loss of appetite (me not baby)

[lastaats]

I'm exclusively bf Emma (9 days old)...my first time breastfeeding.
I've heard everyone else mention being constantly hungry, but i have no appetite. Like yesterday i ate a meal and a half, and so far today i've only had a bowl of cereal, a piece of pizza, and cup of yogurt. I'm constantly thirsty and drinking so i'm getting plenty of fluids, but i just don't feel hungry.
Is this affecting the quality of my milk?

DD has been eating ALOT (she pacifies too), and i'm still making plenty of milk, so i know she's getting what she needs.....but is my milk really satisfying her? Anyone else lose their appetite? If i can't make myself eat quite a bit more, is there anything special i should eat to up the quality of my milk?

[rpg_mommy]

Congrats on breastfeeding!!!

When I was newly home with my DS, I wasn't very hungry either. In fact, had my mom not been there cooking for me, I probably would have totally forgotten to eat all day some days. I think it's a combination of stress and excitement and worry.

Your body is going to pull the nutrients it needs to make the milk. Your milk won't really suffer unless you get really malnourished, but YOU will suffer if you don't eat right. If you just can't get down whole meals regularly, make sure you are taking a good multivitamin. Even if you aren't eating a lot, get a good variety of foods: greens, oranges, protein (eggs are a PERFECT food - full of protein and all sorts of vitamins), and plenty of water and orange juice (with Vit D and Calcium). Also, iron rich foods are a must. Red meat or leafy greens, or just cooking in cast iron pans. You don't want to get anemic.

Another choice is drinking something like Ensure or eating meal bars. Low quantity, but high on the nutrients. You really do need to go for high calorie foods too, though, because making milk costs your body 500 calories a day extra. This is actually something I need to be better about too, because now I've dropped down to less than I weighed before I got pregnant (which isn't really a good thing). So don't feel bad about splurging on a pint of ice cream if you want.

[lastaats]

Thanks for your reply.
My parents are here this week visiting and helping w/ my other girls, and my mom has been stressing me about food, so i got a little nervous. I'm going to have dh pick me up some drinks tonight. I'm hoping none of this has to do w/ ppd, but i'm afraid it does have a little factor to play. But yeah, i think once all my visitors leave and things calm down then maybe i'll get back to normal too. : )

[Julesmom23girls]

How have you been feeling otherwise. If this is the only thing that makes you suspect PPD then I wouldn't be so worried about that right now. Your body is naturally going to make your BM the best it can even if it means pulling the nutrients that you have stored in your body, so you will be the one to suffer nutrionally not the baby. I agree w/ PP just make sure every bite you are taking is as nutritious as possible. As well as what you are drinking, besides water make sure you are drinking juices and milk instead of a lot of tea, coffee or soda that have 0 nutrients. If you drink milk you could even consider getting some nonfat powdered milk and add a spoonful to reg milk, it will boost it up like a protein powder, but w/ all the vit and min or milk. I worked in a hospital and we would do that for pts who wouldn't eat or drink enough. I am sure you are probably eating more than you reallize as well, you probably have just been too busy to think about it.

Good luck mamma.

[mama23boys]

what i find that really helps when i get busy and need a snack are Ensure's Healthy Mom Drinks (chocolate is the best) and Healthy Mom Bars! that are made for BFing and PG mamas!

[Tootsiemomma]

When I first got home, I didn't eat hardly anything. I was told it's normal for any mother, bfing or not to not have an appetite after having the baby. Even now though, I hardly eat two meals a day. I eat lunch, and a small plate for supper and that's it. I have absolutely no desire to eat, I only eat when I feel the sharp hunger pains and they get unbearable. I do try to eat healthy stuff and sometimes try to force something in the mornings but it's hard when I just don't want it....and my dd is 11 months old and still bf

[Lisa-Rachelle]

When I arrived home from having my daughter, I had ZERO appetite for the first 3 weeks. Only this past week has my appetite returned to a more HEALTHY level. It's not perfect, but better.
My mother came to help me during my lay-in time, and kept pressuring me to eat all the time. She was constantly making me enormous plates of food. It felt overwhelming. She told me "breastfeeding moms needs lots and lots of good food." I felt like I was doing wrong by my daughter, but how do you eat when you arn't hungry?

It does get better. Gradually your desire for foods comes back. I found that I wanted light foods (fruits, yogurt etc) more than meats, poultry or starches.

More importantly, drink LOTS of fluids. Breastfeeding takes a lot out of you, so put as much back as you can! Try to drink at least 64oz of water daily while you are in the early weeks of breastfeeding, to support healthy lactation.

Congratulations on your daughter!

(My daughter is an Emma, too!)

[kht2006]

I wasn't hungry either not for the first three weeks. My mom was stressed about it. I figured my appetite would come back eventually, and it has. Now I am hungry all the time.

[littlehawk]

I am having a REAL challange with hunger also. I feel much better to know I am not alone. My DS is 9 weeks now and I still have no appitiate? I found I am only hungry if I am doing very physical tasks... so I am going to try and get a workout in or long walks. I'll let you know if that helps.