I Eat a Lot!

Yes! I was definitely that way! I have "averaged" out now that my son is weaned, but I definitely felt that way for quite a while!

I was just having this conversation with my husband yesterday! We figure it's just because Baby Girl is literally sucking the nutrients out of me. Anyway, I feel the same way... So, hopefully we're normal! :)

R., my appetite has diminished back to normal now that my son is 16 months old, however, when he was little like your boy, I ate like a PIG! I COULD NOT get enough to eat. I thought there must be something wrong with me I ate so much, and I almost never got full. So, I think it's normal. Your body is making so much for your baby right now, it needs a lot of fuel. And, just so you don't worry, my weight has shrunk down to well below pre-pregnancy. I'm as skinny as I was just after high school (with slightly different proportions). :)

The key is to fill up on low calorie food instead of the QUICK high calorie food. It is easy to eat the wrong thing because you are STARVING. Keep an apple or something with you so you don't get to the ravenous point.
You need to eat at least 1500 calories a day if you are breastfeeding. I would recommend 2000... and I'm sure you will still lose weight.

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Same here! I just ate when I was hungry and tried to make it a blanced diet. No junk food! Lots of protein and fiber instead.
I still lost all my baby weight - and I ate a LOT.

I am still nursing/pumping at 13 months and now have to reduce my intake, since my baby is drinking less, I have started to pack on some pounds again.

So my advice: for the first 6 months just eat to your hearts desire, but keep it healthy. If you fill up on protein you may find yourself more satisfied. You need about 600 extra calories a day to make enough milk.

Once you introduce solids gradually scale back your intake to what is normal for you when not pregnant/nursing. I am still working on that :)
Good luck!

Yes, I felt like I was always hungry when nursing. Most of the baby weight came off quickly after delivery but that last 10 lbs. never came off til I was done nursing and could go back to my regular way of eating. Normally, I eat alot of fruits and veggies but when I was pregnant and nursing, I craved protein, and ate more meat. I think if you feel hungry, it's your body telling you that you need those nutrients and calories so go for it.

Hi R.,

Remember that you are STILL "eating for two" except that now the baby is even larger and needs even more calories and nutrients. On top of that, with a toddler and a young baby, you are probably physically very active trying to keep up with them. So it is completely normal for you to be hungry and eating lots of food. Just make sure you eat the best quality foods you can and avoid low-nutrition snacking as much as possible. And of course, remember to drink lots! Not everyone loses weight when they breastfeed--in my case, my body seemed to "know" that I was providing nutrition for another and held onto the fat stores that would make sure that was possible. Evolutionary ways that the body acts has something to do with our ancestral heritage, and mine was Germanic European mountain villagers--in that environment, it would make sense for the body to hold weight as the diet would not be consistent from season to season.

I found that it was after my children were finished breastfeeding (on THEIR timing, not mine), my body dropped the added weight without any effort at all.

Congrats on the baby. :D I know that when I had breastfed my son I felt the same. Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories, which may cause your hunger to increase. :D

You are totally normal! In fact... you actually need more calories while nursing than you did while you were pregnant. Don't worry... just keep eating and all the good calories will be transferred to your little one. Try to eat healthy and you and the baby will be great! You need to keep up your energy during this special time!!!

My daughter's baby is 5 weeks old. She is very disciplined with food, but feels the same way, so she eats often and just enough to not be hungry. When we go out to eat we split the meals. Her husband splits meals with her also, and as he is in the military and needs plenty of food, they also split a dessert or appetizer. They know they will be eating again in a couple hours, but only eat as much as they need at each meal. They also do not eat "empty" calories--no processed sugar or grains, so they're filling up on whole grains, veggies, fruits, and of course some meat and dairy although not much dairy. Variety is key, to keep you from cravings, as mentioned by others. For example: Oatmeal is a staple for the early breakfast. Mid-morning (second) breakfast is a shake made from partially thawed frozen fruit, banana, spoon of yogurt, 1/4c juice, a handful of raw spinach (you don't taste it with the other ingredients!) and other additions as available. Lunch is whatever sounds good, usually leftovers or soup for her; sandwich, fruit, nuts, veggies, chips or breakfast bars for him. Afternoon snacks are nuts, fruit, pudding or string cheese, breakfast bars (fruit and nuts), or veggies. Dinner is usually a salad with meat on top or on the side. She's started eating a bit of protien (2-3 oz) before bed to help her sleep, and all through the day she's drinking water. She has maybe 1-2 glasses of juice and milk all day and no soda, mostly sticking to water to avoid extra calories. Maybe this gives you some ideas that will help you get plenty of food, but not the empty stuff that keeps on weight. Hopefully you are also getting out twice a day or so for activity. She has the morning and evening walks to get back in shape, then normal activities in the day and one or two naps some days. Congratulations and good luck!!

Absolutely. I've nursed two boys (nursing my second who is now six months old), and always felt like I'm starving. Even after I eat a big meal. The only thing I can recommend is to look for healthy snacks that have low calories to help you stay thin.

Just try to eat healthy foods and lots of protein. You need to eat to replace the calories lost through breastfeeding and pumping. if you don't eat your milk supply will be compromised. When you are done breastfeeding then you can worry about your weight. I'll bet you will lose weight anyway because breastfeeding uses a lot of calories. don't worry I was the same way and lost weight no matter how much I ate. just eat when you are hungry and try to make it count with healthy choices.

Hi R.-
I am nursing a 10 month old, and at first I was hardly eating, but I then found out my thyroid had quit working. I've been on meds for about 7 weeks now, and am just about back to normal levels and I'm eating like a hog!! But it was the same way with my older two girls, so I'm actually happy about it - it's more familiar!
Sometimes I just lose control and eat 4 cookies in a row, but I'm pretty good about not even buying junk food (pop, chips, candy, etc) so when I grab something it's a piece of bread with PB, or an apple, or cheese stick, graham crackers, etc. Also remember that you need a lot of water, so when you feel hungry try to take a good big drink of water first, then eat something if you need to. I read that most of us have lost touch with our bodies along the way and interpret thirst signals as hunger signals.
Just wanted to let you know that it's normal! Try your best to eat healthy things, but keep eating so that you are providing nutrition for your baby and energy for yourself!

yep!

not that I recommend this, but I'm sure it will make you feel better--with one pregnancy/nursing cycle, I literally ate a half a pan of brownies every day BY MYSELF most days in addition to more normal eating--and I'm skinny.

I'd say, eat as much as your body 'needs' and put practices in place that will serve your body well after nursing--excercise and making sure you have enough love in your life, those type of things ...

also, with the 'can't eat' list ... sometimes overeating is because a person is naturally searching for nutrients (part of my chocolate fixation was probably iron deficiency) ...

... also there is to be aware of that whole set of thinking about diet types related to blood-types; there are books, but the basic theory is that blood type is an indicator of basic genetic structures, and that the oldest blood type needs a more meat/hunting based diet, and then one of the newer ones corresponds to strong agriculture and is more likely to succeed as a vegetarian, and then there is a mixed one and I can't remember the fourth ... oh wait, maybe that's the grains one ... and you won't feel satisfied eating the "wrong" diet even if it is a very "healthy" one ...

... and my recent personal pet theory is that women need meat to be healthy (especially during pregnancy and nursing, but even within the tough job of raising children) but have an instinct to rely on seemingly more accessible fruits and veggies, and men need fruits and veggies to be healthy (hence all of the 'universal' guidelines from our ever so patriarchally based modern health studies) but have an instinct to rely on seemingly more accessible meat ... which I base not only on stereotypes, observation, and experience, but also because it really puts a whole new and much healthier spin on the hunter-gatherer, partnership prehistory--we literally NEEDED each other to reach full human growth potential, and the more we trusted the other gender and also offered our gifts to the other gender, the better for everyone ...

(you may notice in my profile that my husband left me ... I was in the middle difficult part of trying to get a handle on gender relations and he didn't stick around long enough to see what I was aiming for, which was to finally figure out the joy and beauty that I trusted were buried under all the years of sexism and yuckiness in our society)

Please eat as much as your body is telling you. The worst thing you can do when breastfeeding is restrict your food intake. Thisis why lots of mom's breast milk dries up, because they are trying to lose weight. Nursing is about the best weight loss program you can go on. Just chose whole foods that are good for you & your baby. I'm hungry all the time too & loving that iC an at almost anything becaseu I'm nursing.

I have never been more hungry than when I was breast feeding. I am not much help as the only thing for me that decreased my appetite was weaning her at 15 months and the weight and hunger went away instantly! so weaning is the only cure I found.