Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed a baby, as it provides not only vitamins and minerals but also antibodies and hormones that formula does not. Breastfeeding mothers dedicate much of their time and effort to feeding their babies and additionally, they must consider their diet. Many women want to lose weight as soon as possible after giving birth, but breastfeeding women need to approach weight loss with a different view.
Calories for Breastfeeding
According to the Breastfeeding Basics website, it takes extra calories for a woman to continually produce enough breast milk to satisfy her baby's needs. Therefore, they recommend eating an extra 200 to 500 calories a day above the requirement for weight maintenance, so that you can make plenty of milk. On average, breastfeeding women should eat anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day, depending on their activity level, but never less than 1,500 calories in a day.
Weight Loss Rate
Weight loss comes naturally, albeit slowly, for many breastfeeding women, due to the calories that it burns. La Leche League International states that on average, breastfeeding women lose about 1.3 to 1.6 lbs. a month for the first four to six months of the baby's life, without dieting or exercising. Women who fully breastfeed without using any baby formula lose more weight than those who supplement with formula.
Healthy Diet
Women who breastfeed their babies need to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet, which will also help them to lose weight at a healthy, steady rate. It is recommended that breastfeeding women eat food from all of the different food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meats or beans every day. Each of these foods have different nutrients. Dairy is especially important for breastfeeding women. It will not increase the milk supply, but getting less than three servings of dairy a day can cause a woman to be low in calcium. If a breastfeeding woman does not get enough calcium, her body will leach it from her bones to give to the baby.
Exercising
Some women think that exercising will diminish a woman's breast milk supply. Breastfeeding Basics states that the reality is that exercising will not reduce a milk supply. Experts recommend wearing a comfortable sports bra and rinsing the breasts off with water before nursing after exercising, to decrease the salty taste from perspiration. Exercising for 30 minutes, three to five days a week can burn calories to promote weight loss.
Diet Pills
It is not recommended for breastfeeding women to use diet pills to try to lose weight, because the ingredients in diet pills can go through breast milk and transfer to the baby. La Leche League International explains that diet pills could cause dangerous side effects to breastfed babies, and are unnecessary for mothers to lose weight. They also usually cause side effects like fatigue and jitters.
