I have decided that public health professionals have gone about encouraging breastfeeding all wrong.
When you're pregnant everything you read and hear from friends and family (whether solicited or not) describes how important breastfeeding is to the health of your newborn. I totally agree, and while I was pregnant I went to a breastfeeding class and even a few La Leche league meetings to be as prepared as I could be to ensure I could nurse my child.
But in all that information, nowhere did I read or hear about the truly awesome benefit of breastfeeding.... the weight loss!
I think the public health community has really missed an opportunity with their target audience -- and hey I work in PR so I can say that:). EVERY women worries about the weight gained from pregnancy and how hard it will be to lose the weight after her child is born. And you can't turn around in a grocery store or book store without a magazine article about a new diet craze or weight loss plan. We care about how we look -- shocking. And we want to look like "ourselves" after our baby and not just a "mom."
So seriously, why does no one talk about the most awesome part of breastfeeding?.... You actually expend hundreds of calories a day just sitting around watching TV and eating everything in site (I eat more than my husband and continue to lose weight- sweet!). This is every woman's dream!
As a bonus, you are doing the absolute best thing you can be doing for your child:) And people don't talk about this???
Oh and don't forget the boobs! You gain a cup size just by nursing your baby. Forget plastic surgery, you want to get skinny and get big boobs... have a baby (and nurse him or her):)
It's weird. I have always wanted to have children so I never concerned myself too much with what would happen to my body. I just figured it would be worth it and I'd deal with it. But I have to admit, once I was pregnant, I was a bit terrified about how I would lose the 35 pounds I gained for my 8 pound 3 oz baby. I wanted to look like the woman my husband married after the baby, and I just wasn't sure how hard that would be to accomplish.
For me (and obviously, this isn't true for everyone so please don't hate me!- I've probably just cursed myself for round two), but loosing the weight was easier than I ever imagined. The week after my son was born (who ate constantly), I was back in my regular clothes. And by my six week postpardum visit, I weighed 10 pounds less than I did when I got pregnant - I actually weighed less than I did when I graduated high school....with no effort at all, other than feeding my baby.
So basically this last year was kind of a dream. It was my one year to be Barbie. I had the giant nursing boobs and a tiny waist (well tiny for me) and I worked out less than any year I can remember (a baby with an early bedtime and the constant rounds of daycare colds inhibited my grand workout plans). So again, why is this a best kept secret?
Now my problem is, my child is 13 months old and I'm weaning him (he's down to just a morning feeding). For the most part, I'm thrilled. I'm ready to have my body back all to myself, to be able to share the joy of getting up with my son at 6:30 a.m. with my husband and to let his grandparents enjoy him for a weekend while his parents sleep in. Yes, I will miss the closeness that comes with nursing and I'm sad my baby isn't a baby any more, but you know what's equally as bad... I finally stop sharing my body with my baby and I lose the diet plan! That just so wrong;)
I have actually considered continuing to pump after he's weaned just so I can keep eating as much as I want and stay skinny. As a bonus I could even donate the milk and feel great about myself:) The only problem with that is pumping really sucks.... but then so does running....
Maybe instead I can bring back the wet nurse. Perhaps I can write a book and get that started as a new diet craze:)
This is so true!!! I have often told Billy that maybe we should have another one just so I can loose weight again! With the gestational diet plus pumping (ALL THE TIME!), I lost weight during my pregnancy and after... a total of almost 50 pounds. I was the same weight that I was when I graduated UNC. :) Of course, it only took about a year to gain some of it and when my body finally regulated, things just don't go back in the right places! I've often been tempted to share my secret as well, but knew I would probably offend a lot of people, as it's usually the reverse. Must have been all that frozen pizza and ice cream "diets" we did at your house after school. Loved the post!!!
ReplyDeletelol oh yeah those days were the best! It's depressing to hear from everyone that it all comes back:( I like skinny me!
DeleteGreat job on this post, even though I do not have kids, but hope someday I can (hehe), I have a ton of friends who are new moms and could benefit from this. Will be sharing and following your blog.
ReplyDeleteDoris (climbingjourney).