weight loss while breastfeeding twins input from all moms!

[413twinmom]

Hello Mammas...I am currently breastfeeding my twin babies- and am beginning to wonder when I will start losing weight! They are 3 months old, but except for the initial weight loss right after they were born, not a pound is budging! I was wondering what everyone's experience has been, knowing that of course everyone is different. Here are my theories 1) not enough physical activity; I am exercising only 3 times weekly (pilates) because I am so busy with these babies- that may be the issue, but I am told that you burn a ton of calories while breastfeeding, so I guess I thought I'd get some of it off that way. 2) My babies are small still (8# and 9#) so maybe they are just not drinking enough yet for me to be burning so much...OR 3)  maybe I'm not eating enough? My midwife is suggesting I eat 4000calories daily, which I have not come close to yet- its just a ton of food! 

Thoughts/experiences? 

[averlee]

Hi! I don't have twins, but still thought I'd share my weight loss experience.

I weighed about 125 pre-pregnancy, my midwives hoped I'd put on 40 pounds by week 40. By week 37 I'd gained 36 pounds, struggling to gain each one, and they called it "good enough" and stopped weighing me. But I'm pretty sure I weighed 160 just before I went into labor.

During the birth I dropped about half of what I'd gained- baby, placenta, amniotic fliud, and about 2 gallons of pee, poop, sweat, blood, tears, and puke! Seriously, I was 145 the next day. Where I stayed the whole first year! Not one bottle, and not one additional pound dropped...I did however, eat like a hog, as was needed to make all the milk I needed and also rebuild bone density & everything.

First year, lost no pounds, Baby's second birthday, I'd lost 5 pounds. (still nursing)  Baby's third birthday, I was down to 135. My daughter is now 3 and a half, I'm still nursing, and just last week I got back into my pre-pregnancy pants, though I now actually weigh 129- I've proclaimed the last of the baby weight gone! My shape is different- bigger butt & hips & thighs- but I'm actually skinnier through the ribs, face, arms, than I was before baby.

A lot of detail I realize. But the basic idea is, it wasn't until after my daughter's 3rd birthday that I dropped all the poundage. I've always been thin & pretty healthy & active, and I didn't do anything to try to lose weight. 

[413twinmom]

that is really helpful- I guess I had an expectation that it would slowly melt away (especially with my marathon nursing- which I had been told over and over is a major calorie burner) - but I get now that many women take a while and in fact don't really lose until they are done nursing! 

[Amandamarie]

I don't have twins either, but here's my experience:

With my dd, I didn't start losing weight until after she weaned (at 2 years) I walked 6 days a week, ate mostly healthy and no soda or juice, just water, while nursing. My ds is 15 months old and the same thing. I'm being patient because I know I will eventually drop the weight. I can't do any kind of dieting anyway while nursing. I get really shakey and irritable and it effects my milk supply. My ds doesn't eat many solids yet and he's teething, so he's nursing all the times. Makes me super hungry. I just make sure it's healthy food, rather than empty calories. 

My Mom had a different experience. She lost all her weight while nursing. We also had different experiences with morning sickness. I had hypermesis with all my pregnancies and she had very little nausea.