- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- pregnancy today articles
- pregnancy today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Breastfeeding Battles the Bulge
A Candid Look at Weight Issues for Moms and Babies
By Kelly Burgess
The total in this case is 26 pounds. Now, I don't know about everyone else, but I gained 50 pounds with each of my first two children and 30 with my third. I started out 10 pounds underweight. Somehow, I managed to lose it all within the first year – possibly in part due to breastfeeding all three.
According to both Curtis and Prorak, my experience is pretty typical. "Many moms do tend to lose weight more easily when breastfeeding," Prorak says. "The current thinking is that the body burns more calories making breast milk than a non-nursing mother."
However, both experts also note an interesting phenomenon: Breastfeeding women tend to hang on to that last 5 or 10 pounds until they quit nursing. Although no one knows why for certain, one practical theory is that the body wants to make sure it has a store of fat to manufacture breast milk – no matter what.
In fact, the recommendations are for a nursing mother to consume between 2,500 and 2,700 calories per day. This is a significant amount when you consider that most weight loss plans usually allow for a maximum of 1,600 calories for a slow, sensible weight loss.
Curtis likes to point out that in some countries, mothers manage to breastfeed on nothing but dirty water and a limited amount of rice every day, and their children are perfectly healthy. It's when they stop breastfeeding at age 4 or 5 that the children begin having health problems.
Having said that, no one is suggesting that nursing mothers go on the "Survivor" diet. However, it is safe to diet when you're nursing if you'd like to speed up your weight gain.
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
