Calories Burned From Breastfeeding

New mothers want the best for their babies. Many new moms also want to lose weight in the weeks and months after giving birth. One thing a mother can do that is good for her baby and herself is breastfeeding. Diet and exercise are major factors in weight loss for all new mothers, but the process of milk production allows breastfeeding mothers to burn more calories than formula-feeding mothers.

Time Frame

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and supplemented breastfeeding until 12 months of age or beyond.

Misconceptions

1. Breastfeeding makes you gain weight because it increases your appetite.
2. Breastfeeding mothers need to eat less than they did during pregnancy.
3. I can eat as much as I want while breastfeeding.

Although breastfeeding mothers are hungrier than their bottle-feeding counterparts, typically their increased appetite does not result in weight gain. In fact, breastfeeding mothers need to consume more calories than they did during pregnancy to maintain an adequate milk supply. Breastfeeding burns calories, but it is not a license to overeat. Breastfeeding mothers still have to eat healthfully to burn enough calories to lose weight.

Do the Math

Many studies show that most breastfeeding women should consume an additional 300 to 500 calories per day to attain their pre-pregnancy weight. According to a report published by the United Nations and World Health Organization, exclusively breastfed infants consumed an average of 807g of milk per day during the first six months postpartum. This translates into a maternal energy expenditure of 675 calories per day. Mothers of partially breastfed infants burned 460 calories per day. Part of the energy needed to make milk comes from the mother's own fat reserves. Women who gained an appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy should consume an extra 505 calories per day.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine states that the average exclusively breastfeeding woman burns an extra 500 calories per day. About 170 calories per day are burned from maternal fat stores, so these women need to consume an extra 330 calories per day.

Benefits

Most breastfeeding women lose weight without restricting their diet and counting every calorie. On average, breastfeeding women consume more calories, but their calorie output exceeds that of non-breastfeeding women. As a result, breastfeeding women typically lose more weight postpartum. They also lose weight more quickly in the first three months after giving birth.

Considerations

A higher caloric intake is necessary to ensure adequate milk supply, but overeating negates the extra calories burned by producing milk. Women maximize the calories burned from breastfeeding when they exclusively nurse their infants. Supplementation of baby's diet with formula, solid foods and juice, decreases milk production, so mom burns fewer calories. When the baby weans, milk production gradually ceases. Weight lost during breastfeeding may return unless the mother reduces her caloric intake accordingly.