Would you consider early weaning for weight loss?

[MilkTrance]

Hypothetically speaking, if you were obese, and had started to manifest physical problems (high blood pressure, muscle and joint pain), extreme depression and low self esteem because of your weight, would you consider early (after 1 year) weaning to lose weight, or just "deal with" your physical and mental health problems until your LO self-weaned?

(Assuming you could not lose weight while breastfeeding)

I am curious. I have not lost one ounce of weight (I have, in fact, gained) in the nearly 7 months PP EBF. Neither diet nor exercise has seemed to make any difference so far.

I can and will definitely make it one year for my sweet child, but I don't know how much longer I can last, trapped in this body so alien to my usual self (at least 80-100lbs heavier than usual). I am also concerned for my physical health -- I now have high blood pressure, joint pain, muscle pain, insomnia and fatigue which I do attribute to this "excess" -- even if I lost 80lbs, I would be over the "ideal" according to the stupid BMI chart -- weight).

On the other hand, I AM willing to sacrifice everything for my child's health. I wonder though when he will be able to pick up on my mental issues about myself.

[KsMum]

If it were me, I would be happy to have given my LO a year of my milk, and then weaned to make my health better.

HUGS to you mama, I too haven't lost all the weight, and I'm 19 months post partum. Oh how I wished I was one of those mom's who lost weight with breastfeeding, but not for me.

[RockStarMom]

I would not wean early.
I didn't lose a pound until my daughter was well over a year old--more like 18 months. And I just returned to my pre-pregnancy weight--DD is now 2. To me, it felt like my body was just hanging on to all of that weight until my daughter was older, and now it's actually coming off. It was very frustrating at the time.
Also, breastfeeding greatly reduces a child's chances of struggling with obesity later in life, and that would be an important consideration for me.
Have you seen The Shape of a Mother? That is something that has really helped me with my own self-esteem issues regarding weight and body image.

[jul511riv]

why couldn't you loose while nursing?

Why not wait till one year and then change your diet/excersize what have you and give solids to baby but still let her nurse as she wanted. Or nightwean (as sleep=easier weight loss, so perhaps you are not sleeping enough uninterrupted?)

Good luck and hugs mama. Of course YOUR health is PARAMOUNT. If mama ain't happy/healthy ain't NOBODY happy/healty!

[MilkTrance]

It breaks my heart to even consider weaning at all... I don't know why I can't lose. Maybe I should see a doctor or a naturopath about this.

That website is very emotional for me. Thanks for the link. I deeply appreciate it. This is a hard journey for someone who has had body dysmorphia in the past and now an actual weight problem.

[nummies]

Sorry that you are going through this. I probably wouldn't wean early but start a diet and exercise program while nursing (under a doctor's supervision, if needed). I think that there is no problem with working out and eating healthier while nursing. The better diet may even be great for your milk. Good luck and

[rmzbm]

I would exhaust EVER OTHER OPTION before even considering weaning. I also don't understand why you need to wean to lose weight? Usually nursing makes it easier. It would have to be a dire situation for me to entertain the thought honestly. Good luck!

[aprildawn]

I also was one of those mamas who couldn't lose weight while nursing. And it was extremely frustrating to hear all about how *easy* it is to lose weight while breastfeeding. My FP told me it's pretty common, actually, to struggle with weight loss while breastfeeding. I think it might help for you to see your doctor and have your thyroid checked.

DD1 weaned at 18 mos. A couple months after that the weight started falling off.

DD2 weaned at 24 mos. I tried everything. I've always walked 4-5x/week for exercise, but I started running since walking wasn't helping. My weight didn't budge. I joined the Y and started lifting weights, kickboxing, spin, as well as continuing to run 1-2x/week. Again, nothing happened. That's when I saw my doctor and she told me my body just might not want to drop the weight until after weaning. She also ran some bloodwork in case my thyroid was off.

In the past six months since DD2 weaned I've lost about 20 lbs. I'm still exercising and eating well. The weight loss is easy, and I feel a lot better in general.

[Ruthla]

I never really lost weight before my kids were 9mo or so- except for the first month or so when it was just my uterus shrinking.

What weight loss techniques have you tried so far? One diet may work where another one didn't. Also, have your thyroid checked- underactive thyroid will keep you from being able to lose weight whether you're BF or not, and synthroid is perfectly safe while nursing.

If you truly can't lose weight while BF, then you'd need to balance out the baby's need for milk with your own health needs. But I think the best thing to do is try and get your health under control before then- and then re-evaluate the situation when your baby is a year old. If you're able to start losing weight slowly, then there will be no reason to wean. And if you can't, I'd suggest that you START the weaning process at 12mo rather than try to have it finished by then.

[turtlewomyn]

I would be worried that you would go through the trouble of weaning, and then find that you still would not be able to lose weight.
I would go to a medical professional and see if something is up with your health. Thyroid possibly?
I lost weight while breastfeeding at first, very quickly, and got down to ten pounds below my prepregnancy weight, and then as DD started to wean at six months (with the intro to solid foods) I started to gain again. I am now 20 pounds heavier than I was when she started solids, and she is still nursing a few times a day. I have been trying to eat healthy and excercise, but I am planning to get my thyroid checked since thyroid problems run in my family and I have a few other symptoms.

[Lizafava]

I can't lose weight while BFing either. I can totally relate to feeling like an alien in your body. For me though, early weaning isn't an option, and neither is dieting (which doesn't work, it just doesn't).

For me, I choose to excercise and eat healthy for my health, not my size, and that makes me feel about 100 times better about myself and my body. If I am thinking about losing weight, I hate exercising. I threw away the scale. I accept the fact that I may never be a size 12 or 10 or 8 again. I just keep working on accepting that, and myself. Its the hardest thing I've ever done, but I am happier now, with myself, and my life, with my plus-size body that I ever, ever was with a smaller one. Its not easy - I fight hating my body every day, and now that I am pregnant, I battle a lingering despair that I will never been thinnish again. But I keep trying, because at the end of the day, accepting my body keeps my self esteem up and keeps me focused on what is more important.

Don't buy into the myth that you cannot be healthy at a bigger size. Its just not true. Dieting will just make it harder for your body weight to stabilize.

Just a couple links. Google health at any size...

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/25384.php
http://www.pearlsong.com/haes.htm
http://naafa.org/

[Nature]

I didn't lose weight while nursing until after a year. When I did lose weight it was pretty quickly and sudden. I wouldn't wean early.

[ABrez]

No way would I wean early. There has to be other options that do not adversely affect my children.

[alegna]

At a year? No. I would consider it at 2 if the weight was having serious effects on my health.

-Angela

[aprildawn]

Originally Posted by MilkTrance

I can and will definitely make it one year for my sweet child, but I don't know how much longer I can last, trapped in this body so alien to my usual self (at least 80-100lbs heavier than usual). I am also concerned for my physical health -- I now have high blood pressure, joint pain, muscle pain, insomnia and fatigue which I do attribute to this "excess" -- even if I lost 80lbs, I would be over the "ideal" according to the stupid BMI chart -- weight).

On the other hand, I AM willing to sacrifice everything for my child's health. I wonder though when he will be able to pick up on my mental issues about myself.

I bolded that part myself. Be careful of the BMI charts. They say someone is obese when they might not necessarily be so.

I'm tall (5'11") and weigh 225 (size 18) right now. It's more than I should weigh, but I'm not obese. When I joined the Y in early 2006 a trainer did a whole workup on me. My body fat was within the ideal range. She made a plan for me to get into the lean range, and told me I was very muscular and athletically built. I will always weigh more than the charts say I should. But I still would like to lose 30-40lbs and be a size 14-16. High blood pressure is something I'll have to watch as I get older. Diabetes runs in our family, too. Getting my weight down now is a priority to me for being around as my kids grow up. But I'm doing it slowly, and not going to extreme measures. In fact, I've got a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven right now! Gotta go check on them!

I just wanted to encourage you again to not be impatient. It felt like forever to me when I was nursing a 7 mo old and not losing any weight. At 24 mos she was already nursing sporadically. I just quit offering and we were done painlessly. Since she weaned in March I've lost about 15 lbs. It took a few months before the weight loss started.

[jenni22]

Originally Posted by MilkTrance

It breaks my heart to even consider weaning at all... I don't know why I can't lose. Maybe I should see a doctor or a naturopath about this.

That website is very emotional for me. Thanks for the link. I deeply appreciate it. This is a hard journey for someone who has had body dysmorphia in the past and now an actual weight problem.

I felt the same way...everyone told me that if I didn't lose the weight before 1 yr it wouldn't come off, then I came on here and realized that keeping weight IS normal too! I lost about 15 lbs right away then didn't lose anything else until just a couple of weeks ago. But it really makes sense that our bodies want to make sure they will be able to nourish our children even if a famine comes and we can't eat enough. This thought has made me feel better, as I used to have a rockin bod, and now I have a mama bod If I get it back one day great, and if not that's ok too, my baby is getting the best she can get and that's what matters to me!

[Mama Poot]

I would go to a doctor and have them do some tests on your thyroid and all of that. It isn't uncommon to experience thyroid and endocrine problems after having a baby. Breastfeeding normally helps some women lose at least a little bit of weight, and I don't think its normal at all that you've actually gained while nursing. Don't wean-I don't think its necessary. I think there is an underlying physical problem causing you not to be able to lose the weight. Additionally, weaning can further slow your already sluggish metabolism, it might even make it harder for the weight to come off.

[kindnepenthe]

I was struggling with this problem a few months ago. I'm not overweight but I did gain more weight during my pregnancy than I was used to and was having a hard time dealing with it. In the end I just thought about what mattered more to me, feeling good about myself right away or making sure my daughter was breastfed. My daughter being breastfed won.

Although my case isn't the same as yours, as your having medical problems it was still a decision I had to think about.

If you really want to lose weight and continue to breastfeed you can do it. I think the biggest problem when people are trying to lose weight is that they are eating more junk than they actually think they are. Start writing down everything you eat and I bet you'll see that half of the stuff you write down, you don't even need to eat or is probably not very healthy for you. Add more whole grains, fruit, vegetables, dairy, and try and stick to chicken or fish. Go for a walk in the morning and evening if you have the time. I took my daughter on these walks and she loved them.

There shouldn't be a reason why you have to stop breast feeding to get healthy. I was running 2 miles twice a day 5xweek over the summer and not once did I ever have a problem with my supply going down. I just made sure to stop eating junk foods and added in good healthy stuff.

It's hard, so I can appreciate what you're going through. I've had months where I was good and went to the gym 7xweek for at least 2 hours and didn't see a difference! It was horrible and I felt so defeated. Right now I'm dealing with that problem and I can tell you it's hard. I feel like giving up but I know if I do all those months of work will be for nothing.

Good luck!

[MilkTrance]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

What weight loss techniques have you tried so far? One diet may work where another one didn't.

I have only tried the "eat less, move more" diet. I have not tried any formal diets -- I'm too scared. All of the diet books I have say XYZ diet is not for nursing or pregnant mothers.

I admit my exercise is not hard core. It is just walking. My pelvis still feels like it is going to crack in half (even though I had a C -- weird hey?)

I would never consider weaning before 12 months!

[huggerwocky]

Yes I would, 1 year is very good, especially under this condition