Post-Pregnancy Care: How Your Body Changes Once You Stop Breastfeeding

During pregnancy, the mother’s body is constantly changing and this transformation continues even after birth. Many new mothers, anxious about the weight they’ve gained over nine months, are happy to learn that simply breastfeeding their baby can help you burn up to 500 calories a day. This is partly because the body works hard to produce a constant supply of breast milk, and also because the body is not storing as many calories as it’s being passed on to the child.

But while nursing can make a new mother’s metabolism more efficient, it facilitates weight loss only if the number of calories consumed is within check. A new mother requires 1600-1800 calories daily, on an average. But most Indian women are fed a steady supply of ghee, dry fruits and carbohydrates after delivery, and are therefore consuming a much higher amount. If you’re eating 3000 calories daily and hoping to lose weight by burning 500 calories through breastfeeding, without any exercise, it might not  happen. On the contrary, because your calorie intake is high, you may be gaining weight while nursing the baby.

The situation gets trickier once you stop breastfeeding

It’s not unusual for a new mother to see a sudden spike in weight after weaning a baby, partially because of changing hormones. While the level of prolactin, a hormone produced by the body during lactation, drops once a new mother stops breastfeeding, this is a gradual process. When stored in the body (instead of being expelled while nursing), prolactin reduces fat metabolism, which leads to weight gain as well as depression and grief.

However, hormonal changes aren’t the main reason women gain weight after they stop breastfeeding as hormones readjust quickly to change – one example of this is how a new mother’s menstrual cycle restarts once she stops nursing. So unless there is some underlying aberration like post-pregnancy thyroid, there is no reason to blame hormones for your inability to get back to your pre-pregnancy size.

The biggest problem is that Indian women might continue to consume extra calories, even after they stop breastfeeding. They don’t wean themselves off the extra calories or carbs they had to consume while nursing as they might feel hungry if they don’t have carbs, hence they can’t resist an extra serving of rice at meal times. When I check their food log on the Healthify app’s calorie tracker, I can see they’re eating over 2000 calories, which their bodies do not require. Plus, they are no longer burning any calories through breastfeeding, and aren’t exercising either, as they can’t find time to workout with a baby to look after.

The best way to lose weight once you stop nursing

If you find that you’re putting on weight after weaning your baby, don’t panic. Just adjust your diet and exercise habits to ensure you burn calories. Set a cut-off period and make some serious changes to your diet and routine.

Here are some tips: swap carbs like rice and maida for complex carbs and multigrain products. Choose healthy snacks such as millets and nuts instead of fatty treats, and opt for low-fat milk over whole milk. Once your doctor approves, start exercising. I suggest dividing your workout into three 15-minute sessions during the day to avoid disrupting baby time. Making a few small adjustments can lead to significant results quickly.

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