The 10-Pound Nursing Myth
Have you heard this one before? When I was nursing my baby I took solace in the common knowledge that our bodies hold on to an extra ten pounds when nursing. The theory goes something like this: Your body packs on some extra pounds and keeps them in place so that you will have the reserves in order to keep nursing even if you encounter a lack of food.
It made sense to me. So when I weaned my son I braced myself for the dramatic ten pound weight loss that would inevitably happen. The truth of the matter was that while I didn’t gain any weight when I weaned him, I didn’t lose any either. Nothing happened. My weight stayed exactly the same.
I haven’t nursed a baby in almost two years, and either my body is still clinging to those ten pounds just in case I have to suddenly start nursing again (highly unlikely, by the way) or the whole ten pound theory is just a myth that someone created to give a shot of optimism to sleep-deprived, nursing mothers.
Then again, I still do occasionally find that my breasts still produce milk. Maybe the miraculous ten pound loss is after I dry up completely?
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Trish says...
I’ve never heard of this before, and it makes no sense to me. It’s well known that women actually LOSE the weight faster by nursing. I’ve actually met several women whose #1 reason to breastfeed is for weight loss (not the best reason to nurse in my opinion, but it sure is a great bonus). I don’t know the reasons, but my guess is that your body has to work harder to make milk so it burns more calories on its own than what you get from your normal physical activity. Also, breastmilk is fatty! That fat has to come from somewhere, right? I’m sorry you didn’t lost the ten pounds you were hoping to see go. We moms need to look proudly at our bodies, whatever the condition, because we were privileged to assist God in creating a miracle.
MrsH says...
I’ve heard this before. There was actually a poll on CelebrityBabiesdotcom. A lot of moms swear it happened to them. I guess I’ll see as I’m still nursing.
brit says...
I got very skinny while nursing. I gained some back, but I’m still about 10lbs below my pre-baby weight. It’s not a total myth, but i think i’m one of the lucky ones