The Calories We Burn While Breastfeeding
I want to talk a little about the calories we burn while breastfeeding. You may have heard that breastfeeding mamas burn more calories than their non-breastfeeding peers. This is true. To the tune of up to 700 calories per day more, depending on factors such as your metabolism, genetics, how much milk you produce, and how active you are. Experts have agreed that, on average, the breastfeeding woman burns around 400 – 500 calories extra per day. What many celebrities, public figures, and even some of our own friends agree is that breastfeeding is a tool we can use for postpartum weight loss. However, studies have also shown that some women hold onto weight while breastfeeding, a biological mechanism to ensure that if we stop being able to access food, we can continue to fuel ourselves and our baby.
Whether you will lose weight while breastfeeding or continue to hold onto the fat your body stored during pregnancy, is primarily driven by your genetics. You cannot control it, and you cannot overcome millions of years of evolution by restricting those much needed calories. Rather than having the desired outcome, restricting may end up impacting your milk supply and thwart your desire to be a breastfeeding mama. On top of that, research shows that “the majority of people that lose weight now only gain that weight back, and they often get stuck in a cycle of chronic dieting. They have feelings of failure and struggle with being connected to their hunger and fullness cues, making eating feel like a very unregulated process and causing a tumultuous relationship with food and body," says Kimmie Singh, MS, RD, at LK Nutrition, a Health at Every Size® nutrition private practice in New York City. Who needs another excuse to feel like a failure as a new mum or seasoned mum of a new baby. No, thank you very much. I will keep my calories and you can keep your feelings of failure.
An alternative to focussing on losing weight is to focus on the incredible things your body is capable of. For example, the beautiful baby your body has grown, birthed, and continues to fuel through breastfeeding. Your body is making the perfect first food for your baby. There is no formula in the world that can replicate breast milk. If you’re not convinced, Google “immune protection benefits’ of breastfeeding” and prepare to be amazed.
My all-time favourite fact about breastfeeding is its immune benefits. Our baby’s saliva interacts with our breastmilk at the nipple and sends signals to our immune systems. These systems recognise any virus or bacteria in our baby’s saliva and makes antibodies, which it then shares with baby through our milk. These antibodies help babies develop a strong immune system and protect them from illnesses (CDC, 2021). No formula in the world can do that. Therefore, no pressure to bounce back or lose the baby weight could be enough for me to risk reducing my milk supply.
As I write this, I am the breastfeeding mama of a six month old. So, believe me when I say I know what you’re going through. I really do. Every day I fight with the tiny voice in my head that tells me I should ‘bounce back’. I refuse to succumb. Every day I stand in front of the mirror and, sometimes effortfully, recognise the amazing things my body has done. I look at my son and I know that his nutrition, his health, and this beautiful life we share, is worth more than fitting into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Maybe I will one day. Maybe I won’t. One thing is for certain though. If I do, it won’t have anything to do with breastfeeding.
