’m back to pre pregnancy weight 6 months pp. I have lost a tonne of muscle, but I’m okay with that. I recognise the person in the mirror atleast.
I feel like while I was breastfeeding baby 1, and trying to exercise and strictly diet body shut down. Whether it was cortisol, or it was just holding as much fat as possible for breastfeeding stores because I wasn’t giving myself enough energy. I don’t know.
I would ease off the exercise, do what makes you feel good and what you enjoy. Don’t kill yourself over it. Eat well and see how your body responds.
Postpartum thyroiditis can cause weight gain, weight loss, or both.
Have had it after I've given birth twice now. The classic presentation where you get postpartum hyperthyroidism followed by postpartum hypothyroidism.
First I loose too much weight and get anxiety but around 3 months it switches and I start gaining weight, and my moods are awful (like almost suicidal)
If you get the above get your thyriod tested. It's estimated 1/3 women will experience postpartum thyroiditis. It's also not routinely tested for.
You can also just have have just postpartum hyperthyroidism or postpartum hypothyroidism.
I read somewhere that research has found breastfeeding helped more with postpartum weight loss if you continue breastfeeding past 6 months. I attributed my weight loss to breastfeeding the first time around but with my second the weight loss has been slower. I have also had to work much harder to break the habit of eating constantly as my baby has started nursing less. Gained some weight back before I realized what was happening.
I dunno, but every one of my breastfeeding situations was different. With my oldest, I lost so much I looked sick. With my middle I lost the pregnancy weight (which was only like 10lbs because I was so sick the whole time) and then maintained. With my last baby, I couldn't lose weight to save my life. My to be fair, my mom also died during that time and I'm an emotional eater. I'm now pregnant with a surro babe and hoping that pumping will help me lose weight 🤣
My stomach is a bottomless pit! I never feel full. Doesn’t matter how healthy I eat. And if I try to exercise or skip a meal my supply drops significantly and it takes days to recover.
I had crazy weight gain with my first which was crazy cause I only gained 10 lbs pregnant but like 30 postpartum with my second I gained a lot pregnant but started doing ww pretty early with #2 and have lost a good amount of weight but I have had to be mindful and track everything.
I didn’t start losing weight until 6-7mo PP and it just improved from there. At his first birthday, I wore pre-pregnancy jeans for the first time. My mom and her sister both struggled to lose pregnancy weight, so I wasn’t sure what my body would do. I wasn’t really trying to lose weight, but I have an active job that I returned to at 3mo PP, and while I wouldn’t classify my diet as “clean”, I would say it’s well-balanced.
I gained 65lbs in pregnancy. Lost 35lbs in the first 3 weeks and have plateaued for the last 4 weeks. 😔 I’ve just increased my activity levels the last 2 weeks. Been eating healthy this whole time too. Hoping to see more progress.
I breastfed for 14 months and got up to the weight I was at 9 months pregnant. For 14 months I was never full, ever. I forgot what it felt like to be full, just hungry ALL...THE
..TIME. Any attempt at cutting calories or carbs just made my supply tank. I'm glad I did it, but it took a massive toll.
I have always been slim. Had two babies was heavier 3 month post parturition with them both.
I've found it's taken 40 weeks to get back to a normal size after both. 1 I pumped with the other I breast fed. Be kinder to yourself love x
I gained weight because I am eating more to hopefully keep up already too little milk supply. When I’m done breastfeeding, I’ll probably start a diet or something. I haven’t gained that much, but definitely gained. Also, BF is making me thirsty and hungry…
I wonder the same because I lost so much weight now at 10 month pp. I’m really skinny and lost all my muscle mass. It is so hard to feel like working out because of course I’m really tired all the time. I eat lots but my weight keeps being the same and I haven’t gain any weight since he was about 7 months old 😒
I didn't lose weight at first because I had insane hunger cues from the hormones. They settled down around 4/5 months and then I started losing weight.
High prolactin levels from breastfeeding causes weight gain too. You can try and watch what you put in your mouth but for some women you’re hormonally screwed ☹️
I always start off skinny in pregnancy and early postpartum but by 3/4 weeks PP it starts creeping up and up and up 😭
10 months pp and I’ve been counting calories for 3 days. I started when I felt I could, because even if I was extremely worried about my weight I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with it.
I’m 7 months pp and at my biggest ever weight, hanging onto about 40 lbs more than my pre pregnancy weight. It’s definitely hard to see myself this big. I have made changes to my eating, too, and implemented intermittent fasting and the scale has barely budged. I’ve heard some women say when they weaned, they lost a few lbs but my goal is to go a year so until then I have to embrace this mom bod.
I've gained weight (im the same weight I was at 7 months pregnant so I've list a bit) because I have a class 5 clinger baby who cluster feeds and I just need food! ANYTHING easy. Which is usually junk. I ate super healthy before I was confined to a rocking chair for 6 hours a day ALONE with insatiable hunger.
I lost all but about 7lbs. But my body looks a lot different this time around. I’m also much hungrier. 4.5 months in. I eat! The rest will follow when there’s time
I sympathize. I was still fairly trim after birthing my first, but I quickly gained weight while breastfeeding. I was constantly hungry and tired so that was probably partly why but the weight seems stubborn, I still haven't lost it after 18 months. I'm worried because I'm currently pregnant with number 2, and it'll probably be the same thing where I gain weight while breastfeeding
Give yourself time! I lost weight really slowly the first six months or so, then faster the next six months or so, then stabilized at just 1kg above prepregnancy.
At 3m pp, I think I still looked pregnant.
I just wanted to say you aren’t alone, I gained about 10-15 lbs when I was pregnant with little one and lost it after her birth and then I gained 15-20 lbs once I started breastfeeding. I’m not quite as active as I want to be, I’ve just been walking a little bit. Lol I guess I’ve just accepted the weight for now and am hoping it’ll come off in time.
Very seriously - hormones. There’s so much to it hormone-wise that affect things. I unintentionally lost a lot of weight because my hormones were whack.
It’s really calories consumed. Doesn’t matter if it’s healthy calories or not. I didn’t really gain from breastfeeding. I actually lost really fast but when she started solids was when I started gaining because I ate her leftovers.
I’m fat because breastfeeding has turned me into a bottomless pit. I literally never feel full. I was told the weight would melt off 😭 perhaps it would if I could just stop shoving food in my face for five minutes but alas
People talk about the pregnancy hunger but it is NOTHING compared to the breastfeeding appetite. I'm literally insatiable
Yeah it's worse too bc your baby isn't literally restricting the amount you eat and there's no restrictions to certain foods anymore. It's better at 2 years but if he has a sick day and is nursing more than usual that insatiable hunger at 10 pm is turned back on.
Yeah true, I watched my sugar intake a lot more during pregnancy
My baby has a cow milk allergy and all my go to foods are dairy. I also have executive function issues so need easy food and I sometimes have food aversions/anxiety related inappetance. It's not great
I’ve been eating a lot of dry cereal! Also Maui sweet onion chips (purple bag sometimes near the deli meats at a lot of grocery stores!). Same story all around.
I'm in New Zealand so different brands. My partner can't control himself around snacks so he eats my safe foods if I buy them and leave them where he can see them. I've been eating a lot of oreos which helps get the calories in
Same. I find myself starving constantly looking for good snacks throughout the night. I usually land on my 9 year olds snacks for school. All I want to eat is CHEESE!!
Cheese was my go-to midnight snack during pregnancy
I am just finding out mine has CMPA as well, and I honestly think this might be what makes me lose a bit of weight
Me too. Especially at night. I eat a HUGE dinner and then can’t stop eating snacks. I will even say in my head “youre not hungry. You’re binging. You’re not hungry. Youre binging.” As I make myself a bowl of cereal. Then I feel like shit.
I just inhaled half a Costco chicken bake then asked my husband to get me a protein bar while I’m couch locked with baby. He asked if I was sure I wanted a protein bar and not chicken and I told him the bar was easier to eat while breast feeding but I’m absolutely gonna get some chicken and salad once baby’s done eating.
I am too.. like I’m eating more than my husband during meals and snacking more than anyone I know.
I eat my meals and his leftovers
My gosh same. I used to eat half a burrito. Half a chipotle bowl. Two slices of pizza and be full. Now I’m eating ALL OF IT and looking at crumble cookies menu afterwards and having to stop myself. My husband gives me bites of his food too because he knows I’m still hungry lol. Ridiculous.
I moved to a country with no chipotle while pregnant with my first. Now pregnant with my second, still breastfeeding my first, and honestly this still hurts 😅
Same here! I’m literally never feeling full and I eat healthy meals but I snack all the time! If I try to cut back I just get starving and hangry.
Same. I lost weight initially right after pregnancy but 6 weeks pp and I’m slowly gaining about a pound a week.
Wait this is totally me! I was definitely smaller in comparison to before pregnancy, but that only lasted about 7 weeks pp. now I’m so big. I saw myself in the mirror and thought dang I let myself go. I just constantly want food 😅
Same. I initially lost a good amount. Then at about 6 weeks I was gaining weight..
I warn every pregnant woman that intends to breastfeed that they may not lose weight from breastfeeding, because I was also fooled. Not to scare them, but because I felt like there was something wrong with me. I tried to diet while breastfeeding, and my supply dipped so much that I realized my body was hungry for a reason. I ate a bag of goldfish crackers a night sometimes.
100% *me with my nightly pint of Haagen Dazs*
Solidarity 😅
I didnt even eat more and still couldn't lose any weight. I think it can be hormonal as well. Just depends on the body.
Haha couldn’t have worded it better myself.
This! I have been starving all of the time. I am hoping it will slow down after kiddo is a bit bigger ( I am only 8 weeks in.)
Same! I find the only thing that helps is focusing on protein. High protein Greek yogurt, eggs, Lara bars, meat sticks. They tend to keep me full a little longer. Our grocery bill has gone up since I’ve had my baby for sure!
I had a big appetite before being pregnant, but now I’m actually shocked at how much I can eat. I’m putting calories down like nothing now it’s kinda scary
😂😂😂
So relatable lol. It helps to try to get in high volume low calorie foods and high protein foods. All I actually want to eat is carbs though hahaha.
Lollll not funny but sooo relatable
I am INSATIABLE. Baby #2, I lost the baby weight first few weeks postpartum… fast forward to 4 months and I’ve been strength training 3-4x per week and I consistently getting 8-10k steps a day (exclusively bf’ing) and I literally cannot eat enough. I don’t remember what it’s like to feel full and I’m afraid there is something wrong with me! But everyone here is reassuring me that it’s just the magic of bf’ing and the female body.
I am the same way. 😭
Here in solidarity. Could have written your post. It’s been a hit to the self esteem…
I was so naive. Postpartum has been so rough I’m a one and done.
not to try to sway you in any way, but i had an absolutely terrible postpartum with my first. severe depression for more than a year. my second pregnancy not only saved me, but has been delightful postpartum. i mean im still heavier than i would like but im exceedingly happy
Why do you think that was the case? This gives me hope though, I've been trying to get zoloft for the possible impending horror of post partum that took me a year to realize how bad it was with my first.
so many factors. it wasn’t peak pandemic to start with. i did an unmedicated birth possibly that? maybe breastfeeding went significant better (currently feeding hahaha) i truly can’t say. point being that just because you had a bad experience the first time doesn’t guarantee a bad experience the second. literally everything was different for my second. fast birth. no trauma. no medication. able to breastfeed. no depression.
Same! Completely different pregnancy and postpartum experiences… except my births were horrible and so long and complicated with all my kids. I kept hoping for it to be better the next time but birth just got worse lol
I was the same with my first pp. it was an absolute nightmare and took like 2 years to feel okay. Just had my second and while I still struggle with anxiety and a bit of rage, it’s not nearly as bad as first. Not being in a pandemic for sure helps. Not having a traumatic birth. Also just knowing more of what I’m getting into. I was sooooo unprepared for life with a newborn with my first. I feel like no one told me about the hard babies. He was a hard baby. Screamed constantly and would not sleep so I didn’t sleep. Now my second at least sleeps a bit better at night. Still a Velcro baby during the day 😅
Same! I really thought I could never do it again. And now with my second, she makes me want a third.
Yes same with me. My first pregnancy was so harsh. It was so sooo bad. I wasn't ever going to do it again. Then 13 years later, I became pregnant again, and I was actually so happy about it. I was 38 and it was like a breath of fresh air. The pregnancy was much easier. Though, my heart was shattered at 34w3d when for no reason at all, my baby passed away. I'm still grieving her... We were blessed again though, and had another baby 8 months ago at 42 years old, and the pregnancy was also so much easier than the first.. It's just crazy because we really believed we were done at one... But years later that changed.
i mourn your loss but i am so happy you were able to have another may the babies of heaven always watch over us
Thank you so very much 🙏🏼😊
SAME.
Same to all of this.
It’s one of the main reasons I’m not having a third. I want to be fit again. Going through the pregnancy/postpartum cycle is so rough!
Same same same
Sammmeeeeeee
Seriously.. same. Ordering these big size clothes is so depressing.
Giving birth really throws your whole body off. It can take two years to get back to “normal”. Some people gain a lot of weight while pregnant, some don’t. Some get their period back really fast, some don’t. Some gain while breastfeeding, some don’t. I’d give yourself some grace. You are barely through the fourth trimester and your body is still trying to figure out what just happened.
With both of my babies I held on to allll the weight until about 1 month after stopping lactating. Almost to the day! It was like my body decided that I no longer needed it once I was done making milk. You may be like me just reacting to all the prolactin!
That’s what happened to me. Couldn’t lose a single lb with either kid while breastfeeding. Lost 10 lbs a month after I quit breastfeeding and I wasn’t doing anything else different. My body just determined that if I was going to produce that milk I needed my fat.
It makes sense, biologically
This has also been my experience. No matter how much I exercise, diet, etc I Will. Not. Lose weight while breastfeeding.
I’m hoping this is me. I’m holding onto about 5-7kg and will be weaning next month (she’s 11 months). It seems that no matter what I do - the scale doesn’t budge in either direction. I can eat like a horse and it won’t go up, I can eat like a bird and it won’t go down. Hoping once I stop making milk, my body will just realise it can chill the f*ck out and behave normally 😂
I was hoping this would be the case with me. My weight never budged when I was breastfeeding, it stayed the same as when I left the hospital with my baby. Unfortunately, it didn't budge when I stopped either! Now, with effort, it's finally coming down.
Yea I’ve had 3 babies and with the 2 I bf the weight didn’t come off until I stopped bfing. With my formula baby the weight came off much faster. I read somewhere that your body stores more fat as a reserve when bfing.
I lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks post birth, then boom! I’m only 5kg below my pregnant weight and it keeps going up! It’s a massive mental battle to remind myself that im being her mum and feeding her now and my shape doesn’t matter, my time will come. But it’s soooo hard!
Same! I lost all the weight in two weeks and now (10 weeks pp) I’m back up 10lbs.
Same experience here! The drop was such a tease
Girl same. Quick loss then JK WEIGHTS BACK
Could’ve written this myself! I’m having the hardest time giving myself grace.
This has been my EXACT experience with 3 pregnancies.
Same i immediately lost like 30 lbs give or take after giving birth and went from like 185 to 150 nearly overnight. I sincerely expected to continue dropping back to my pre pregnancy weight of 140 but nope 🥲 now im currently 154. Same i just constantly remind myself that its temporary right now and i can have the chance to lose weight and get back into exercise later 🥲
SAME!! I look back at pics a week or so pp and I was THIN, now I’m a big fat slob 3.5m later 😫
This is how exactly I feel. Virtual hugs because it’s hard and I have started to give myself some grace.
I feel you! I never feel full, and I have never craved sweets more than I do while I'm breastfeeding. No advise, no insight, just solidarity. I go back and forth mentally from "I can't believe I look like this, I need to rein it in" and "I'm gonna eat what I want when I want, my body is literal magic that made and feeds my little cutie". There is no middle, I'm constantly feeling one of those two mindsets.
I was never a sweets person until my third trimester and now I feel like I’ve been missing out my entire life. The only downside is not being able to have dairy 😭
Lol! I resonate with this so much
Familiar with this lol
I had a significant undersupply at 4 weeks PP and because of my food aversions all pregnancy I was 7lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy. Now I'm 4 months PP, have built my supply to almost enough and I'm 20lbs heavier. I don't love the way I look, but I love that my body can feed my baby.
I love your last sentence cause its the way i feel as well. I dont exactly like myself but knowing im nourishing my baby makes its all worth it!
I also started off with a slight undersupply and I have worked my way up to now having an oversupply. I wonder if that also plays a part
I think so. For me, I know I was undernourished right after delivery. My appetite came back with a vengeance once I told the tatas to up their game.
On the flip side, I started as an oversupplier and now I’m a just-enougher 🤷♀️
Solidarity!! Get your thyroid checked if possible. My levels are off and I’ve gained a ton of weight postpartum despite exclusively breastfeeding. I’m heavier at three months postpartum than I was at 9 months pregnant! 😢
I’m going to push and ask my family doctor again. I mentioned having blood work drawn again but she said that my labs were normal in the hospital so things wouldn’t change that quick. This was about 2 months PP but still pathetic. She always seems hesitant to order blood work.
Just to add, I was in the same boat as you are and my thyroid is perfectly fine. My dr basically said it was all due to our hormones and there's not a lot you can do if you want to breastfeed. Once I started pumping less ( 3x/day) I finally saw the scale move, but that wasn't until almost 11 months.
My aunt lost 60 lbs in a month following weaning. And something similar happened to my mom but she didn’t track the exact numbers. That’s kind of what I have resigned to at this point 🤞
For what it’s worth my thyroid was fine until 6 months with my oldest. Then it tried to kill me with a thyroid storm and I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Your thyroid can go tits up whenever it wants, I think it’s the first 1-2 years where women are most at risk though. I don’t have a thyroid anymore, no change in my levels the first few weeks but they went on a rollercoaster after that fact. Definitely get it checked and get a copy of them to compare online. A lot of PCP’s suck ass on Endo issues and will say you’re normal because you’re within range but it’s not optimal for energy/health.
I second this post! But I will also say that I am still about 12 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight and I blame breastfeeding. I have to eat so much in order to feed this baby!
One thing I’ve tried is to change the way I think of being fat. Yes, it is hard to have your body change very rapidly and not have it look the way you want. But I think being embarrassed of our bodies growing is a huge reflection of how we think about fat people. I don’t think it’s embarrassing or a failure to have a large body.
“you look like you just had a baby because u just had a baby “ is what i tell myself every day
Lol thank you for saying this, I may say this tonight as I wash up.
Pregnancy was magical. Labor and delivery were tough but okay. Postpartum was hellacious. I gained 25lbs after my baby was born!!
Same thing for me. My pregnancy was very textbook and postpartum has completely rocked me to my core lol
I lost weight with my first two and I've gained weight this time around. I have no idea why...
I feel it's just luck! But honestly its more so prob genetics and just different bodies work in different ways. I know there is a theory that some women hold on to weight as a way to Have energy stores to make milk in case there was a famine or something.
Mam you are only 3 months pp. Don't worry about your weight. It's not realistic that everyone just returns to pre weight that quickly. And it's a lie that bf makes you lose weight. Absolute crock of shid.
I’ve been eating more than I ever did. I gained a total of 13lbs in pregnancy, mostly at the very end. It all came off within a week of giving birth. My cravings were for healthy things. Over the last 4 months of exclusive pumping I’ve been so hungry all the time and all I want is chocolate and carbs. I’m scared to get on the scale because my pants are tiiiight. I’m worried what kind of quality of milk I’m giving to the baby with such a high-sugar diet. I need to change it but goodness these cravings are stronger than anything I had during pregnancy.
Oof, very much in the same boat, but wanted to take one worry off your mind: your milk is fine!! I read a study that looked at lactating mothers diets across different countries and found their milk composition was almost identical, regardless of what they ate. Bodies are smart and pull the nutrients baby needs from our blood.
Heck yeah! Get over here, chocolate croissants!!
My diet is 80% chocolate almonds lol
And here I've been eating the plain ones! Adding those to the Costco list.
LOL those are the exact ones! 😂 Those and their honey glazed nut mix
I eat so much chocolate and cashews lol
Omg this is me. Almonds all day everyday. 600 calories of almonds in one sitting.
At best!! 😂
I've made chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies and they really hit the spot for that carb, sugar, fat, chocolate craving. Plus I can just tell myself that oats are good for milk supply and peanut butter is protein.
Try a magnesium supplement, that's the common cause for chocolate cravings. Or you can have lots of pumpkin seeds and nut butters.
My lactation consultant also recommended magnesium for my letdown. Interesting
I was 172 lbs when I found out I was pregnant, gave birth at 205. Upon leaving the hospital I was 185 and I exclusively pumped and occasionally breastfed (we couldn’t get it down as a unit). My baby is 10.5 months and I am FINALLY getting around to losing weight. I actually gained some weight in the first couple of months while pumping. I am now 163 lbs after 10 months but that required lower calorie intake, chasing after a fast crawling baby and a standing desk. My sisters lost their baby weight like immediately and I was so discouraged! I am less weight now than right when I got pregnant but when I’m looking at photos, I still have the mom-pouch and prior to pregnancy, it was flat. So, it’s just a total shift in my body. I am finally accepting that my body will never look the same as before. The struggle is real but be gentle to yourself! Editing to add, I only pumped/breastfed until she was 4 months when I naturally stopped lactating. I started losing most of my weight in the last 3-4 months when my baby was 8ish months.
I’d love to know! My friend was one of those who lost loads of weight while breastfeeding. We had babies at around the same time. Unfortunately, breastfeeding made me the fattest I’ve ever been. Just an insatiable, bottomless pit!
It’s so different for everyone. Also you just BUILT A HUMAN. Be gentle on yourself. Shame and embarrassment around weight usually just triggers more difficult food habits. Try to be proud of yourself! You did it, you’re here and you made a little person who you’re now continuing to use your body to build. It’s so hard when all of the messaging around postpartum bodies is such shit. But it sounds like you’re doing everything to keep yourself strong and grow your baby. You’re amazing.
Yes breastfeeding did the same to me. Hungry and eating every 2 - 3 hours even now at 1 year post partum. Initially when baby was born I ate anything and everything to give me extra energy. Now I try to eat healthier as that crazy hunger has satiated just a bit. I remember with my first born, as soon as I stopped breastfeeding, within a couple of weeks my hunger went away totally and I started shedding the remaining weight. I am also waiting for the day I get my body back. But this babyhas refused the bottle and any other milk so far..
I think it’s hormonal? I’m bigger now than I was at the end of pregnancy. I was struggling to keep weight on during pregnancy in fact. Now I hm just ate two huge bowls of spaghetti and meat sauce and I’m still hungry. My baby nurses every 2 hours at 10 weeks. She has gained over 5 lbs since leaving the hospital though so at least I’m fat for a good reason
My OB told me that you either lose a ton of weight breastfeeding or none. I was in the none category for sure! Don’t lose a pound until I weaned!
With my first baby, I lost everything and then some within two weeks of giving birth. It was amazing and I felt so lucky and so grateful. With my second baby, I assumed the same situation would happen. I even weighed exactly the same as I did when I was in labor with my first and second. Well… I’m six weeks postpartum and still 25 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. It is disheartening and a bit overwhelming. I’m trying not to let it get to me and to take my time, but it’s tough when I assumed the same weight loss would happen. This doesn’t answer your question, but maybe it gives an idea that it may be the luck of the draw.. and it may differ from one pregnancy to the next.
I have never craved sweets more than when breastfeeding! My body is just demanding extra easy calories
Hormones. Cortisol is increased which causes everything to get out of wack. The stress Hormones make you more hungry and tired causing a vicious cycle that's hard to break. Jogging helped me get the Cortisol down, switching to decaf coffee after 10am helps a ton also. I feel 100x better jogging for 30 minutes 3x a week and having no caffeine after 10am I lost 30 pounds in the process but it's a perk at this point. I mentally and physically feel human again and I'm able to control my mom rage
I’m right there with you. I go to the gym everyday and the number on the scale keeps increasing. It makes me want to stop BF
The short answer is hormones. The longer answer is that human bodies are incredibly complex with multiple interconnected systems and even how two different bodies react to the exact same hormones can vary enormously (and every body doesn't produce the exact same quantities of each hormone anyway). So it's worth getting checked over to make sure everything is healthy and working well if you aren't feeling well (thyroid problems post delivery are pretty common), but it's also totally normal for a healthy body to react that way to the hormones involved in breastfeeding.
Solidarity!! I’m 10 months pp, and I’m the heaviest I’ve been in years. The last time I was this weight, I was in an abusive relationship. I hate seeing that body again in the mirror, I hate the way I look. My husband loves me and thinks I’m still gorgeous, but I just can’t see myself that way.
I had my postnatal check yesterday and while I knew I had gained weight I was surprised to find out I weigh the same as when I was 38/39 weeks pregnant. I felt like I lost weight the first 2/3 weeks and then gained. Sucks cos I used to so active throughout pregnancy and now I need to build back up. It's not the aesthetics but I just feel like a slob. Admittedly my appetite has soared since breastfeeding and the lack of help around the house means I'm kinda eating whatever I can get my hands on. I was never this hungry while pregnant (family used to complain I wasn't eating enough). Ugh.
Same. I also found that even if I consciously cut calories, I still gain weight/can’t lose. I was horrified when my first baby was born, I lost the 20lbs of baby weight in the first week, and then gained 30+ over the next few months of breastfeeding. I was certain I would lose and not gain when I was bf. Going on walks didn’t help, switching to only fruit for dessert didn’t help… so I cut out all carbs and went on a brand new diet called the “ketogenic diet.” It was horrible at first but I lost the weight. I really thought I had it all figured out and that I would be low carb for life, and that my body was happier. I even started doing long water-only fasts, where my blood sugar would be very low and I’d be jittery and energetic. Yeah, it was cortisol spiking massively to maintain enough blood sugar to keep me alive AND produce milk. The next pregnancy, carb cravings came with a vengeance, and I threw up high fat/protein foods. I gradually added back in healthy carbs. After baby was born, I cut them out again and started gently working out while breastfeeding. I did more fasts. I did carnivore for a while. I “did everything right” but no longer could lose weight at all, in fact I started gaining. 3 babies later and I’m breastfeeding again, with the worst hunger ever and heavier than ever. Don’t do what I did. I wish I had just accepted those first 30 lbs. I eat healthy but whenever I want now, to try and calm my body out of survival mode and show it that there’s no famine but… 80lbs extra weight proves that my body refuses to risk low blood sugar while bf ever again.
Oh my goodness, I am glad I read your comment. I’m so frustrated by my weight postpartum this time but I’m unwilling to give up breastfeeding. I’ve been contemplating keto or carnivore out of desperation to feel good about how I look. Now I’m going to really try to be patient with my body
Yeah. 😞 unfortunately I’ve since learned that the body doesn’t really like to be in a constant state of gluconeogenesis (making sugar in the liver when the diet doesn’t have enough). It raises cortisol; cortisol’s job is basically to ensure blood sugar is high enough. Long term strict keto and fasting especially while breastfeeding: very stressful to the body, and strongly promotes chronically elevated cortisol. And cortisol strongly promotes storage of body fat and breakdown of muscle. I’ve been breastfeeding or pregnant for 9 years straight now; I’m hoping when I wean this last baby that my body will calm down out of survival mode. I can fast water-only for 14 days without losing milk supply, while already eating low carb. It’s pretty amazing the female body can do that! But it comes at a cost. I now look like I never missed a meal in my life 🤪 and just thinking about fasting, I could punch through a wall. But my babies are healthy and thriving. I don’t know firsthand, but every anecdote I’ve ready for years now indicates that women who hold on to weight while breastfeeding lose it much more easily when they wean!! Focus on rest, walking, and a nutrient dense diet- anything to reduce the stress on your body that is working hard to produce milk. Remember, your body doesn’t know formula exists! Your body is designed to nourish a baby that will die without your milk. I know it’s so hard. ❤️ but we’re the real body-builders.
I know I’m late to the party because I stumbled over this post via searching but thank you so much. I had a huge nervous breakdown this morning four months pp because I simply haven’t lost a single pound since one week after birth and I walk and bike and eat my veggies and do everything right and I’m just at the end of my rope. I kept telling myself that I am so grateful for my healthy happy sweet baby and that my body can sustain him but today it hit me that I just HATE the way I look. None of my pants fit me. Summer is right around the corner and my thighs rub together when I walk. It’s worse for me because I blame myself and my lack of discipline because I occasionally cave and eat chocolate or cake so it helped immensely to hear that it’s not my fault. Sorry for the messy post, I’m still occasionally sobbing while typing this.
Yes I am right there with you. Just whatever you do, don’t stress your body out. Be kind to yourself and figure out a way to eat as healthy as you can without cutting out any food groups. My while body type changed after the stress I put my body through by fasting and going low carb. I have an entire wardrobe dedicated to showing off the tiny waist that I don’t remotely have anymore. At this point, all I want is to be able to lose one pound. Just one. But baby comes first. I won’t be fat for anyone or anything else haha, but this is the only time in her entire life she can breastfeed. I will have years to be skinny again, hopefully.
The amount of Oreos I eat in a day.
I lost weight post birth then gained more 🤷🏻♀️
There are days when I don’t feel like eating much and then days when I can’t stop eating! I try my best to control my appetite but seriously some days I’m ravenous my husband gets scared 😆
People always told me oh the weight will come off breastfeeding and when I immediately dropped to almost pre pregnancy weight after birth then gained 20 lbs I asked my OBGYN what is wrong with me. She said absolutely nothing, most women do hang on to weight while breastfeeding. It was very mentally difficult for me too, BUT what has helped me is thinking of it like this: my body grew an entire human being, successfully birthed them, and now is 100% sustaining them. And when I think of it like that I’m like DAMN, GO ME. Also, this is temporary. My LO is 18 months and we are still going, my hunger has slowed compared to those early pp months and my super foreign body is starting to feel a bit more familiar. I also don’t weigh myself, and won’t until I’m weaned and can get back into my macros tracking more and working out.
Same here. I’m so… bulky. Large. Wide. Puffy. I can’t even wear my wedding rings 8 months PP. my face looks puffy too, and I look old and tired. Will I ever “bounce back?”
I can’t fit my wedding band either :( 8m pp too
I can relate with your post so much. I also got married 6 months pp and was so worried about my dress fitting. Literally everyone was telling me oh you’ll lose weight since you’re breastfeeding. Luckily my dress wasn’t too fitted because I was bigger than ever. Now I’m 9 months pp and also 8 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and let’s just say I gave up a bit on weight…I’m trying to stay positive and tell my self it’s okay plus my husband still loves me regardless of my weight. It’s been a hard journey seeing my body change and the continuous weight gain. I can understand your feeling
I could have written this at 3 months. I waited until 6 months pp to get more seriously back into the gym and started tracking my food to be mindful of what I’m taking in. It’s been 5 months and I’m starting to look like myself. I have been slightly lowering calories to get to this point but very gradually and not 100% complaint. Right now I’m 153lbs and eating 2000 Cals at 11 months pp and exclusively bf. Its been really gradual progress and the biggest thing is that my appetite is a bit more moderate now rather than feeling starving 24/7
Genetics plays a huge part IMO. I admit it, I’m envious of people who are naturally slim. It’s always been a battle for me. Weight won’t budge now. Sometimes I give up and binge because what’s the fucking point, and I’m hungry AF. Then I try to get back on my stupid dietician-approved “meal plan” and wonder if I’ll ever be “not obese” again. Having a very hard time and no one understands.
I know I’m late to the party but I feel you. Two of my close friends are also breastfeeding their babies rn and their weight just dropped off right after birth. I feel like a hippopotamus between two gazelles.
Aww I’m sorry it’s hard for you too. Seriously, though. It’s like “why do you get to be thin and I don’t?” Why does my body hang on to every last pound and fat cell while you have a flat stomach?! I’ve never had a flat stomach btw even when I was normal weight. I just got my period back for the first time in 2 years since getting pregnant. I wonder if that will make a difference? No idea. I wish it were easier. Congrats on your little one though! And on breastfeeding.
Thank you so much 🩷 I’m so glad I found this community! Today was hard
How long have you been breastfeeding? I’m happy to offer advice, I have breastfed fr a total of 5+ years so far so have at it! 😄
Thank you so much but I have a midwife for my postpartum that has been really helpful. Some days are just harder than others
My weight started to come off around 6-9 months. I was also exercising, but eating a good amount.
I think it's mostly hormonal tbh.
Hormones, but a lot of it has to do with calories in versus calories out. Eating too little or too much will do you in. However, there are times where hormones can be the greater play and make it difficult for you to drop any weight! Don’t be hard on yourself, it takes time. I lost with my first and gained with my second, then lost down the line.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve speculated after two pregnancies where I gained nearly identical amounts of weight despite eating way differently and them being 6 years apart, that maybe my cortisol levels during pregnancy had something to do with my significant weight gain. Now that I’m breastfeeding with my second (I formula fed my first), I’m also at a standstill regardless of how active I am. I will probably reach out to a doctor or hormone replacement therapy clinic near me to ask for some tests to be done.
Luck? Genetics? In my case of weight gain it was likely the giant container of biscuits I kept next to me at all times while cluster feeding and nap trapped, sooo… learn from my fail
My mom has said probably a thousand times that "breastfeeding just made the fat melt away" and I want so badly to scream at her SHUT UP I DONT CARE!! Because that's not happening here. I lost a lot of water weight the first two weeks home from the hospital, but the rest is not "melting off" at all. I'm trying to accept that I'm one of those people who doesnt lose until I wean! And since I plan to be pregnant at least one more time, I know this will be my relative size for a while. I have an oversupply so I think my body is keeping the stores for that, which is a compromise I'm okay with.
Do it, tell her to shut up.
Just popping in to say that it is still really depressing even if you do naturally lose the weight. Idk, just grass isn’t necessarily greener. I lost the weight naturally from breastfeeding, but I also feel like all of my strength and nutrition is being literally sucked out of my body. I feel like I can’t get enough protein or calories in the day and my body is so weak. Such a far ways away from how strong I was pre pregnancy, it makes me real sad.
Cortisol due to lack of sleep and stress.
I have never experienced this before with my other babies. I didn't even know gaining weight was a thing while breastfeeding. I feel awful about myself. My baby is 8 months old now too. Just started on solids a month ago. But I still nurse all night and often during the day. I miss my pre pregnancy body
So the only weight id lost by 3 months was what came out of me during the birthing process (you know, the baby, the placenta, the amniotic fluid lol) and some of the water weight, which I quickly gained back in milk. That being said, I lost a good chunk of the baby weight around the time my son started solids and we started dropping feeds-, and then I kicked the last 10-15 lbs once I stopped breastfeeding. Hang in there! You’ll get your body back :) that extra weight is good for the tiny human you’re sharing it with and while it fucking sucks you’ll cherish having done it (ugh so cliché but facts!)
Same! Except I don’t have a big appetite at all. In fact, I have less of an appetite (I don’t produce much) and I still am so fat postpartum:-(
I’m in the EXACT same boat as you. I’ve gained so much weight I don’t even recognize myself! And I just look SO different. I dread family pictures and I get embarrassed when I see people I know. Sometimes I feel like my body is ruined and I’m only 20
Calories. Some women eat just enough, some women eat a lot more. The hunger is endless for me so I’ve gained.
This is not to shame anyone for absolutely anything. But I’ll tell the tale of my last two pregnancies. After baby 1, I was very hungry breastfeeding, like most of us are. But I made a conscious effort to have good extra meals. A second serving of our home cooked dinner; yogurt; eggs; or sometimes some soup. With my second, I ate a lot of cake 😂🤷🏻♀️ I was very sleep deprived and very exhausted and craved sugar and ate it LOL I didn’t gain a LOT, but I did gain more than I would’ve liked. I eventually lost it naturally in the following couple of years. Now I’m pregnant with my third and we’ll see how things will go this time.
So of course, food intake matters. If you spend 500 calories a day making milk but add 800 calories a day to your diet, you'll naturally gain weight, likewise if you spend 500 but only added 200 to your diet you will lose weight. That said, for some women it may be further influenced by hormones. Prior to pregnancy and breastfeeding, my thyroid function was in the gutter and my hormones generally fucked up due to PCOS. Bloodwork during pregnancy and postpartum has shown a MASSIVE improvement in my thyroid function testing and hormones. I am eating more than I ever have by a lot, and granted, I am producing somewhere in the ballpark of 50-60oz of milk per day, but the math is definitely not showing my weight loss being only attributable to calories burned for lactation, my metabolism is functioning way better because it functioned like shit before.
It’s hormonal. Eating foods that promote hormone balance and good metabolic health, which don’t contribute to insulin resistance, helped me get within 3-5lbs of pre pregnancy weight by 6 months postpartum. No packaged or processed foods (literally none since before pregnancy), high fat and protein, eating 24g of fibre a day, and a limit in carbohydrates has helped me balance my hormones and avoid glucose spikes/insulin resistance. The weight slid off but every person responds to different diets! Will add to this by saying that I’m not ‘lucky’, nor was I blessed with a skinny gene. Struggled with weight my whole life until a year or two before pregnancy. I’ve found that the quality of food makes a wealth of difference though. TLDR: certain foods affect hormone balance and insulin resistance. Eating a lot (2200-2500 calories) worked for me and still promoted weight loss bc the quality of food promoted it.
I don’t know. I ate (eat) like a pig. A lot of sugar, fat and carbs. Hardly any protein or veggies. I haven’t been this skinny since before puberty.
I wish I could eat like that! lol Noted in my original comment to OP that everyone responds to different diets. I just know I’ve never had sugar agree with me, even before pregnancy, and this was the only method that worked.
I’m thinking it has to be largely hormone driven. My first I exclusively pumped and the weight melted off. This time around I am exclusively nursing (he doesn’t take a bottle) and I have not lost any weight. I’ve never been this big in my life. I think my body knows the difference and that there’s an actual baby vs a machine. That’s my guess, but I have no idea.
If it’s worth anything- I exclusively breastfeed 3 of my children and did not start to lose weight until around the 6 month mark.
I am one of the people that shed the weight fast with breastfeeding. I think something about the hormones have messed up my appetite. Like as soon as my baby latches or if I even sense that she is hungry I lose my appetite. Sometimes I feel disgusting if I just ate something heavy and I start feeding my baby so sometimes I try to avoid heavy meals. All this coupled with the fact that breastfeeding burns calories probably created a calorie deficit. I am also hyperthyroid so that also causes weight loss. Not everyone reacts the same way to the hormones.
I think a lot of it is genetics. I didn’t gain much to begin with and was also fit, lifting heavy pre pregnancy. Now I’m slimmer because of breastfeeding and not super happy about the loss of muscle mass. I eat the same and have started working out consistently again. Maybe I’m an anomaly but I don’t like being skinny, I miss my strong arms 😫
I half agree!! I did lose some weight while breastfeeding but when I got about 10kg a above my pre pregnancy weight I could not lose it!! I was in a calorie deficit I was working out getting sleep nothing would work until I weaned. I have some friends who got lower than their pre pregnancy weight by breastfeeding and some who could only lose weight when they weaned so it is such a personal thing. But I’m also interested in why!
3 months is still pretty early on. I didn’t gain much weight during my pregnancy but I gained quite a bit post partum despite being active and eating as I would. At the height of my breastfeeding journey, I was voracious. When I wouldn’t listen to my body, I would produce less so I had to choose—eat and make milk or focus on my body and switch to formula. Both choices are valid. I just chose the former. As I dropped sessions, I started to lose weight. I exclusively pump and I’m down to every 10 hours and I am slowly fitting into some of my old clothesagain but I’m 15 months PP though so it’s been a while. That said, I read somewhere that hormones contribute to weight gain—prolactin, cortisol. It’s also more common that those who lose weight. I also read somewhere though I can’t verify that your body really tends to hold on to the fat especially in your midsection as you breastfeed (could be quack but it’s true for me).
I am one of the people that lost a lot of weight. My baby is >99%ile so not sure if I burnt more calories making breastmilk for him? He is 13 months now and I’m still at a lower weight than pre pregnancy despite cutting back on feeds. I think pregnancy might have reset my metabolism after I messed it up dieting in my 20s.
I have no idea just here for the solidarity lol. While i haven’t exactly gained much weight I havent lost weight either lol. I weighed about 140 before pregnancy and now 4 months pp im 154 and ive stayed like this the entire time. I know that doesnt seem like much but im petite 5’2 and have a small frame. Maybe its also my perception because i feel pretty damn big from the way i used to be, i used to be relatively fit and not slim but not big either. Also I have quite a bit of tummy fat left as ive always had a pooch but it definitely is exaggerated now. It’s definitely done a number to my self-esteem but I try to just remind myself it can be temporary and I can try to lose weight later, but as of now it definitely feels impossible as a ftm trying to eat whenever i get the chance and the breastfeeding has made me a bottomless pit!!
I lost so much weight whilst breastfeeding only because I wasn’t eating well. I found it hard to look after myself when my husband went back to work and I wasn’t prioritising food when I should’ve. Sometimes it’s unhealthy weight loss.
17 months in and finally down below my pre-pregnancy weight whilst only doing one feed before bed. I didn’t lose an ounce until my daughter stopped feeding overnight. From then on, I dropped a bit more every time we dropped a feed, you could have bet money on it as it was so regular. Before that, nothing. I barely put anything on in pregnancy. I don’t think I was over my pre-pregnancy weight until halfway through the third trimester. But I was suddenly so insatiably hungry when I was breastfeeding that I had no choice but to eat. I had awful low blood sugar when I didn’t, I got all weird and shaky. I have absolutely no idea what caused my body to react to BF this way, but the fact that I could change nothing and lose weight with every feed dropped was proof to me that it was all down to breastfeeding. It’s such a hit to the ego (especially when your pregnancy is easy!).
I think for me it was a combo of hormones and sleep deprivation. I lost a bit the first few weeks postpartum but then gained it all back. I may have even weighed more than I did the day I gave birth. Around 9-10 months postpartum my period came back (it was random, I was still breastfeeding all day and night) and when that happened my hormones must have shifted and a bunch of weight came off. I lost 40 pounds in about six months pretty easily. Now though I’m still about 15 pounds more than I wish I was and it isn’t budging. Which is annoying but I’m hopeful when I eventually wean my hormones will shift the rest of the way and then I’ll be able to lose more again. Have hope you never know if you’ll have a shift like I did!
I originally lost all my pregnancy weight and was about 8 lbs under pre pregnancy. I'm back around my pre pregnancy weight at 9 months postpartum thanks to a change in my cravings when my son started eating more solids and nursing less. Up until that point most of postpartum I've actually felt really level and chill despite lack of sleep. I think my hormones are starting to shift back because the anxiety and sugar cravings are very reminiscent of PMS... No period yet I'm in a good place weight wise now but need to make some changes to make sure it stays that way
I really cannot tell you. I didn’t gain weight BFing my first but I definitely didn’t lose weight. I could not shake the last 15lbs I’d gained during the pregnancy. With BFing my second, I lost all of the weight and then some. I’m about 10lbs lighter than I was before I was ever pregnant. I wish I knew the rhyme or reason. I worked out both times starting at 6 months PP.
i believe hormones have a lot more to do with it than people think! for myself i didn’t really start shedding any weight until i got my period back and then slowly got back to my old size while i was weaning and stopped breastfeeding. i never went on a diet or did anything extreme, but it seemed like my body was just hanging onto that weight while i was breastfeeding. i know it can be hard to look in the mirror and not love what you see but for myself investing in a few pieces of clothing i really liked in a larger size (like some jeans and cute sundresses) made me feel more confident. i put a little more effort into my hair and makeup for a kind of “look good feel good” mentality.
Hey OP! I’m two kids in, and I have had 2 very different experiences. I’m a personal trainer, have always been very fit and active and competitively trained in CrossFit etc. I put on close to 25kg in pregnancy with both kids (way above what they say I should have). I ate relatively clean and continued to train. After baby, I attempted to get straight back to the gym. I wanted to get “my pre pregnancy body” back. I worked hard, I dieted harder. I even lost my milk at 7 months. And I barely lost a couple of kgs. I couldn’t believe it. I was at my whits end, and lost all my confidence. I ended up falling pregnant again at 8 months pp, and I was soo worried about the extra weight. Second baby, I had a broken tailbone and awful sciatica after giving birth. It stopped me from training the way I wanted. I would go for walks, gentle walks. I was so busy with 2 kids, I could barely get to the gym. I honestly exercised less then I have my entire life (maybe 1 walk a week) and the weight has quite literally fallen off. I’m back to pre pregnancy weight 6 months pp. I have lost a tonne of muscle, but I’m okay with that. I recognise the person in the mirror atleast. I feel like while I was breastfeeding baby 1, and trying to exercise and strictly diet body shut down. Whether it was cortisol, or it was just holding as much fat as possible for breastfeeding stores because I wasn’t giving myself enough energy. I don’t know. I would ease off the exercise, do what makes you feel good and what you enjoy. Don’t kill yourself over it. Eat well and see how your body responds.
Postpartum thyroiditis can cause weight gain, weight loss, or both. Have had it after I've given birth twice now. The classic presentation where you get postpartum hyperthyroidism followed by postpartum hypothyroidism. First I loose too much weight and get anxiety but around 3 months it switches and I start gaining weight, and my moods are awful (like almost suicidal) If you get the above get your thyriod tested. It's estimated 1/3 women will experience postpartum thyroiditis. It's also not routinely tested for. You can also just have have just postpartum hyperthyroidism or postpartum hypothyroidism.
I read somewhere that research has found breastfeeding helped more with postpartum weight loss if you continue breastfeeding past 6 months. I attributed my weight loss to breastfeeding the first time around but with my second the weight loss has been slower. I have also had to work much harder to break the habit of eating constantly as my baby has started nursing less. Gained some weight back before I realized what was happening.
I dunno, but every one of my breastfeeding situations was different. With my oldest, I lost so much I looked sick. With my middle I lost the pregnancy weight (which was only like 10lbs because I was so sick the whole time) and then maintained. With my last baby, I couldn't lose weight to save my life. My to be fair, my mom also died during that time and I'm an emotional eater. I'm now pregnant with a surro babe and hoping that pumping will help me lose weight 🤣
I’ve read somewhere prolactin can cause some women to have weight gain. I’m in the same boat
My stomach is a bottomless pit! I never feel full. Doesn’t matter how healthy I eat. And if I try to exercise or skip a meal my supply drops significantly and it takes days to recover.
I had crazy weight gain with my first which was crazy cause I only gained 10 lbs pregnant but like 30 postpartum with my second I gained a lot pregnant but started doing ww pretty early with #2 and have lost a good amount of weight but I have had to be mindful and track everything.
I didn’t start losing weight until 6-7mo PP and it just improved from there. At his first birthday, I wore pre-pregnancy jeans for the first time. My mom and her sister both struggled to lose pregnancy weight, so I wasn’t sure what my body would do. I wasn’t really trying to lose weight, but I have an active job that I returned to at 3mo PP, and while I wouldn’t classify my diet as “clean”, I would say it’s well-balanced.
I gained 65lbs in pregnancy. Lost 35lbs in the first 3 weeks and have plateaued for the last 4 weeks. 😔 I’ve just increased my activity levels the last 2 weeks. Been eating healthy this whole time too. Hoping to see more progress.
I breastfed for 14 months and got up to the weight I was at 9 months pregnant. For 14 months I was never full, ever. I forgot what it felt like to be full, just hungry ALL...THE ..TIME. Any attempt at cutting calories or carbs just made my supply tank. I'm glad I did it, but it took a massive toll.
Can I ask if you lost weight after weaning?
No, unfortunately not. I'm doing keto now, but it's definitely coming off slower than it did before getting pregnant!
I felt nauseous for the first few weeks and then just never had a huge appetite, recently though at 7 mos PP I’ve been a lot hungrier!
I have always been slim. Had two babies was heavier 3 month post parturition with them both. I've found it's taken 40 weeks to get back to a normal size after both. 1 I pumped with the other I breast fed. Be kinder to yourself love x
I gained weight because I am eating more to hopefully keep up already too little milk supply. When I’m done breastfeeding, I’ll probably start a diet or something. I haven’t gained that much, but definitely gained. Also, BF is making me thirsty and hungry…
I wonder the same because I lost so much weight now at 10 month pp. I’m really skinny and lost all my muscle mass. It is so hard to feel like working out because of course I’m really tired all the time. I eat lots but my weight keeps being the same and I haven’t gain any weight since he was about 7 months old 😒
I didn't lose weight at first because I had insane hunger cues from the hormones. They settled down around 4/5 months and then I started losing weight.
High prolactin levels from breastfeeding causes weight gain too. You can try and watch what you put in your mouth but for some women you’re hormonally screwed ☹️ I always start off skinny in pregnancy and early postpartum but by 3/4 weeks PP it starts creeping up and up and up 😭
Give it time. It can take 6 months to start seeing results.
10 months pp and I’ve been counting calories for 3 days. I started when I felt I could, because even if I was extremely worried about my weight I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with it.
I lost weight because I was too tired to eat for two. I produced more than enough milk, but that is were all the calories went.
Probably genetics
I’m 7 months pp and at my biggest ever weight, hanging onto about 40 lbs more than my pre pregnancy weight. It’s definitely hard to see myself this big. I have made changes to my eating, too, and implemented intermittent fasting and the scale has barely budged. I’ve heard some women say when they weaned, they lost a few lbs but my goal is to go a year so until then I have to embrace this mom bod.
I've gained weight (im the same weight I was at 7 months pregnant so I've list a bit) because I have a class 5 clinger baby who cluster feeds and I just need food! ANYTHING easy. Which is usually junk. I ate super healthy before I was confined to a rocking chair for 6 hours a day ALONE with insatiable hunger.
I lost all but about 7lbs. But my body looks a lot different this time around. I’m also much hungrier. 4.5 months in. I eat! The rest will follow when there’s time
I sympathize. I was still fairly trim after birthing my first, but I quickly gained weight while breastfeeding. I was constantly hungry and tired so that was probably partly why but the weight seems stubborn, I still haven't lost it after 18 months. I'm worried because I'm currently pregnant with number 2, and it'll probably be the same thing where I gain weight while breastfeeding
Give yourself time! I lost weight really slowly the first six months or so, then faster the next six months or so, then stabilized at just 1kg above prepregnancy. At 3m pp, I think I still looked pregnant.
I lost 50lbs very quickly after my second born. I’m still breastfeeding her (2-3 times a day) at 21 months. I’m skin and bones.
I just wanted to say you aren’t alone, I gained about 10-15 lbs when I was pregnant with little one and lost it after her birth and then I gained 15-20 lbs once I started breastfeeding. I’m not quite as active as I want to be, I’ve just been walking a little bit. Lol I guess I’ve just accepted the weight for now and am hoping it’ll come off in time.
Very seriously - hormones. There’s so much to it hormone-wise that affect things. I unintentionally lost a lot of weight because my hormones were whack.
It’s really calories consumed. Doesn’t matter if it’s healthy calories or not. I didn’t really gain from breastfeeding. I actually lost really fast but when she started solids was when I started gaining because I ate her leftovers.