I am unable to breastfeed due to having had a breast reduction. The only way for me to get the breast milk for my daughter is through pumping, when she was trying to breastfeed in the hospital she ended up losing almost a pound in two days because she was not getting enough milk.
I was just curious as to whether or not you still burn calories the way you do with regular breastfeeding? I am starting weight watchers soon and they give you more points in a day if you are breastfeeding because of the calorie burning, but if pumping is not burning calories I want to make sure to not over eat!
Thanks!!
Verified answer
You burn calories producing the milk, so there should be no difference..
You burn calories by making milk. (The calories in the milk have to come from somewhere.) And whether the milk is removed with a pump or a baby, you burn the calories. The only difference would be that EPing mothers usually make less milk, and wean very early, so the body has less opportunity to use up the calories in milk production.
Milk production is what burns the calories. It doesn't matter if it's your baby sucking the milk out or if it's a machine. Babies are much more effective at draining it all though, so you might make less milk than if you nursed, thus less calories being burned, but that difference would be marginal.
first of all MOST babies lose weight after birth and depending on her birth weight a pound might not have been too bad.my son lsto 9 ounces after birth adn was 6 pounds 6 ounces at birth and that was the normal 8 percent weight loss. you still burn calories but probably not as much since pumping doesn't take as much milk out
if you can pump you should be able to breastfeed, that makes no sense. a baby takes more ilk out than a pump. if she needs more you can supplement but you don't have to pump
I never really understood why some women would choose to pump instead of directly feeding the baby. If you can get milk from pumping, you will get much more milk if your baby nurses from your breasts and in turn burn way more calories. Breastfed babies generally lose weight in the first few days of nursing because your milk has not "come in" yet.
Again to the subject of pumping...
I work 3 days a week and HATE pumping when I am at work. I would rather be nursing my baby. It does not hurt but it is very uncomfortable to pump and I can not at all adequately empty my breasts from pumping. I hear a lot of women that prefer pumping and bottle feeding their baby than breastfeeding the child directly. I just don't get it. I would rather feed a baby than a machine.
It's the same as nursing directly, but I encourage you not to diet when you are breastfeeding in any way. When I have seen mothers do that they often have trouble with milk productions.
it does burn calories, as ur body is producing milk for ur baby...
how sure are you that you cant breastfeed??? first off, if your ducts work (they were not damaged during the surgery) you should be able to breastfeed. if you can pump you can breastfeed. unless of course your nipples were removed
and seriously you should breastfeed because its the best thing you can do for your child not because it will help you loose weight.