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SO from weight gain thread: Weight gain/loss during nursing

935 views 19 replies 20 participants last post by  BlueIrises 
#1 ·
For moms that have nursed other children, did you gain or lose weight?

I know that you are "supposed" to lose weight from nursing, but I gained (and gained.)
My mom did, too. I guess I'm glad I at least know ahead of time this time.

I don't mean to scare 1st time moms, but I didn't even realize that some moms gain. I had always read/heard that I would lose.
 
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#2 ·
I lost, like crazy. I dropped back to my PP weight by 3 WEEKS postpartum (not a typo), and I'd gained a total of 27 pounds. (I was 13 lbs. down from my top weight by the time we got home from the hospital 3 days after my son was born.) And I just kept going down. Every time I got sick (flu-type stuff) and when I eliminated wheat from my diet, I dropped another 3-5 pounds that didn't come back.

Until I got a Mirena IUD at about 14 months PP. Then I started gaining. I thought it was stress at first, but then the stressors I was blaming cleared up, and I kept gaining. So I thought it was the change in my son's nursing habits, but my eating habits changed too, and I kept gaining. I finally figured out it was the da*ned IUD. I got it out 3 months before we conceived, so I didn't have much time to start going down again. I think my body is shedding excess fat storage *now* in response!

So, by the time I get home from birthing *this* baby, I may already be down 10 pounds from my PP weight, and I expect that within a few weeks I'll have dropped another 10 or so. At that weight (which would be around 170... I'm 5'2") I'll still have plenty of fat reserves for nursing ;-). Ideally, I'd love to see 150 again, or even 145 if I REALLY work at it!
 
#4 ·
I had a similar experience to Ironica -- I gained a little less than 30 pounds last time, and was back to my prepregnancy weight by 3 weeks post-partum. Mostly that was because nearly all my weight gain last time was water weight -- I gained almost 20 pounds in the final month of pregnancy as I developed PIH and swelled up like a balloon -- it was terrible.

Anyway, I can't say that it was nursing that made me lose weight -- the water weight just drained away in the days following DS's birth. It'll be interesting to see how things go this time, assuming that I don't develop PIH again.
 
#5 ·
Nursing helped me to lose weight. I am 5'6" and gained about 35 pounds last pregnancy (from starting weight of 150). I didn't pay attention to my weight after DS was born. I just kept trying to get into my old clothes. I was back into my old clothes in about 3 or 4 weeks. When I finally did start weighing myself again, I was already back to 145. I was happy with that, so I never even tried to lose weight. I'm still amazed because I was eating everything in sight. I have never been so hungry in my life!

I hope the same thing happens this time...
 
#6 ·
I lost in the first month, but after that I gained some and had a horrible time trying to lose even an ounce. I finally was able to lose 20lbs right before I got pregnant again. I've learned that I am able to lose weight while nursing only if I exercise daily and don't eat any sugar or grains. I'm hoping that since I finally know this I will be able to do okay this time
 
#7 ·
I seem to hold onto the remaining pregnancy weight I didn't lose at birth until about 2 years after the birth (stopped nursing at 18 mos, 15 mos, and 9 mos--the baby's idea, not mine!--respectively). And then I seem to settle at 5 lbs heavier than my previous prepregnancy weight. I was 105 lbs when I got pregnant with #1, 110 between her and #2, and around 120 since #3 (2 and 3 were so close together I didn't even get remotely close to a prepregnancy weight in between).

Nursing didn't seem to make any difference in my weight one way or another. But boy did I have an appetite
.
 
#8 ·
I lost a lot (the baby weight, 25lbs minus dd's weight and other birth fluid loss, plus 30lbs) in the first year, but I also changed the way I was eating to traditional foods. Dd provided me with the motivation to finally make some changes.
 
#10 ·
I lose.
my pattern has seemed to be lose around 10 to 12 lbs in the postpartum period then it slowly comes off in the next 8 - 9 months. It's not till baby is a little over a year that I'm close to my pre preg weight.... weight, not body
. So I end up still not being able to wear my pre preg bottoms until baby is weaned which happens around 18 months give or take.
 
#11 ·
I gained 60 lbs the first time around-apparently a significant amount was water weight, because I'd dropped 30lbs by the time I left the hospital. The rest just sorta melted away, and I was actually below my pp weight by 5lbs within 3 months and then popped back up to a PP weight as soon as I was done BFing...

Now, that said... my friend's body was convinced it needed to keep a good extra 10 lbs on incase a starvation situation hit while she was nursing. She found that it always went away as soon as she quit BFing.
 
#12 ·
I did a little of both.. my first pregnancy I gained 40, and got to within 12 of my prepreg, but then started gaining again, especially after I had a m/c. DS is almost three now and still nursing. This pregnancy I started out at the what I weighed when I walked into the hospital to birth him, and I've gained 13 so far. (and only .3 in the last six weeks, go figure)

Of course I'm not working fastfood like I was when I was pregnant with him through the time he was almost two.
:

What did help me on my initial loss with him was exercise. I did some watp and it just came right off. Unfortunately I didn't keep it up. I'm planning on getting much more active and staying active. I'd like to be to my prepregnancy weight within two months, and then another 40 down by a year so I'm the same weight I was before I ever got pregnant.
 
#13 ·
i gained about 40 with each previous pregnancy. after #1 i was down to pre-pregnancy weight by about 4 months pp, though i wouldn't say i was in pre-pregnancy shape, and not all my clothes fit, but most did. i attribute this as much to being able to take long daily walks and a regular yoga practice as much as to nursing. when i got pg with #2 (when DD was 17 months) i was 4 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight, but that's mostly due to lost muscle mass vs. actually being thinner than before - in fact i was in a size 6 vs. a size 4, mostly due to my hips i think.

anyways, after #2 it took me longer to lose the weight, but it came off steadily, just more slowly. i think it's because i wasn't able to walk nearly as much because DD wouldn't sit still for 2 hours in a stroller while i went for a power walk every day. it surprised me, though, since i was nursing two i had hoped it would make up for the lowered physical activity, but it didn't. but ultimately i ended up 2 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight (pregnancy #2 that is), and pretty much the same size as prior to pregnancy #2. probably by about 18 months post partum? can't remember exactly.
 
#14 ·
dc1 gained 40 lost it all by 2 months then lost probably another 10 pounds by 6months pp.

dc2 gained 40, lost it all by 4 months

dc3 gained 30/35, still had 10 pounds to go at 18 months.

So this time around I'm hoping to exercise and eat right and not just rely on nursing to get the weight off.
 
#16 ·
I have always lost my pregnancy weight and a bit extra within the first month postpartum. With DS I was 15 lbs less than my pre-preg weight and with DD it was 25 lbs less.

That said, in BOTH cases, I ended up gaining it all back and more by around their second year. My problem is that I get accustomed to eating for nursing and don't cut back as they begin to eat solid foods (around the 12 month mark for both). So...from around 12 months postpartum to around the second year I slowly gain it all back and a bit extra.


I'm hoping that this time I'll be smart enough to cut back on my intake as they begin the weaning process to solids.
 
#17 ·
I don't now all the numbers, but I gained ~35 lbs last time. At my 6 week checkup I had lost all but 6 lbs. The extra 6lbs stayed around for awhile, I started eating right and lost it and an extra 4. The problem is that I'm very hungry when nursing, and don't always choose the right foods. This time, I plan to pay more attention to my food choices (am thinking of joining weight watchers) and exercising more, when I have the time. (whenever that may be, I have no clue)
 
#19 ·
I gained 22 pounds (was 9 pounds down the night she was born) with DD and got down to 10 pounds below my PP weight by 4 months or so. I maintained that weight until I got pregnant again this time. One complicating factor, though, is that we moved overseas when she was 3 months old and the lifestyle here is less sedentary and we eat out less. So maybe I would have lost 10 pounds regardless. But I definitely feel that nursing is a diet aid for me.
 
#20 ·
I gained 34 lbs with my son (that was on top of the 9 lbs I gained from the fertilty drugs). By the time I got home from the hospital I had lost 16 lbs. I then didn't loss anything for a few months and then I gained 5 lbs...I was starving all the time while BF (plus he was a December baby and we couldn't go out for walks here in NY so I got zero exercise)...at 5m PP I finally joined WW and I lost 10lbs...found out I was PG 8weeks after joining. I started off this PG with 18lbs from my 1st PG...so far I have gained 20lbs...I have 8 weeks to go...

What I know this time is I am joining WW at 3m PP...I am excited to have an April baby so we can be outside walking...I am more goal oriented into losing weight this time...I felt so gross and sluggish last time...
 
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