Any other breastfeeding mamas ALWAYS STARVING?! (baby is 10 mon. old)

[blake201]

Mamas, help me out--is it normal to ALWAYS BE STARVING when breastfeeding a 10-month-old? Anyone else like this?

Lately I feel hungry ALL the time. I've been ordering greasy Chinese takeout, eating peanut butter sandwiches in the middle of the night, eating heaping portions of pasta with chocolate chip cookies for dessert at lunch.. and NOTHING seems to help.

(And no, I have not gained a pound, if anything, I've lost a little weight lately... and I have long ago lost all 45 lbs I put on while pregnant).

The details:

• Baby girl has been eating solids pretty well for the past two months, but she still loves nursing best. I'd say she still gets 90% of her nutrition from mama.
• At 10 months old, she's a healthy 22 lbs (and 29 inches tall). No idea of percentile, but she wears 18 month clothes.
• She's definitely been nursing in overdrive lately--she was sick last week and now is making up for it by ultra-nursing. I
• I work and pump, and she takes about 8 oz of pumped milk plus some solids during the day. (She does not get any supplemental formula and never has.) She nurses twice before I leave for work in the am, two or three times in the evening and a few times during the night.
• I have oversupply, even with just pumping once per day.(I get 10 oz total when I pump for 10 minutes in the middle of the day at work).
• On the weekends I just nurse, no pumping.

It's not really a problem or anything (poor me, I get to eat ice cream without gaining weight!) but wow... is this typical? Anyone else have this? Does this get even worse when nursing a toddler? (I'm hoping to keep nursing until she's at least 2 years old)

[Thandiwe]

I have had a lot of hunger with my youngest.  I am tandem nursing, though, so I expect that plays into my hunger.  My first impressions of your account might be that you're not getting enough *quality* proteins and whole grains.  It may be causing you to get hungry sooner.  If you're losing weight and eating like crazy, have you ever had your thyroid checked?  Might be worth talking to your doctor about, might be nothing.

Hope you find a balance soon!

[Calm]

My son was nursed on demand and he was 22 pounds at 5 months.  So uh, yeah, BIG boy.  I was famished constantly.  Not only that but the size of the meals I could consume was ridiculous.  He was exclusively bf until almost 8 months old and the hunger remained for me until he was about 2, maybe a bit younger.  Once he was at two feeds a day, I was eating a regular amount.  

I had oversupply issues, too.  They were sorted by 5 months old though.

[nstewart]

I don't know if it's "normal" but I have a 9 month old and my appetite knows no bounds.  I'm actually about 10lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy so I'm not eating and gaining, just eating and DS is gaining!  BFing can burn as much as 1000 calories a day.  That's alot!  Do you take any vitamins?  I eat a relatively balanced diet (mostly healthy with a treat thrown in once in a while) and eat throughout the day but I also take Omega 3 supplements, vitamin D (living up in the frozen north I need it) and a prenatal vitamin. Maybe that would help?  And hey, I say enjoy it while it lasts!  I know I am!!