Happy Breast Feeding Week

Happy breastfeeding week! I am always in awe of the female body. Not only can we grow human life but after we birth a baby, our bodies allow us to create nutrients to feed our baby. No matter where you are in your breastfeeding journey, here in Macungie, Allentown, Bethlehem, or anywhere across the Lehigh Valley, HUGE congrats to you. Every single ounce is an accomplishment.

I am frequently asked by my Lehigh Valley clients “I’m starting to feel like myself again and I’m ready to loose some weight”. I am proud that they are eager to get healthier however, most of the time they are still nursing. As this conversation comes up, I always have to remind them what season of life they are in. At this moment, their body’s main goal is to sustain life for their baby. This means eating additional 300-500 calories a day. This does not mean it is time to eat in a calorie deficit (loosing weight). It is a challenging mindset to change.

Breastfeeding moms typically hold onto additional weight as a reserve for their milk supply. This makes loosing weight challenging for breastfeeding moms. And simply put - now is not the time to have your body attempt to shed a few pounds.

As frustrating as this may be, there are a few practices you can implement now to start your routine for when you are in the season of life to operate in a calorie deficit. The first step is to add movement into your routine so this becomes a habit. The second step is to start tracking what you put into your body. This can be a great tool to ensure you are reaching enough protein, fat, and carbs to produce a milk supply. Macro tracking is an extremely hard habit to implement because it is timely. This is why I encourage my clients to start as early as possible so once you wean you are already in the mindset of food tracking.

This stage of life is short and beautiful. Your body may not feel like it belongs to you and you may feel like a different person. Or you may feel confident and beautiful. All feelings are valid, there is no right way to feel during postpartum. You have your whole entire life to worry about a calorie deficit. So, for right now, eat that extra nutrient filled snack to help your milk supply and start adding movement into your routine. You’re a bad ass mom!