How Many Did Not Lose Weight While Bf?

Updated on September 03, 2014
J.D. asks from Springfield, PA
27 answers

Just wondering how many of you breastfeeding mamas did not lose weight while bf? I didn't nurse my first two long enough to know if if lose or not. Was too young and impatient to put the effort. My daughter is 4 months today, and love the experience and the benefits for her, well benefits for us too. Only thing I'm disliking is that I'm steady the same weight as the week I brought her home. I'm a big exercise junkie, so my inner selfish person is getting upset.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I didn't, but I also did not try. I was okay with having a different body post baby, and I embraced the new me. I was healthy and happy, I did not feel the need to strive for thinness.

5 moms found this helpful

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

I did NOT lose weight while breastfeeding. AT ALL. Breastfeeding kept me starving and exhausted so it was very hard to exercise. The weight did not "fall off" as it does for so many people despite my healthy eating and running ragged all over town with a freaking jogging stroller. I'd just come home from exercise starving and ready to pass out. Thankfully as soon as I stopped breast feeding, I got all my energy back, worked out and ate healthfully again without feeling ravenous 24/7, and the weight fell off rapidly at that point.

3 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

It takes 9 months to put the weight on, so it'll take about 9 months to take the weight off.
I lost a lot of weight while breastfeeding but didn't quite get down to my pre-pregnancy weight.

3 moms found this helpful

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

J.,

You're still young. Stop being vain. I'm sorry. But your body WILL come back - especially if you are an exercise junky. Your body needs time to heal after giving birth.

You are giving that scale wwwwaaaayyyy too much importance.

With both my boys I nursed - my oldest son - to 2.5 years - he was exclusively breast fed for the first six months. My second son? He self-weaned on his one year birthday. With both boys I lost more weight than I had gained being pregnant with them.

Please take a moment and breathe...enjoy your daughter. Bond with her. Get to know and understand her cries and then worry about your body. Honey, whether you breast feed or not - the stress you are putting on yourself to lose weight is going to keep you from losing weight...

BREATHE....

7 moms found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

I remember your previous post.
You need to not be hung up on that number on the scale. You said you exercise 6 days a week. Muscle weights more than fat. I am guessing that your breasts are currently a bigger size than they were before. That extra breast tissue also weights more.
That 10 pounds you are holding on to may be nothing more than you have more muscle mass and breast tissue then you did before you got pregnant.
Your body will also, very often, change shape permanently after having children. Your hips may never be as small as they once were because carrying and birthing your children have caused the bones to permanently separate some. Your rib cage may expand and remain the larger size.
There is nothing you can do to change these things. None of this is a bad thing either.
Instead of looking at the number on the scale, look at how you feel. Look at how your clothes fit. Look at your energy levels. Look at anything but that annoying number on the scale.
Another thing, you may never loose those 10 pounds, even if you stop breastfeeding. Again, if it's from a build up of muscle etc then it's not going to go anywhere.
I've had 3 children and my weight has been effected differently each time. My age and other factors in my life have had influence on it as well.

7 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Atlanta on

When I responded to your other question, I was not one who had trouble losing weight while breast feeding.

I'm sorry you are impatient and feel the need to be skinny or what the world views as "sexy" today. Please take this time to enjoy your child. She's only a baby once.

You will get your body back. Just put your child first....you'll be amazed at how many calories you burn loving on her, getting on the floor and working with her on her milestones.

6 moms found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Boston on

I lost all of my pregnancy weight and then some once my kids were born, literally going home 10-20 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. Then over the course of 12 weeks, all of that would come back and then some. I exclusively breastfed my kids for 6-7 months before adding in other foods and continued to breastfeed them for 12-27 months (I went longer with each kid). For me, breastfeeding wasn't an effective weight management tool. That said, I was a surrogate and didn't breastfeed after that pregnancy and had the same pattern happen so it wasn't the breastfeeding that was causing me to gain either, just hormonal wackiness.

You have the rest of your life to get back into shape...keep up the good work with breastfeeding and be patient with your body. It's been through a lot and is still feeding a new human, which is pretty freaking amazing and way more impressive than fitting into your skinny jeans, right?

6 moms found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Cleveland on

I lost A lot of weight bf, I was my smallest ever as an adult while nursing. It was awesome plus my inner selfish person was happy doing what was best for my baby.

6 moms found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

I didn't lose weight.
I was RAVENOUS when breastfeeding. And I did it for 18 months with each of my 3 kids.
Your daughter is young, it's SO beneficial to her for you to continue breastfeeding if there isn't a real reason to stop.
But hey...it's up to you.

4 moms found this helpful

W..

answers from Detroit on

I did not lose weight while I was breastfeeding. I was STARVING and ate like a truck driver.

3 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Phoenix on

Be gentle on yourself. This is not the time to be worried about weight loss, it is the time to fully savor your big breasts and belly that are nourishing the precious moments between you and your little one. Not to worry, you have lots of time in the future to get back to the size you wish.

3 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

It took me about 3-4 months to get back in my prepregnancy jeans and then time after that to be back to about where I am mostly happy. I have a few pounds I never did lose, but I was a bit underweight when I got pregnant. Another thing to factor is how your body reacts to hormones. If you are on a pill (even a mini pill) it may affect your weight. IMO, please be patient with yourself. Your body is still readjusting and I bet that the weight will come off, if you just give it more time. Most of us are not able to do the celebrity thing with a personal trainer and a FT nanny. So we must be gentle with ourselves. Remember that you are happy with the benefits of nursing for both of you and this is all temporary, but not something you can get back if you stop. You might feel better to buy a new outfit that you feel good in or a new sexy nursing bra (they do make them! Any day I wanted to feel pretty, I'd put on my pink one).

2 moms found this helpful
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D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My bigger issue was the weight I gained within a few months of weaning each time, because I didn't realize how many extra calories I was burning by nursing.

2 moms found this helpful

D.D.

answers from New York on

The media sets us up to think we've failed if we aren't back to a banging bikini body 3 weeks after giving birth. All the celebrities seem to be able to do it. Of course they have personal chefs, personal trainers coming to the house, and baby nurses to take care of the newborns which allows them time to work on themselves.

When I fed my oldest I was back to my normal size at 8 weeks and ended up 10 lbs under my usual weight by the time she was weaned at 9 months. With my second I was back to my normal weight after 8 months. The 3rd pregnancy was twins and I only nursed them for 6 weeks but was back to my usual size at 6 months.

Breast feeding doesn't automatically make you lose weight. It's a combination of breast feeding, eating good quality protein, fruits, and veggies, drinking a lot of fluids. The weight comes off at whatever rate your body will let it come off. The key is not to starve yourself because your system will hold onto every single calorie you consume.

2 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i didn't breastfeed my older long enough to really tell, but i sure didn't with my younger. breastfeeding made me ravenous.
khairete
S.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.D.

answers from Jacksonville on

I lost weight when I was BF, but then gained when I weaned!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

I have always thought that losing a lot of weight when breastfeeding is a complete myth. If you are nursing a baby, why would your body shed all its weight? It needs those fat stores to feed the baby!
I was thin before having my children, and I lost my baby weight slowly. But I only lost ALL my baby weight after I finished breastfeeding.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.W.

answers from Billings on

I was slimmer after BF than before I got pregnant. The pounds really started dropping after 6 months. At 9 months I was told to eat more so I wouldn't get too slim! I really didn't notice a huge difference until the babies were 6 months. Keep at it, you will never regret BF

2 moms found this helpful

C.V.

answers from Columbia on

I lost all the weight with both of mine within 3 months post childbirth. But I've always been slim, it runs in my family, and I am in the military. I think there are too many factors in play to just say "did you lose weight while breastfeeding?" Such as, what are you eating? How much weight did you gain during the pregnancy? Did you mother lose weight easily after pregnancy? Were you a slim person before or did you struggle with your metabolism?

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Santa Barbara on

No, I did not lose weight. Boo! because i needed to lose it. I knew several women who said they got too thin while breast feeding.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I didn't lose weight at all while breastfeeding. I had heard wonderful things about it helping the kilos to melt away, but sometimes it doesn't happen that way. I lost weight when I stopped breastfeeding though. I breastfeeding for 6, 8 and 10 months with my three children.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.K.

answers from Scranton on

Congratulations on your newest addition. I would be patient. I bf one baby for 3 weeks and the second one for 8 months. I also exercised and with both babies, it took me 9 months to get in my pre-pregnancy jeans and to my pre-pregnancy weight. What I did notice was that while bf, I was always hungry and wanted to eat all the time. So even with those extra calories, I still continued to lose weight.
Good luck and congrats.
S.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I lost the last extra weight after she stopped BFing (11 months, her choice) and especially once she started running around constantly (13 months)! I couldn't seem to ever sit down to eat, so the last weight dropped off. I also did not start running again (ran through most of pregnancy) for that whole year. I had no energy or desire to. Once I stopped BFing my energy level and desire to run was back.

You're probably tired of hearing this, but be patient and enjoy this short time with your baby. I was 41 at the time, and had gained some perspective about how short one year (of BFing and not running) truly was.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Missoula on

I lost most of the baby weight while breastfeeding, but the last ten pounds stuck around til after weaning. Some women's bodies cling to a bit of extra weight while nursing, which is a great strategy, from an evolutionary standpoint. Relax. If you exercise and eat well, chances are good you will drop the weight when you wean. Don't sweat it now.

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A.K.

answers from Bloomington on

I have not lost much with this baby ( 15 mos.) . My last 2 babies, I did lose.

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

I lost most during 3-6 mos post partum. Cut carbs! Good nutrition is crucial. Food journal, Watch portions and try not to eat just bc you might be lonely, bored or tired. It will come off.

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K.M.

answers from Miami on

I think some bodies just hang on to extra weight. I did not lose any weight while breastfeeding either kid. And I nursed them each about 2 years. I exercised and dieted (nothing extreme) and the weight did not budge. As I finished weaning my daughter, I started losing weight and the weaning was the only thing I did differently. I celebrated by buying new clothes and ending up getting pregnant with my son pretty much after ripping all the price tags off! lol It sucked, but, if I could go back in time, I'd still still nurse them the amount of time I did. Please don't make yourself too crazy. Just exercise to stay in shape and eat well so you are in a good position when you finish nursing. In the end, you won't regret the time you spent nursing. Congrats on your baby!

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