Anyone else having trouble gaining weight while nursing?

[Athora80]

I'm nursing my 14 month old and I am underweight (5'1 and 96 pounds). I CANNOT gain weight and it's driving me mad. It's causing me to have low blood pressure and suffer symptoms from that too (can't concentrate, dizzy/woozy, fatigue). I know I'm not eating enough because I changed my diet due to GI issues. But I am going back to eating whatever I want just because I feel sick and need to gain weight. I probably don't get enough calories even if I wasn't nursing, although I have been trying. Here is an example of what I eat in a day:

Breakfast: 1 or 2 scrambled eggs, full fat yogurt with bananas on top

Lunch : Avocado, Chicken or Sardines, Yogurt

Dinner: Steak, Potatoes, Sourdough Bread and Asparagus or Salad

Snacking and Lunch is my issue because I have reactions to most dairy and it seems almost everything gives me reflux. I want to know what you nursing mamas eat, I need some ideas on how to pack on pounds fast and get healthy again!

[erigeron]

Whole-wheat bread? Brown rice? More fruit and veggies to snack on during the day? (Those won't add a lot of calories, but having more frequent snacks might help with the wooziness.)

[BabySmurf]

you definitely need more food mama!! I'm having the same issue, and I eat way more than you!! I keep away from dairy, soy and gluten, so I'll give you an example of what I eat:

Breakfast: 2-3 eggs with 2 pieces of gluten free toast with jelly (cooked in a hefty amount of earth balance soy and dairy free butter or oil) or soaked oat meal.  sometimes i have oatmeal with a fried egg on it - yum! and i have a cup of coffee, orange juice, and a granola bar or power square (a yummy treat made locally with nuts and dried fruits) if i'm still hungry.

Snack:  peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or fruit

Lunch:  anything from two sandwiches to left overs from the night before

Snack:  hummus, guacamole, sweet potato chips, fruit, salad, granola bar, or another peanut butter and jelly sandwich....sometimes I have second lunch

Dinner: varies widely, but some ideas, crock pot lentil soup, pot roast, rice and beans with veggies, beef stew, roasted eggplant, pasta with mung bean noodles, pasta in general with meat sauce, pork chops with saukraut and potatoes, roasted chicken (make chicken salad and chicken stock with the leftovers), meat loaf, pasta salad, sweedish meatballs, steamed fish with red sauce, veggie and bean soups....pretty much whatever I make, I make huge portions so that I eat a lot at night and have left overs that I can either reheat the next day or use in another dish.

While I was figuring out what I could eat/how to cook, I also would make two protein shakes per day.  I always use a lot of oil/butter just to take the calories up a notch.  I found dairy/soy/gluten free ice cream ("so delicious" with coconut milk) and I indulge in that at night.  Making a chocolate protein shake with peanut butter and a banana was an awesome way to end the day.

Basically, I try to eat if I'm hungry, so I want to always have food on hand.  It's actually hard to eat all of that food every day, but I NEED it to get by.  I seemed to have bottomed out at 5'9 and 120 lbs, and even with all of this, I still haven't managed to put ON any more weight....but I am almost exclusively nursing my almost 30 lb 11 month old :)  Good luck!!

[icy02]

 Making a chocolate protein shake with peanut butter and a banana was an awesome way to end the day.

I second that!! 

I also had the same problem.  I am just starting to gain a bit of weight back but DS2 is 17 mo now and I am not nursing exclusively anymore. I also started seeing a naturopath who has me on a bunch of supplements and eating 70 g of protein a day.

You are defiantly not eating enough food.  My typical day looks a lot like the PP (Baby Smurf).  Try to get more calories including healthy fats and protein in your diet.  I hope you feel better soon!

[ThreeTwoFive]

I lost a ton of weight between months 14 and 16.  And with every growth spurt I'm as hungry as he is!  I would recommend unsalted almonds or cashews.  A small handful once or twice a day really helps.

[dovey]

I'm having the same problem.  Do you all think it's better to up calories in the carb or fat or protien category the most?  Or all at once?  It's hard to figure it out - I always feel like I'm eating less healthy food when I have a lot of fats or carbs, but eating too much protien can be very hard on the kidneys - not a good idea.  There is so much emphasis in our culture on healthy weight-loss diets, that it is hard to find sufficient info on healthy weight-gain diets. 

[dakotablue]

I'm not having trouble losing or gaining I maintain very well (right now 20lbs too high) But I get hypoglycemic if I don't eat often.

Best snacks (for me) Peanut butter on a spoon!

I am Gluten free so my options are limited. I have gluten free waffles I also put peanut butter on.

Chicken sausage (I like Al fresco) Easy to cook quick to eat. I cook in microwave and eat like a pickle while chasing my toddler

I don't know how this would effect GI, but I like re-fried beans on corn tortillas heated kinda like a makeshift burrito.

Almonds, and cashews

Granola bars are awesome too.

I also 2nd (3rd?) The banana peanut butter milkshake. I love these!

Oh and I use almond milk, for me its better than milk plus I get my calcium.

I'd focus on eating more often rather than more fattening, plus 'they' say its ideal to eat 5-7 small meals a day for your body to better metabolize food (forget where I heard it, but can find if you like)

[Mom31]

I don't know if you are having many other symptoms but GI issues made me think THYROID. Have you had it checked? I got graves disease post partum with both my children.  It is worth having it checked out. I dropped down to 102 lbs and I am 5'4... it can be scary.

[Athora80]

Thanks for all the advice! I am going back to eating mostly whatever I want, minus most junk food, soda etc AND I am cutting out dairy for a month because I think my son is sensitive to it and it might help my reflux. Just since eating more bread and sandwiches and actually having a good lunch with snacks has helped. I got my blood pressure taken a few days ago and it was normal (yay!). I haven't felt as drugged, there has been a significant improvement, although my weight is still about the same (fluctuates from 97-100 pounds).  My memory has been horrible though the last month or 2...maybe the poor diet or my stress/anxiety? who knows but I hope that gets better soon.

Also Emilie2, my maternal grandmother has hashimotos so thyroid issues run in my family. Although about 6 months ago mine was checked (after I had to CONVINCE my old doctor to check it) and everything looked good. I have a physical with a new and better doc in 2 weeks so I have a list of things I want tested. Anyone have any other ideas on things I should ask him? Thanks!

[Athora80]

Oh and some other symptoms are :memory loss of course, minor hair loss, vision changes (floaters), not sleeping well even though I'm tired and anxiety (started after I had my son).

[Mom31]

I am thinking thyroid...  Just because that is what I had and I am most familiar with other mothers may have more ideas but I would for sure start there.

it is very common and everyone's levels are different. I believe what you listed would match up well with symptoms to.

[Athora80]

Hmmm, I have a friend that thinks she has thyroid issues (has all the symptoms) but her tests came back normal. Is it likely the tests can give false negatives? I'll have that tested to double check, thanks so much! What treatment did they put you on?

Oh! and I thought of another symptom!....almost NO sex drive at all. I know that can be normal right after childbirth but it's been 14 months :(

[Athora80]

Ahhhhh...I'm looking up the symptoms of graves disease and it reminded me I have the dry and gritty feeling in my eyes. I also failed the eye pressure test about a month ago! I have most of these symptoms....except the bulging eyes and skin part and a few others. What were your symptoms?

[Mom31]

I was very tired felt a little insane, groggy could not keep my eyes open or even lift ds in the end.  I also had frequent diarhea.... anytime I ate anything it came right out of me like liquid it was awful. I felt very anxious and worried all the time.  I did not get bulging eyes.

[Mom31]

You can always ask to see a specialist too. You see an endocronolygist for this.

[Athora80]

Thanks, I really hope this isn't what I have but I need some explanation for the way I have been feeling. I shall keep ya posted :)