Eating enough to keep up milk supply for BF Moms?

My son is currently doing well nursing, but sometimes will latch on and then get off a few times during a feeding, maybe like once a day.  He gets frustrated like he wants to eat but then unlatches and then gets back on.  I want to make sure I'm eating enough to make enough milk for him, but know it's different after RNY because I can't eat like I did pre-op.  And I realize he is still learning to nurse and this is normal. 

With my daughter, I ate enough and drank enough but that's with a normal stomach.   And with having to wait at least a half hour after I eat now with the RNY, it's a little hard to time eating meals/snacks and drinking.   Sometimes I actually drink before a half hour (like 20 mins) because I am SO THIRSTY.   I am more thirsty than hungry, so drinking is not a problem for me- it's the eating.   I was like this with my last one, I was more thirsty than hungry.   Do any of you have a hard time with the eating/drinking rule once you were nursing like this?

I called my sister today and she got mad at me and told me I needed to eat more, after I told her what I ate yesterday.  She told me that I won't be nursing much longer if I don't eat enough and that I was eating for me and making milk for the baby- and I was like duh I know.   I reminded her that I had RNY and couldn't eat as much as she thought at each meal because my stomach is a lot smaller now.   She said that I needed to eat every 2 hrs and eat healthy snacks, she got so mad at me when I told her that I ate a chocolate chip cookie!   So basically, I wished I had  never talked to her about this, but she is right in that I need to eat more and more often during the day.  I have leaked a few times through the nursing pad onto my shirt, so I know I am making enough milk, but just want to make sure!

I am currently drinking 64-80 oz of water a day and here's an example of what I ate.  I don't have much of an appetite right now, so eating is hard.  I had this with the other 2 kids where I had no appetite for the first 2-3 weeks post partum, but then I lost all my baby weight in that time.  I have currently lost 20 of the 27 lbs of baby weight in 6 days after I've had him.   I know my appetite will come back after a while, it's just hard right now to eat when I don't want to. 

Ok, here's what I had to eat yesterday:

B-  2 scrambled eggs on a piece of toast with a piece of american cheese on top
S- chocolate chip cookie
L- 1/2 turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo, mustard and some doritos
D- 2 pieces of Papa John's the works pizza
S- chocolate chip cookie
drank 80 oz of water

Here's what I have eaten so far today:

B- one Rhodes cream cheese cinnamon roll (bad I know)
L- 1 leftover papa john's the works pizza slice and 1 turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo/mustard
drank 45 oz of water so far

Also, is it ok to have a protein shake while nursing?  I have one that is 26 gms of protein and is sweetened with splenda that I like to drink.   Thanks everyone!!

Hi.

Let me start this by saying that I have never nursed, but I have read up on it a lot.  What I tell you may be information you already know...  so sorry if it sounds redundant to you!

Second, let me also tell you that I had the DS surgery, so my post-op eating habits/needs are different than yours but I will still try to offer you some help and encouragement!

Okay, with all the being said I have read (from other women who nurse, and work really hard at keeping up their milk supply) that liquids are the most important thing right now!  You are doing great at getting in 80 oz...  and I don't want this to sound like I am preaching to you, but I really think you should up your fluids even more.  (I personally will be shooting for 160 oz of plain water per day when I am nursing.  I am currently drinking 128 oz of it now while pregnant)

You have to remember that as WLSers we need more water than normies do.  So if a non-post-op nursing mom needs 120 oz of water per day to maintain a really good milk supply, your body needs that at least!

Now you may not have gotten that much liquid in with your first baby and still managed fine...  I believe you.  But you would be very surprised to find out just how efficient our normal un-surgically-altered anatomy can suck the water out of the foods we eat.  That is not the case after weight loss surgery.  (Because usually a part of the small bowel responsible for this sucking of the water out of food eaten is bypassed, hence why we need to drink more than the average person to stay hydrated)

As far as for your food, I have read that you need 500 extra calories per day while nursing.  Do you have a rough idea as to what your calorie intake was prior to becoming pregnant?  Were you losing weight at that time or maintaining?  If you were a stable weight, and eating an average amount of calories, you shouldn't need to add too much in the food department.  (For example:  2 bowls of whole grain cereal with milk, and 1 cup of yogurt per day would equal roughly 500 calories...  so eat that, or something similar in calories, in addition to your normal diet and you should be fine.)

Plus, as you nurse you should naturally get your hunger back, big time.

Protein shakes are fine, and would probably be a very good thing for you now that you are not as hungry.  I would go so far as to say if you can make yourself drink 2 of them per day, even better!

As far as the food you ate, it is true that you don't seem to be eating very much right now.  I know I personally would starve on such a small amount, but then again I am a DSer and I can eat way too much (in my mind at least).

Eggs are a great choice!  You could try to eat them all day long.  I would not get sick of eating scrambled eggs for breakfast & for a snack at night.

The cookies, eh.  Not a good choice but I just ate some myself so who I am to talk?  But maybe you could try to find some alternatives that you still find yummy, but that pack a more powerful nutritional punch...  like a protein cookie or a health food cookie.  (I know Kashi has some cookies that have good stuff in them...  and there is a website dedicated to RnYer snack foods that has some really yummy protein bars & cookies.  It is called http://www.bariatriceating.com/ )

Papa John's Pizza is a great choice in my book!  The only way to make it better would be if you ordered it with Papa John's whole wheat dough instead of their white dough...  and then also with extra toppings/cheese/sauce would make it even better than that!

Splenda is safe to eat.

And I love Doritos...  but then again you can eat so little (as far as amounts go) that maybe you should try to find an alternative to those...  maybe some type of protein chip or whole grain fiber filled chip or something... 

Do you have a whole foods market or trader joes near you?  Those are good places to go browse (make sure to go when you are hungry so that you pick up some good yummies!)  That way, when you are back home and want some chips with your 1/2 sandwich, you can feel good about all the protein/fiber there is in it.

What about snacking on little things throughout the day?  Is that an option for you, or would that fill you up and make you unable to eat at mealtimes? 

Mostly, you really need to focus on protein!  With fruits & veggies coming in 2nd place.  (The carbs and sugar most people don't have to worry about, they usually find their way into our diets without us even thinking about it)

Can you drink milk?  That is a good way to get both hydration, and protein (plus some calcium too!)

I hope some of this helped you.  I wish you the best nursing experience!

While I was pg and before I got pg, I was lucky to get in 32-48  oz of water a day.   I'm just not a big drinker and that was forcing myself to drink when I got that much.   I know I should drink more post op, but that's about what I did each day.   My surgeon told us to drink at least 64 oz of water a day and I tried to aim for that each day. 

So if I'm drinking 80 oz of water at least a day right now (which is double and almost triple of what I was getting), that is amazing for me!  lol   I am constantly drinking throughout the day and I bet the more he  nurses and the amount he eats increases, the more thirsty I'll get.   I carry a 32 oz mug with me wherever I go and am constantly drinking and want to eventually work up to 3 of those a day, so almost 100 oz a day.  As for my eating, I am eating how I did pre pg and know I need to up my eating and calories.   Once I get my appetite back in a few weeks, that will be easier to do.   With you being a DS'er, you are able to drink with your meals and can probably get more water in, but I have to wait 30 mins after I eat to drink anything at least.  So it's a little harder to get more in than a normal person when I have to wait to drink.

When I was pregnant this time, I definitely was eating enough and know that this is totally normal for me to not have an appetite for a few weeks after baby.   I was probably getting in 1500 calories a day and felt like a pig because I wasn't used to eating as much and as often before that and post op.   I was actually like this with my last baby (pre op) and ate what I am eating right now and drank as much as I did and my milk supply was more than great for my daughter.   I had to force and gag down food sometimes and it only lasted a few weeks thankfully.  And like I said, I've lost most of my baby weight and am thrilled with that. 

I am able to snack throughout the day and am going to have hubby get some better choices at the store when he goes on monday grocery shopping for me.   I think one snack between meals is great and won't fill me up.   As for milk, I can only drink a cup at a time because I am sensitive to the milk sugars (lactose) post op now and will dump if I go beyond about 17 gms of sugar.  

Thanks for your post Amanda! 

First thing to remember is that women in 3rd world countries successfully nurse their babies, and they are not eating anywhere near the amount of calories that we are told we "should" eat while nursing, the body will take what it needs and your milk will be perfect for baby. As long as you are keeping up on your supplements your body will not suffer any ill effects from lower calorie intake.

80 ozs of water is good, but if you can find a way during the day to get more that would be fine too. Protein shakes are fine, but you might find that Splenda will bother babies tummy, I can't have any artificial sweetner b/c it makes baby super gassy and fussy.

As for the pulling off and fussing, he is still learning how to make your milk let down and might be getting frustrated if it is not happening fast enough for him OR it could be that your milk is letting down too fast for him and he is still learning to deal with it. If you are seeing lots of milk, or spray when he pops off then it's most likely a fast let down that is the problem, in this case you can try nursing him in a more upright position or in the "Aussie" position where you are laying on your back and baby is above you (gravity helps milk to flow slower, making it easier to deal with).

If it's a slow let down you can try massaging the breast before you try to latch him, take a few deep breaths, picture baby nursing and massage in a gentle circular motion, then try and latch him on. This might help your milk to be ready to flow as soon as he latches, keeping his frustration level lower.

Good luck!

THANK YOU for that comment!!  It's so true, women in 3rd world countries successfully nurse their babies and are practically starving to begin with because of their limited food supply.   Just like when you are pregnant, the body will take what it needs to help your baby grow and you will suffer if you don't get what you should in each day with water, vitamins, food, etc.   I still am going to try and force myself to eat more though so my milk supply doesn't dwindle or I am not making enough.   I know my appetite will come back in a few weeks, so I'm going to try and enjoy not feeling like a pig... lol

As for water, I have drank 64 oz so far today and will probably end up doing 80 oz again.   With my daughter (pre-op), I was drinking two of these 32 oz water mugs a day (or maybe 3?) and my milk supply was great.   I was just really thirsty and drank when I was thirsty, kind of drinking on demand if you want to call it.   My body let me know when it was thirsty and I drank a ton.   Good thing to know about the splenda, I will have to pay attention to see if that makes him fussy if I have it on a certain day.

I bet the fussing is because it's not coming out fast enough for what he wants, especially at night.   I will try massaging my breast before he gets on to see if that helps.   He is doing less of the pulling off though today and last night, so I think he's starting to learn how to nurse better and getting used to my letdown.   I just can't believe I'll be doing this for a year again, the first few months are so demanding!   Especially this first month where he is going every 2-3 hrs during the day!!  At night, he is doing every 2-4 hrs and that is nice when he goes a little longer, so I can get more sleep (and him too).   I'll be glad when he can go every 4-5 hrs during the day and is eating solids.   :)

Thanks for your comments tripmom!

Question: Do I need to drink extra fluid while I am breastfeeding?

Fluid intake is best regulated by thirst. In fact, excess fluids can actually decrease milk production! Many studies have looked at fluid intake and milk output and have found that the mother's thirst is the best guide. So follow your own thirst (about 6 - 8 glasses a day) and drink healthy beverages such as low or non-fat milk, 100% fruit or vegetable juices, or water.


Just some info I found online! I hope you fine it helpful!

-Ashlie