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breastfeeding & losing weight

SammyandthekidsSammyandthekids
in Pregnancy
whats the deal/myths/reality?

do you lose weight breastfeeding or is it a myth? someone put my mind at rest MIL is driving me round the bend!!!!!!! saying i should breastfeed because it will help lose the pounds... rahhhhh! :x :x

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    mamascottmamascott
    I think it depends on the person to be honest hun x



    I lost weight gradually when I was BF but I don't know if i would have naturally lost the weight at the same rate, as it wasn't a dramatic weight loss for me x



    I think a lot of it was probably due to me being so busy with a new born baby that I was burning more calories x
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    piggypopspiggypops
    i had 2 friends BF until nearly 1yr and both have struggled with the weight, i suppose it depends if you have problems with weight to begin with really, it does take a lot of calories but you should be eating to make this demand up so technically you shouldnt loose lots of weight doing it??
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    Gail1977Gail1977
    If you eat a healthy diet then yes you will. However it wont make you lose extra fat. For example it will burn off the little weight left round your tummy from the baby but if you were overweight before or ate loads during pregnancy and you have maternal fat (basically fat on your bum, hips and arms from over eating) that wont go. It causes your womb to contract, pulling in baby weight.
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    michelle07-79314michelle07-79314
    They say breast feeding burns 500 calories a day and help your uterus return to its pre pregnancy size faster, so depending how much weight you put on during your pregnancy would depend how much weight you would loose. But breast feeding can make you hungry. so i always eat too much and put weight on :roll:

    But i do love breast feeding and think of the money you would save :lol:
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    annebopannebop
    I breastfed and lost the pounds really quickly over the first 6-8 weeks (was pre-preg weight at 4 weeks) but don't know if I would have done anyway, as I've nothing to compare it with.



    My appetite increased massively though, I could eat for England, far more than when I was just pregnant and I think once I reached 6 months, this actually made me put on a few extra pounds.



    Personally I'd BF for other reasons other than losing weight but that's a whole new debate I don't want to start here. Just go with what feels right for you and bugger anyone else xx
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    angel100angel100
    annebop is right, only bf if it is right for you, dont let anyone push you into doing it, it can be quite hard work at the beginning but well worth it, im now 14weeks in and loving it.



    Anyway back to topic, i lost quite quickly in the first 6-8 weeks and have gradually lost since then as well (apart from over xmas), what i have noticed is that my tummy is less jelly belly than it was after i had my first so i think it helps with tightening up, when i had my first i couldnt bf and it took me a while to drop the weight, this time i feel like im quite happy with myself already.xx
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    jen24jen24
    Hi



    I lost alot of weight but think that was down to alot of things including bf, nerves and never having time to sit down lol. I wasnt big to start with im pregnant with my 2nd now and planning on bf again it is such a lovely experience but lots of hard work.



    As the other ladies have said its your choice dont get pressured into something your not 100% happy with.



    good luck xx
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