Weight loss without breast feeding and with breast feeding

I was just wondering how soon you girls dropped your baby weight and if you were breast feeding or not.  I BF DD for like 2 weeks and that is all I could stand.  I had a bad experience with it.  I lost all of my weight very quickly.  I am not planning on BF this time and I am wondering if I should expect to loose my weight that quick again.  I feel so bad about not wanting to BF this time, but it was very hard for me last time.  I wish I could just BF sometimes and bottle feed sometimes, but I have heard that is a bad idea because it causes nipple confusion and you can't produce good milk by doing that.  After I have this baby, my plan is to loose my baby weight + and extra 10 lbs, anyone have suggestions?

[DollChina]

Not sure but I think it depends on your body.  For me I BF and I lost the preggo weight (28 lbs) in 2.5 months and I had lost 7 more since and my son is 5 months old.  Are you returning to work?  I lost the extra after I returned to work due to stress.  I never diet or exercise, I know it's bad but I couldn't diet because of nursing and I just don't have the time to exercise.

[filbert143]

I BF and lost all of my weight and then about 25 lbs more...but I was overweight to begin with.  I too had problems in the beginning.  My dd was early and between the two of us, we just couldn't figure it out :)  So I bf when I could and pumped to keep up my supply.  My hubby then bottle fed her my breastmilk.  So we did both from day 1 and there was no nipple confusion.  Plus it gave me a break from bf'ing and gave my hubby a chance to bond during feedings too.  To be on the safe side, they say not to introduce a bottle for two weeks, but we didn't have much choice.

Without trying/meaning to pressure you, I say go for it and see how far you get - if your goal is weight loss, then it worked very well for me!

[Harley-girl]

I lost all of my pregnancy weight in 2 weeks and I did breast feed. Actually I am still breastfeeding. I love it but it was very easy for me and my little one to get the hang of. I do however give her a bottle at night and she has no nipple confusion at all.

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I breast fed and the weight was gone long before my 6 week check ups.  With my first I did a mixture of nursing and bottle feeding.  I had blood in my colostrum and could not nurse until the milk came in.  I had a really hard time with nursing and supplemented from day 1 with formula.  I stopped nursing between 4-5 months.

With my ds, I nursed exclusively.  I think it was much easier the second time around as I knew it was hard but that it would eventually get better.  

ONly you can decide whether or not nursing is right for you.  You can certainly do a mixture of both...I have a friend who has a two month old and she is back to work and doing a mixture.

BF is wonderful when it goes well, but I do know how hard it can be as well.  If you want to try and do a mixture go ahead.

[Me2mommy2b]

it's a known fact that on average (of course, there are exceptions to the rule) women lose the pregnancy weight faster if they breastfeed.  I gained 25 lbs and lost it all within a few weeks (three I believe).  I was breastfeeding and it was my first baby so i don't know if I would've lost it that quickly if I weren't.  Not to say that it's impossible.

[AndiJ78]

I lost all of my baby weight very quickly with all three of my kids. I had actually been told "Sure, you lost it quick with the first, but wait until you have another" And what do you know, I lost all 50 lbs in three weeks. Then when I was pg with my 3rd son I heard it all again. I lost 35 lbs in the first 10 days! I didn't even gain 35 lbs with him. I gained less and weighed less while pg with him than with my other two.

There are many reasons for choosing to nurse, I guess if weightloss is one of them and it encourages you to want to try it, good for you! It isn't easy, I have had hiccups even though going into nursing my 3rd, I had already nursed my first two boys fro a total of 29 months combined.

Patience and practice. If you ever need support, we are here.

[brentlie]

Thanks for all of your comments.  I will be returning to work at 6 weeks and that is another reason I am leary of BF is I work and hour from home and I don't think I can continue after I go back to work.  I have gained 30lbs so far with this pregnancy (33weeks) and I gained 42 with DD.  I just feel like I will never go back to normal.  DH does not want me to BF because of the problems I had last time and he said he was not compfratble with me BF in front of his family and they did not encourage me to do it last time.  All of there family uses formula and thinks that it is gross to BF.  I am torn I don't know what to do.  I guess I could just exercise and diet and loose the weight too.

[gml24]

For me it seems that whole losing more weight when breastfeeding idea is a myth.  I've been exclusively breastfeeding my six week old daughter and I haven't lost an extra pound since the day she was born.  I do only have ten more pound to lose, but it's still frustrating because I can't fit into any of my old clothes.  I think for some women it makes no difference.

[fitzy11]

i understand if you had problems last time with breastfeeding, but i must say your husbands family thinking it is gross should NOT play any role in the deciding factor. that is absurd and they should keep their opinions to themselves. i'm sorry to be so blunt but bf is hard enough as it is. a new mom does not need that kind of negativity around her while she is trying to establish a positive breastfeeding experience with her newborn. anyway, as far as weight is concerned i did lose 95% of mine within the 1st few weeks, but my appetite was enormous due to breastfeeding. i also think you can nurse and bottle feed. whatever you decide i wish you well.

[AnnieBrooke]

I second the remark that your husband's family's notions about breastfeeding (which has so many positive values) should NOT weigh into your decision.  You can always leave their presence and nurse in peace and comfort rather than offend their squeamish notions.  As for nipple confusion, don't let that scare you.  For what it is worth, my son from day 2 of life has had both formula and the breast (he had been under the bilirubin lights and was dehydrated, and colostrum wasn't enough to rehydrate him), and he has had no trouble over the nipple issue.  I have been careful to use newborn (slow) flow nipples so he won't get the idea a bottle is so much easier, but that was the only special thing I did.  Good luck!