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Your Nutrition Plan for Extended Breastfeeding

Customize your BabyFit.com Nutrition Program
-- By BabyFit Support

Now that the nursing relationship and your milk supply are humming along, you can begin to decrease your caloric intake when you start adding solid foods to your child's daily diet. Here's how.

From the Start page on BabyFit, click on Account/Email Preferences in the left-hand column. Scroll down and click Edit My Program Preference, then select Partial Breastfeeding. Click Save & Submit. You're done! The chart below illustrates, as an example, how a woman's calorie range changes throughout the phases of pregnancy and postpartum.

Phase Calories
Pre-Pregnancy 1,800- 2,100
Pregnancy 2,100- 2,400
Formula Feeding 1,800-2,100
Nursing (1-2 months) 2,200-2,500
Nursing (5-6 months) 2,300-2,600
After Weaning 1,800-2,100

*Please consult with your physician or midwife for a recommended post-pregnancy calorie range. These are only general guidelines; each woman's calorie needs are going to be slightly different and will increase in relation to exercise.


ADJUST YOUR NUTRIENTS

Your body's nutrient needs will change along with your calories. Our programs automatically track your post-pregnancy nutrient requirements. You don't have to track all of your nutrients all the time, so if you would like to change, add or omit nutrients, here's how:

From the Start page, click on the Nutrition Tracker. Next to the title "My Nutrition" is a pink button that says Change My Nutrition Goals. Click that button, then either remove nutrients by clicking on the pink "Remove" button or add or adjust nutrients by clicking the purple button "Add Another Nutrient to Track." There are 75 nutrients, vitamins and minerals you can track. (From the main page of the Nutrition Tracker, scroll down to see the nutrients you have selected to track.)
NUTRIENT Formula Feeding Nursing
Calcium 1,000 milligrams 1,200 milligrams
Folate 400 micrograms 500 micrograms
Iron 18 milligrams 27 milligrams
Protein 50 grams 70 grams
Zinc 8 milligrams 25 milligrams
Fiber
(gradually increase if consuming less than recommended)
25 grams 28 grams

Nursing: Losing 1/2 pound per week is OK--as long as you're eating healthy and not restricting calories so much that your milk supply decreases. Weight loss should result from exercise and nursing--not dieting. Be sure to follow the calorie guidelines above. Remember, your body needs plenty of calories for recovery, energy, building strength, and milk production.


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Member Comments About this Article
"I am having problems with weight loss as well. I lost 15 lbs the week following the birth of my daughter and the weight loss stopped. I've even put on five lbs and can't even get that off. I was not happy with my pre pregnancy weight to begin with so this is really frustrating. I don't understand it but I've always had weight problems when I don't have my period and she's 31/2 months old and I haven't had one yet. I feel really fat but it hasn't discouraged me from breastfeeding. I just hope ..." -- NOELLEB16
"Within the first 6 weeks after having my son, I lost 20 pounds. It is 10 months later and I haven't lost anything and I am still 20 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight." -- MICHELLELYNN82
"I have been losing so much weight while breastfeeding. My daughter is now 6mnths+ and still I am running home during my lunch period to breastfee, I just started her out on cereals and fruits.
Ques: I am thinking of weaning her what best" -- FULLFIGUREDD
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