BFing keeping me fat?

[JFTB1177]

Let me start by saying I LOVE nursing! Only thing is, I think it's keeping me fat. You hear everyone say that nursing helps the PG weight come off but that doesn't apply to me. With my 2nd baby the weight didn't really start to come off until I weaned completely (first baby was FF, not by choice though- long story for a different thread). Is it normal to not lose weight until your baby is weaned? Is it biological or is it because nursing makes me hungry and I eat constantly? Am I alone? :(

[insidevoice]

Not alone- I tend to gain weight while breastfeeding.  It drives me nuts because so many people talk about how easily they lose weight while nursing and that just does not apply to me.  Some of it is he insatiable hunger, but that's not all of it. 

[Katie T]

I am a gainer as well. So is my mom and sister. So it must be genetics with us. : ( If I try to cut even a small amount of calories my milk supply plummets. DD2 will be 3yo on the 30th and I nursed through my pg with her so have been "fat" for like 5 yrs. I feel your pain and try to not worry about it as I know I will be able to loose it when I am done. (Lost 50lbs after DD1.)

So you are not alone. : (

[JessicaBenav]

That stinks. With my first I lost a TON.. probably with help from an undiagnosed thyroid disease. WIth the second, I've lost nothing! She's 12 months now :/

[jessica_s]

If it makes you feel any better I have the opposite problem. I'm very skinny when I nurse and gain all the weight back +10lbs when I wean! 

[ewe+lamb]

Yeah I found that a really deceptive one - even from some of the LCs I work with - they still say that if you don't loose the weight then you are eating too much - hmm, it's not until over 8 years of bfing and my kids have weaned that I am loosing the weight!

[McGucks]

Another factor might be what I have, which is called Diastasis Recti.  It is a benign condition in which your abdominal muscles separate.  It basically makes your intestines kind of bulge out, making you look heavier than you would if you didn't have DR.  It's lovely.  Just another little gift of a trade-off for being a mommy.  DHs get handsomer and more distinguished-looking as they age; us women age differently sometimes, I guess.

ETA:  I had a hunger like I've never known post-partum.  I remember eating a watermelon off the counter, no hands because I was holding the baby, and the there was a melon wedge just sitting there.  It seems I needed to eat and drink almost constantly for a couple months, then it eased up.

[JFTB1177]

Thanks everyone!

Katie T- I too notice when I have tried to cut back on my calories that my milk supply seems to go down! :(

JessicaBenav- I wonder if it's a subsequent child thing too?? With my first I lost almost all of the weight immediately (that baby was FF though). With my 2nd I nursed and I didn't really start to lose weight until I weaned, BUT I did still lose more weight right after the birth than I did this time. Seriously, I look at pictures of me holding my first baby and I look very slim! Baby #2, slimER than now, and now I just look HUGE!

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by caedenmomma 

Another factor might be what I have, which is called Diastasis Recti.  It is a benign condition in which your abdominal muscles separate.  It basically makes your intestines kind of bulge out, making you look heavier than you would if you didn't have DR.  It's lovely.  Just another little gift of a trade-off for being a mommy.  DHs get handsomer and more distinguished-looking as they age; us women age differently sometimes, I guess.

ETA:  I had a hunger like I've never known post-partum.  I remember eating a watermelon off the counter, no hands because I was holding the baby, and the there was a melon wedge just sitting there.  It seems I needed to eat and drink almost constantly for a couple months, then it eased up.

I have that (Diastasis Recti)!!!!!!!! In fact with my 2nd baby I remember clearly my MW telling me she could fit two of her fingers in between my ab muscles (PP). And OMG I feel like I am STARVING all of the time!!! :( I had to lmao about the watermelon because I've done that too (with other foods). :)

[insidevoice]

It's frustrating- and I work really hard to make sure I am not eating too much.  I am currently pregnant and my youngest child is pretty much self-weaning at this point (a few months shy of two years.)  As a result, I lost over 20 lbs the first trimester.  

The daistasis recti- ugh!  I remember having a flat stomach- oh, and being able to have really good core strength.  It's all a distant memory now.  I'm actually thinking of having that repaired after this baby as I have about an 8 inch separation. 

[JFTB1177]

Originally Posted by insidevoice 

It's frustrating- and I work really hard to make sure I am not eating too much.  I am currently pregnant and my youngest child is pretty much self-weaning at this point (a few months shy of two years.)  As a result, I lost over 20 lbs the first trimester.  

The daistasis recti- ugh!  I remember having a flat stomach- oh, and being able to have really good core strength.  It's all a distant memory now.  I'm actually thinking of having that repaired after this baby as I have about an 8 inch separation. 

Wow, good job losing 20 lbs!!

Oh yes, I used to have a great stomach when I was single and before kids! I haven't worn a bikini since having my first kid and prob won't ever again unless I get surgery too! Do you know anything about the surgery? Is it major surgery?
 

[sharita]

I have the same problem.  This is my 5th baby to nurse and I have always had the same issue.  I am so hungry all the time when I nurse.  I knew that was why I always gained while nursing the times before.  At my 6 week pp checks I would be the same weight as 9 months preg! 

  However, last time, I was sooo careful about what I ate, ate NO junk only healthy whole grains, greens, veg, fruits, etc and watched portions and stuff and STILL couldn't lose but it did stop the gain.  I couldn't be that strict for long without losing a single lb so I gave up until I was able to wean and the weight just fell right off! I hate having to chose between staying fat and miserable or cutting BF'ing short.