ok - so we are leaving to go on a cruise the day after Easter and i am 3 lbs away from being able to fit into my pre-pregnancy summer clothes and bikini, of course i would love to be able to get to that pre-preg weight not only look better and feel better, but also don't have to go shopping and spend more $. i am nursing my sweet little 4 month old and i have noticed that depending not only on what i eat but how much i eat has a direct impact on how much milk i am producing. i am drinking about 3 cups of Mothers Milk Tea which has nettles and fennel and aniseed....i am also taking an herbal capsule that is supposed to promote and increase healthy breast milk...in any case, i feel like i have to eat so much (which i know my body needs more food since a lot of energy is required to produce milk when nursing), but can't shed the pounds unless i cut back some on the kind of food and how much i eat....hmmm. no matter what - baby comes 1st - my vanity with the weight thing can wait if needed. but was just curious as to whether anyone has any other advice that would help me to do both - produce enough milk and lose these stubborn last 3 lbs??
Much gratitude to everyone who responded to my request! It is so amazing how many wonderful moms are out there and how much it really does help just having others to chat with about such topics. After reading your responses, I am going to make sure that I am drinking even more water and plan to drink a beer every night with my husband (brewers yeast). I am also going to nurse and pump more as well. Additionally I like the emofree website and tried the technique last night == am going to stay with it and see what happens = ) For those of you who mentioned the formula thing --- yeah, I wish I would have never started any kind of formula. I've gotten myself into somewhat of a predicament with needing to supplement a little every day (4-5 oz/day).
In terms of the "diets" advice, I am already extremely selective of the kinds of foods we eat and am real, natural, and whole foods eater, believing that it is healthier and more of a lifestyle than "dieting" or using "certain weight management products": we are Whole Food/Trader Joe's/Local Produce shoppers, only eat organic meat 1X/week if that and wild caught fish (salmon, cod, perch, orange roughy, etc) about 3x/week, organic raw dairy (co-owner of a cow from Hicks Dairy), organic foods (vegetables, fruits, and anything I can get my hands on especially from local farmers), no nitrites, Ezekial grains, breads and cereals, use agave and honey to sweeten, no hydrogenated oils or preservative such as MSG, absolutely no white flour, Juice Plus Capsules, yada yada yada....As far as exercise goes, I practice a rigorous Vinyassa Yoga in 95-100 degree heat between 4 and 5 times/week at Center for Yoga...come join me = )
All in all -- I am definitely going to try some of the great tips I mentioned above and if all else fails, then it is ok. I can lose the weight later on after I stop breast feeding. My #1 Mantra is still BABY FIRST = ) Again -- thanks all for your help and advise -- would love to chat more if anyone would like to send me a private message!!
M. you didn't say how much water you are drinking a day milk production also depends on how much water you drink. My mother read the other day for every pound you would like to lose you should drink that many more glasses of water a day so you should be drinking 8 glasses a day just to maintain add three to that is not including milk production. Hope it helps.
hey "mothers milk" is a great product. other than that avoid parsley and sage. the dry you up and are helpful for weaning
alas.... those two are my favorite herbs to cook with, and in hindsight probably why i couldnt breastfeed =(
M.,
I understand your situation, I have been there twice before. Please remember that it has only been 4 months since you gave birth to your son, and both his and your health are the priority. You are already within 3 lbs. of your pre pregnancy weight and thats amazing. Your body is different now than it was before, not better or worse just different. Keep eating lots of good food, keep up your yoga practice, walk, sleep whenever you can and you will feel great-which will make your whole family so happy! Congratulations!
L.
M.,
I am so impressed that after 4 months you are only 3 pounds away from your goal, that is great! I have more pounds to go but ran into the same problem as you. A friend whose sister has 9 children said that her sister would drink O’Doul’s to boost her supply. I started drinking one a day and having a “dance party” once a day (we crank up the music and dance around the living room) with my older son. We both have a ball and my 7-month-old son thinks it’s hysterical. The combo of burning a few extra calories and adding some yeast from the “beer” helped me to break the plateau I had been stuck at for weeks.
Good luck and have a great time on the cruise!
S. C
Congratulations to you and your husband on your new baby girl Tristen. The best of everything to you all!
You just had a baby 4mons. ago. It takes a little time to get back into shape. Sounds like you are doing good only needing to shed 3lbs. Remember, the baby's health comes first. I wouldn't worry about the extra weight. Don't diet. However, if you must lose weight, try drinking more water and fresh vegetable juices.
Have fun and enjoy your cruise!
Congratulations on losing all but 3 pounds by 4 months! Good going! I have just lost 20 pounds myself and have found the most important thing has been to eat NO SUGAR, even the high sugar fruits like canteloupe and grapes. Read your lables...no "oses" ie: high fructose corn syrup. Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar is the only salad dressing I have found that passes the test. Eat lots of colorful vegetables No white food...white flour, especially. Keep your carbs very complex. I eat Ezekial bread, it's a sprouted bread, no flour. As for your milk supply, don't forget to drink plenty of water, especially since you will be in a warmer climate on the cruise that you haven't been in since you had your baby, and limit your caffiene Cruises are wonderful vacations, even if the bikini doesn't quite fit yet. Bon Voyage!
I have found an amazing technique which helps som many issues- I wish I would have know about it when I was breastfeeding. It basically involves tapping on various acupressure points on the body- it works similar to acupressure except without needles. It can help problems from headaches to weight loss- I would be surprised if it did not help your milk production. Go to www.emofree.com. The technique is the Emotional freedom Technique and it is amazing. Good Luck.
L. M.
The best thing that I found that helped me lose weight and helped to produce additional milk is drink lots of water. Your body needs more then most people drink to stay heathy. Water helps wash out pollutents and it will also make you feel full sooner. When I was a first time mom I breast fed my daughter and didn't have any problems producing milk but on my second child my body just would not produce the amount of milk that was needed. My Dr. told me about the additional water and it worked great. I also lost weight which was a bonus.
S. B.
I'm not sure why you are supplementing with formula at all. That will have a negative effect on your milk supply, since lactation is a supply & demand system. Nursing your baby whenever he needs it is the easiest way to have plenty of milk - and it will help you control your weight as well. Enjoy Tristen. He'll grow up fast! G. B.
I have a 5 month old and am nursing - I also drink mothers milk tea. I have also been on Slim Fast for the last 7 weeks. I have lost about 8 lbs. I drink a shake for breakfast, for an a.m. snack I'll have some fruit, I eat a small lunch and drink another shake or eat a meal bar, p.m. snack is a few crackers or something small, then at dinner i eat a sensible meal and in the evening I have one of their snack bars. These are the directions they have you follow I just eat a little extra since I am nursing. The drinks and snacks are really yummy! Good luck! It sounds like you are already looking HOT! Ms. Yoga! He he he
Hey- I've been on weightwatchers (they have a breastfeeding program that gives you extra points). I intially lost 4 pounds the first week and then consistently 1 pound a week after that. I'm not starving and my milk supply has not gone down as long as I drink enough water. Since you have 2 weeks you could give it a try. I know you can sign up on line and at your local center. Or borrow the stuff from a friend and do it yourself. (my baby is 4 months as well so I'm right there with ya girl!) -L.
My experience has been that the more you nurse, the more you'll produce & the more you'll lose weight. So, if your little one is nursing every 4 hours try pumping in between & freezing it for a date night. Breast milk can be kept frozen for 6 mths. It can be kept refrigerated for 2- 3 days & at room temp for about 24 hours.
If you nurse every 4 hours for 15 min. you could also try increasing how often to every 2 hours & decreasing the length of time to 7 - 10 minutes.
I've got a 2 year old son & our daughter just turned 6 mths. I nursed our son 'til he was 1 & plan on doing the same with our daughter. I'm with ya on the no vaccines either!
Good luck!
The more your nurse the more you will produce. Nursing is supply and demand. Your body will duplicate tomorrow what you did today. If you nursed at 8, 12 4, etc., your body will make milk tomorrow for those time periods. If you add an extra feeding, or pump when baby is napping, it will increase your supply. The more you nurse, the more fat your burn = losing weight, if you maintain a healthy diet. Also, when nursing you need to be hydrated. Avoid caffeine and drink 10 glasses of water. For any caffenated beverage or food (ie. chocolate) add an additional glass of water. Adding excercise to your diet will just help you even more. I nursed my son over a year and dropped 40 lbs (20 pregnacy lbs and 20 that I needed to lose pre-pregnancy) in 6 mos. I nursed my son exclusively for 8 mos before he started on soft foods. I wouldn't worry about 3 lbs. Focus on pant size. If you can still fit into your prepregnancy jeans you should be all set. The three extra pounds could be breast milk. :-)
the best way to increase milk production is to nurse the baby more often. The production of milk is supply and demand. So if the demand is higher your body will produce more. I have never taken any herbal supplements and have exclusively breast fed 2 children. My son is 9 months and has had any formula (even organic.)
put the baby on teh breast as often as possible and pump after the baby nurses to empty the breast. Then your body will know to produce more milk.
As to losing 3 pounds I wouldnt worry about it.. when you are nursing you are hungry becasue your body needs more fuel to produce milk.. Eat when you ar hungry so your baby gets good quality milk. Your appetite will diminish when you are done nursing and you will have an easier time losing weight.
I believe that if he is thirsty and nursing, your body will make the milk. I lost weight while nursing and was counting on the nursing to help burn the pounds. Just don't overdo it and neither of you will go hungry. I promote weight management products on my site if you're interested in natural products that help you stay healthy you can check them out at www.DianeAlbo.MyArbonne.com. The first thing I'd recommend is throwing a fiber shake with frozen fruit into your day. It's filling and tasty too. Walking the mall with stroller in tow will help get you in that bikini as well! I'm sure you already look awesome - keep telling yourself that!! Good luck! Happy bikini trip. D. married/nursed 3
Hi, M.! I am also a nursing mommy but my children are close in age and for a time I nursed them both. I worried about low milk production and sought advice from a lactation consultant. Since milk is produced according to need, the more milk that leaves your body, the more milk you make. She suggested that I pump one side while nursing on the other. That way twice as much is leaving and the pump can take advantage of every let down. Also, it help to drink more water as breast milk contains alot of water especially in the warmer months. As for those last few pounds, if you drink half your weight every day in ounces of water , you may find you can lose 3 pounds of water weight easily. I lost 5 pounds in 3 days doing it. Good Luck and Have Fun!
Some other great foods for increasing supply (I saw oats and brewers yeast mentioned), but also barley and psyllium fiber - like what is found in metamucil.
Have a good ole nurse in - stay in bed with your baby for 1 day. Read a book, relax and let him nurse away. That will help to being your supply up as well. Once you hit the 4 month mark your supply has gone from hormone driven, to demand driven. Let him nurse nurse nurse. After a few days of that you should bring your supply back to where you don't need to suppliment. Good Luck!!!!
Drink tons of water and eat oatmeal. Have fun on your cruise!! :)
When I was breastfeeding, I was told that both oats and brewers yeast are suppose to help increase production. Besides Mother's Milk I was also told about Fenugreek Tea (gotta add sweetener...I like honey).
My advice would be to cut the empty calories (if you have any) like sweets, excess oils, etc. If you did that for the next three weeks and tried to eat a really healthy diet of whole grains, protein, and lots of fruits and vegetables, I bet you could lose those three pounds. That and regular exercise, of course. Just my thoughts, not knowing your diet at all (it does sound like you're pretty health minded so if you already do this then I'm at a loss.)
Good luck and enjoy your cruise!!
HI M.,
When I was nursing my son I began to dry up while tring to lose some weight. I called my OB and the lactation specialist and both told me to go the the health food store and purchase Fennel capsules and Fenugreek capsules within 24 hours i was so full up that I had an excess supply and my son was a super happy boy after that. I continued taking them until I stopped nursing.
I always found that drinking tons of water increased my milk supply...of course I also found that even getting down to the pre-pregnancy weight didn't mean I fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes...my body had changed too much in too many other ways!! Good luck though, and enjoy your cruise regardless!!
M., apparantly I need your help more than you need mine... considering I have a 9 week old baby and am nursing but I am NO WHERE near my pre-prepregnancy weight or much less can think about a bikini...LOL!!! BUt in all honesty I just would not worry about the last...3 little pounds...your body will loose more when you are finished breast feeding. Your body hangs on to the weight for the nursing. Have fun on your cruise:) J. S.
