Breastfeeding and HUNGRY!!!

[spin_ducky]

I am eating like a horse, seriously I don't think I ever stopped eating yesterday and yet I don't think I ever got to where I was satisfied...I don't need to feel full just not like my tummy is going to growl in 5 minutes. My 1 year old is still nursing several times during the day and often at night. I am worried that if I can't figure out how to fill up better it is going to compromise my milk (or is it just that I am so hungry because my milk is good to go?)

[JustMe]

I know how you feel spin. It is recommended that when you breastfeed to consume an extra 1,000 calories for your sake because the baby will always get what he/she needs and if your not eating enough, etc. that will compromise your health and nutrients. Maybe you should try more filling foods such as more nuts and grains for now. I give you kudos for breast feeding that long!! I stopped mine at 10 months to one year, but unforunately when they switched to a bottle they got formula (I'm still on the SAD diet until i can get going). I wish I knew then what i know now about that stuff, but i am so grateful to find out about raw foods and that at least i breastfed.

[Pailani]

Spin-ducky, I'm also nursing a 1-yr-old. She's still not eating more than tastes of regular food, so almost everything she's getting is from nursing. I'm on day 19 of my 30-day all raw challenge and I haven't had any problems with milk supply, or any extra problems feeling hungry. I'm being very liberal with nuts and avocados, I think I'm averaging 4 avocados a week and snacking on a handful of raw cashews, almonds or walnuts a couple times a day. That must be enough because she's showing signs that she's getting plenty of milk (diaper output hasn't changed, she seems satisfied and isn't nursing any more than usual, and isn't eating any more food) and I'm not losing any weight.

If you feel hungry all the time, continue to eat all the time, and be sure you're getting enough fat since babies need that for their brain development. It's possible that your hunger has less to do with nursing than just your transition. But, if you notice any change in your milk supply--if your baby isn't wetting as many diapers, seems hungry, anything like that, then you might want to consider adding cooked rice or something. I once read of a woman nursing a baby on a raw diet and she needed to suuplement her diet with cooked brown rice because her baby wasn't growing. But her baby was a newborn. I haven't found that I'm needing to supplement so far.

[lvg4him]

I agree. I have heard from Dr. Doug Graham that if you are still hungry while eating raw it is because you are not getting enough calories. And you do need to upkeep your calories on top of that when you are breastfeeding. If you are not getting enough calories that COULD affect your milk supply (been there, done that). What are you eating? Are you getting enough calories? Are you getting enough fat?

http://www.fitday.com is a free service where you enter in everything you eat and it tells you how many calories yo uare getting, the percentage of fat and protien, etc.

HTH!

[spin_ducky]

Thanks so much, for the advice. I think it is harder because I worry about it affecting the baby, if it was just me I wouldn't stress it, just chalk it up to transition. Someone suggested to me in my journal too that keeping up the fluids would help alot, and that is something so important that I totally wasnt even thinking about...