I agree with Nelly!

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Everybody's different. I've had girlfriends who held on to a little weight and some like me got slimmed down right away. I was always at pre pregnacy weight within 6 weeks of each of my 3 babies. By far most women I know who stayed the heaviest after having a baby were bottle feeding.

In fact I gained weight after weaning and my energy dipped and I'm a lot more tense. I loved prolactin and it did wonders for me.

I don't like this new sexpot Nelly. I was a big fan before. I have no beef with being all sulty or singing sexy stuff but in all this over expousure she's been trashing feminism and acting kinda snooty. So now if she's calling people liars just because they didn't share the same experince as her, well I've lost a lot of repect for her.

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I had two different experiences. With my first, I breastfed for 13 months. He was very demanding in the first few months, doubling his birth weight by four months. I lost all the pregnancy weight (and he weighed nearly 10 lbs at birth) and then some (probably 10-15 lbs less than before I got pregnant) in the first three months, just like Kristin.

With my second, not so much. She weaned herself at seven months and she wasn't nearly as demanding about food as her brother was. I had to wake her up a lot of the time to eat in the first three months. She got herself down to two feedings by five months (and then we started supplementing, per doctor's orders) and would literally arch her back and scream when I tried to nurse her by the time she was six to six-and-a-half months old. She simply wanted to hold her bottle and feed herself! I didn't lose the weight after I had her. She was three before I finally got down to pre-pregnancy weight.

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What she says is a non-sequitur; just because she had more energy after she stopped breastfeeding, doesn't necessarily mean she it didn't help her lose her pregnancy weight. In fact, if breastfeeding helps you lose weight then you SHOULD feel you have more energy after you stop, because all the stuff you're eating has somewhere else to go now.

BTW I've ended up being thinner than before I got pregnant too, due to breastfeeding. Or due to lack of sleep.

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I didn't lose while breastfeeding. I actually gained weight. But I have terrible metabolism.

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I totally agree with you. I lost so much weight when nursing, and ate like a man. I adore breastfeeding, and that is one of the reasons! I lost down to what I weighed in high school, and I had a terrible time readjusting when I stopped and ended up putting on weight. One reason I am excitedto be pregnant again is this nice side effect!

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Yes, it seems everyone has a different experience, just like with pregnancy. I was fortunate to lose weight quickly--actually struggled to maintain a decent weight--within months after Baby a was born. I had never been so hungry in my life. It was astonishing.

But some girlfriends have really held on to their pregnancy weight the whole time they nursed. Who knows, maybe they weren't eating well. But it seemed more like a metabolism thing.

Baby A has almost weaned herself. We're down to just first thing in the morning. Have to admit I miss the "nursing diet—anything, whenever I wanted it"...and I miss prolactin, too! That rush of calm and love is the best.

- L

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I lost my weight thanks to an elim diet. I didn't really finally lose while eating typicall until after I stopped breastfeeding. Even with just one 2 minute feeding before bedtime I was still ate like a ravenous beast. When I stopped, I felt my hunger drop significantly.

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Burning all those extra calories nursing worked for me. I was so surprised at how the weight fell off in the months following my daughter's birth. Unfortunately the skin never really sprang back! (I'm ten pounds less than when I got pregnant, but everything is quite droopy.) A year later, the momentum is tapering as I nurse less so that's a little frustrating since I'm used to eating so much.

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I agree with Nelly and Kristen. Didn't lose weight breastfeeding except while on a total elimination diet for my son's allergies. Now that I've recently weaned my son, my appetite isn't out of control so I'm able to control my eating a little better.

I think I'm most impressed that Nelly nursed her child for two years! That's impressive for a celeb!

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breastfeeding hormones (oxytocin) tighten your uterus back up + definitely help you shed pregnancy related pounds. especially if you're eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water + exercising. i lost all the baby weight in under 3 months, with LOTS of walking the baby around several times a day + night.

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I'm not losing weight while breastfeeding, but even harder is how exhausted it makes me. I do not have the energy levels I had pre-pregnancy, even after a solid 7 hours of sleep. Before my wee boy I was very active and got a lot of exercise but there's no way I can keep that up and still produce enough milk for him. I can see the difference in my milk supply if I push myself too hard.

Let's face it, most mums I know will do anything for their kids. So we breastfeed through infections, through discomfort, and through exhaustion. None of these negatives are enough to make me quit breastfeeding, my boy is worth the low energy, but I wish that the breastfeeding propaganda machine would be a bit more honest about how hard it can be to breastfeed and give us credit for what we do for our babies, rather than claiming it'll help every woman with weightloss (I'm sure it helps some, just not me).

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I usually lose weight right after the baby is born, and througout the breastfeeding as the only food the baby gets period, but once I start wening, that's when I usually gain weight.

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I have no idea who that Nelly person is but if she breastfed for 2 years, it must not have been that terrible for her. I intend to breastfeed for at least one year (at 4 months so far and this is my third baby), but IMO anything after that is a bonus for the little one! And I did lose all my baby weight after 2-3 months with all my kids. I think I lost it faster because I breastfed, but I also think I would have lost it either way. Lack of energy? I can't imagine that anyone with a new baby has tons of energy! All my kids are exhausting! I'm just glad I am not making bottles at 3 am on top of it all!

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With both of my children breastfeeding definitely helped me lose all my pg weight and then some. I nursed my daughter for 18 months and I could eat anything and couldn't put on weight. Now that she is recently weaned, I've gained a few pounds. The sucky part is that I had a year and a half of shaping my eating habits. Not that I ate all kinds of horrible foods, but just large portions. Now I have to train myself to eat smaller portions.

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Breastfeeding didnt help me lose weight at all. If anything I gained weight. I lost 20 lbs the first 2 weeks and promptly put it back on in the same time frame. I weaned my baby at 7 months and I dont regret it. I guess its different for all women. Most important is to remain healthy and happy so that you and Baby can benefit!

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Some of the women in the nursing group I attend did not lose weight as quickly to start out with because your activity level is often low when you're breastfeeding. If you're always sitting down to nuse the baby, it can be hard to lose, depending on your metabolism of course. Those women often started to drop pounds once their babies started eating less frequently and more quickly. I did not have any problems losing weight, and I am pretty sure I weigh less than I did at my lowest point (I also lost almost 10 pounds in my first trimester because I was so sick, but I weigh even less now than I did then).

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When I was pregnant my metabolism ramped up, my body temp was 98.6-98.9 I had energy and I felt great. I also had some severe food aversions and had to eat regularly. I ate tonnes of fruit (the only thing that didn't make me sick), yogurt and other protein as much as I could (per Brewer's Diet). I also didn't eat much junk food.

However, since I had the baby my metabolism has slowed, my body temperature has gone back to my normal 97.4 and I am starving ALL the time. I also am not eating that well, lots of carbs because they are easy. I have gone off fruit and am eating less veggies (though I am trying to reform and eat more veggies). The lack on money and crazy schedule that means grocery shopping is erratic at best doesn't help. (And raman noodles don't go bad ;) )

I do not own a scale, but 2 days after I gave birth my stomache was flat. Now I have a lot of pudge. I imagine I have gained 20-30 lbs mostly in the last 4 months.

I am hoping now that it isn't so hot I can get out more and walk and that I can get my diet under control. However sleep deprivation and stress have been linked to weight gain and baby still doesn't sleep longer than 3 hours and I am finding parenting a little stressful.

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I agree with Nelly. I breastfedd for 2.5 yrs and didn't lose any weight. 6 months later I am still producing milk!!!! I will have to go to the Dr to get medication to stop the milk. I had the same issue with my daughter.
I think it has stopped me from losing weight. I guess we will see.

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I might just be a guy but for once can people look past their appearance and focus on how breastfeeding helps in an infant's cognitive and physical development?

Excercise itself can knock off the pounds of pregnancy. Not breastfeeding enough could hinder a child's development forever.

So please dont stop breastfeeding just because the pounds dont come off when you expected them to.

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