Nursing, Weight Loss, and Milk Supply

I've been breastfeeding for almost 14 months now and Olivia has shown little sign of wanting to wean. It's incredible to me how far we have come, especially considering the struggles we had in the beginning.

Olivia was born on June 15, 2015, via c-section after over 24 hours of being induced, contractions without relief, back-labour, and pushing. We had difficulties with latching and I worried that she was not getting enough to eat but we were released from the hospital. The public health nurse came to our home when Olivia was 4 days old and told us that she was jaundiced, that she was losing too much weight, and that we needed to supplement with formula. 

Weeks passed. She beat jaundice, started gaining weight like a champ, and soon was exclusively breastfed. But I constantly worried - often at 2am - if my milk supply was substantial enough to sustain her. When I began my own health journey to lose weight when she was a few months old, I worried about how this would affect her. But I managed to maintain my milk supply, all while losing 40 pounds, and continue to nurse our energetic toddler to this day! So, here are my tips and tricks for all those nursing mamas who worry about their babies food supply and may want to start shedding that baby weight! 

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1. Water - drink it! I drank a glass of water when I woke up in the morning, kept a water bottle with me during the day, and always had water on our bedside table for late-night nursing sessions. Especially in the beginning, breastfeeding had me thirsty all the time. If you start exercising and are sweating, make sure you drink water during and after your workout! 
2. Eat the right foods - I ate oatmeal every day when Olivia was very young; I read that it helped to increase and maintain milk supply and I hopped on that train! I started the 21 Day Fix, which is all about portion control, and this helped to increase my vegetable intake, especially green, leafy veggies.  While breastfeeding, it's good to eat one or two portions of these greens a day. 
3. Shakeology - I don't think that it's a coincidence that I stopped worrying about my milk supply when I started to drink my daily dose of superfoods. My immune system became healthier and I was getting higher-quality nutrients into my body - which meant, so was she!  
4. Nurse on demand! - I know that this won't work for every woman in every situation, but it worked for us. When Olivia wanted to eat, she ate - whether that was every 5 minutes or 2 hours, we nursed when she needed to nurse. This helped me to ensure that my milk supply met her demand.

If you are looking for a way to lose the baby weight, I would love to help you find a program that fits your goals and your baby's needs. Please comment below with your e-mail address or signup to have me as your free coach here, and I will be in touch!