The benefits of breastfeeding are well known to all. Breastfeeding our baby not only has benefits for him but also for us, as it helps prevent breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, reduces the risk of obesity and minimizes the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
But, as if all this were not enough, breastfeeding also helps the mother to burn calories and to recover in less time the weight he had before becoming pregnant. We tell you how many calories are lost per day with breastfeeding, according to a study conducted by the American Pregnancy Association.
Breastfeeding helps regain weight before pregnancy
During pregnancy, the breasts of the future mom become a milk producing factory and sometimes, colostrum may appear before delivery. After giving birth, breast milk will become available 24 hours a day for the baby and our body will do a great job during the breastfeeding period.
The American Pregnancy Association has estimated that during the first six months of the baby's life, and always speaking in general terms since it will depend on his appetite, his weight, how often he sucks ..., the woman will lose between 425 and 700 calories daily, simply for breastfeeding. And this translates into a remarkable short-term weight loss.
In Babies and more When breastfeeding makes you fat instead of losing weight
Specifically, it was observed that women who opted for breastfeeding lost during the first year after delivery, twice as much weight as those who decided not to breastfeedAnother more recent study carried out with 30,000 mothers revealed that women who had gained approximately 12 kilos during pregnancy and that they had opted for exclusive breastfeeding, recovered in six months the weight they had before becoming pregnant.
And if the opposite occurs?
Reading this data I have felt very identified in two of my three postpartos. With the first, and despite being the pregnancy in which less kilos I gained weight, it took me a long time to recover my usual weight. Curiously, my first child was barely breastfed.
The opposite happened with my third baby. Being the pregnancy that gained more kilos, in about six months I had recovered my figure. Six months in which I was breastfeeding exclusively.
However, with my second daughter, and despite opting for breastfeeding, the first six months after delivery, I not only did not manage to lose a gram but also gained weight. How was that possible?
I was atrocious hunger at all hours, and although I tried to control my diet and quench that uncontrollable impulse with healthy fruit or snacks, on many occasions just falling into hypercaloric foods I also felt that they gave me energy and helped me overcome the days I had slept shortly, and nothing.
In Babies and more Slimming after pregnancy: a very healthy biweekly menu while breastfeeding (or not)So cookies, chocolate, chips as an accompaniment in food or pastries, ended up becoming an almost daily necessity. Obviously in this case, in which I would eat more calories than my body was able to burn with breastfeeding, it was impossible to lose weight.
As my baby grew, the nights improved and I felt more rested and energetic, my diet also varied and I ended up regaining the weight I had before becoming pregnant.
Breastfeeding is essential
Caring for our diet is essential always, whether we breastfeed or not, but it is clear that breastfeeding can be a great ally when it comes to losing weight. If we also combine it with healthy lifestyle habits and moderate physical exercise (when we have recovered from childbirth and our doctor advises us), the results can be spectacular.
Many women want to recover the figure as soon as possible, but especially if we are breastfeeding, it is important to know that uncontrolled or "fad" diets can be very harmful because they compromise the passage of nutrients to the baby through our milk.
Recall that the body of the nursing mother is a perfect and wonderful machine that works to feed her newborn; Hence the importance of taking care of it, eating properly and following these tips:
Eat 500 extra calories a day, but in the form of healthy calories!
Drink between two and three liters of water a day.
Restrict or moderate the consumption of caffeine and avoid drinking alcohol (or do it very occasionally).
Take daily fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which provide minerals, vitamins and energy, in addition to helping improve the appearance of the skin, stretch marks and increase defenses.
Avoid saturated fats and refined sugars.
Take care of the way you cook food: best grilled meats and fish and sauteed, cooked, steamed or raw vegetables. It uses very occasionally fried and battered.
And to you, Did breastfeeding make you lose weight or gain weight? When did you recover your weight after delivery?
Via PopSugar
In Babies and More Breastfeeding could prevent 800,000 infant deaths and more than 20,000 deaths from breast cancer, Women who breastfeed would have a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, Colostrum losses during pregnancy
