Mothers gain weight after the birth of their baby. Often times, it’s the main concern of the mothers whether they can lose weight and still breastfeed. Its natural for women to gain weight during pregnancy for the production of breast milk and protection of the unborn baby. However, women who choose to breast feed their child can lose weight faster because the additional calories are used up in milk production. Weight loss during breastfeeding benefits aren’t just weight loss though; they help the mother and the child stay healthy in many other ways.
Lactating women can lose weight at the rate of around 600-800 grams a month during the first 6 months. However, this is not true for everyone and the rate of weight loss varies widely. You would be surprised to know that some women tend to gain even more weight during lactation. But generally, breastfeeding after 6 months will significantly help in losing more weight. However, the rate is less than that seen during the first six months.
Weight Loss Breastfeeding: what doctors say
Weight loss during breastfeeding and its benefits have been talked about by doctors and nutritionists all over the world. Some say that the best time to lose weight for a woman is during lactation. It’s also suggested for lactating women to not try any heavy exercise or conscious methods of weight loss as it may significantly hamper the mother’s and child’s health. As the mother’s body is just recovering from childbirth, putting out the extra effort for losing weight can be very hazardous to her health and we suggest always talking with your physician. Comparative studies on lactating mothers have shown that mothers opting for weight loss during breastfeeding see a better weight loss rate than the ones who bottle feed their child.
As mentioned earlier, the rate of weight loss can decrease after the first two months or there might be no loss in weight at all. In that case, mothers are advised to reduce their calorie intake by around 150 calories a day. However, if you are already consuming low calories, you shouldn’t reduce the intake. It is suggested for lactating mothers to at least have 1800 calories every day. Anything less than that isn’t considered good for the child. While the weight loss breastfeeding merits can be quite tantalizing for some mothers, they shouldn’t ignore their child’s health and growth.
Weight Loss Breastfeeding: Conclusion
Although heavy exercise isn’t advised during the first 2 months after baby birth, there is a general misconception that exercise can reduce the production of milk. However, according to studies, exercises don’t have much effect on breast milk production and slight exercise after 2 months of baby birth wouldn’t hamper. In fact, some studies have shown that mild exercise can help in production of more milk thus giving a better weight loss result. So, regular exercise and proper calorie intake will not give a better weight loss breastfeeding impact but also improve her overall health.
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