18 September 2008

Breast best for bouncing back

Ah Tori. She has blabbed to Ok! magazine that after 3.5 months she has stopped breastfeeding so she can lose her baby weight:

"I haven't lost the weight yet! I'm wearing Spanx," she revealed. "I just stopped breastfeeding so now I can start a diet program. Getting back to working out is the hardest part but we have a really active lifestyle."

*Sigh*

Clearly, Tori doesn't know about the University of Georgia study that appears in the August issue of International Breastfeeding Journal in which the researchers found that breastfeeding BOOSTS post-baby weight loss. Women who exclusively breastfed their babies lost more weight than mothers who used formula or formula and breastmilk ('mixed feeding')

Sources: http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/9074
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL66374420080916

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i can understand her sentiments. I wouldn't stop breastfeeding to lose weight but for some of us it is hard to lose weight breastfeeding. I found it hardest to lose weight when i was breastfeeding my boys pretty much hourly 24/7. now i just breastfeed them pre nap and pre bed (they are over 12 months old) and the weight is coming off FINALLY! there are some mums who lose weight breastfeeding and then there are others whose bodies hold onto fat until they wean.

Cherryskin said...

I agree with anonymous -- breastfeeding hormones seem to "stick weight" to my body. When I stopped breastfeeding my first child (at 17 months) my body lost several kilos, and several million hairs! (My hair just started falling out.)

There was no such effect when I stopped feeding my second child (at 15 months), although I was on the mini pill (then normal pill), which makes me put on weight.

From what I read, it's unclear about whether Tori stopped feeding so she could lose weight, but stopping breastfeeding at only 3.5 months is generally a negative choice for your baby's health, and stopping feeding to lose weight is ridiculously selfish. And for those who automatically spit out the ole "happy mum, happy baby" argument (which I have heard many times to excuse selfish behaviour on the part of the mother) that only holds up when the baby is not disadvantaged by the behaviour in question.

cs said...

I have heard that women who breastfeed tend to lsot the weight faster, BUT that it is difficult to lost the last 10 pounds while breastfeed because the body wants to hold onto it to ensure that there is enough nutrients for the mother and child.

Unknown said...

I cannot believe she actually made a public statement admitting that she's forgoing optimal nutrition for her child so that she can go on a DIET... wow.

Anonymous said...

So what? It doesn't make her a bad mother in my eyes. Nor does it make her "selfish".

For goodness sakes, I hate society's idea that to be a "good" mother, you have to make the child the center of your universe, that you can't have anything to yourself. That's complete bullshit.

Stopping breastfeeding isn't going to kill the kid, and I sure as heck don't think it will damage the kid, either. I'm sure the kid will be as happy a child as anyone's.

Anonymous said...

I am Anonymous#2 by the way...
I feel that I am an "expert through experience", if you will. I am currently breastfeeding my fourth child and have exclusively breastfed all of my children well beyond the first year. Yes, breastfeeding does cause your body to hold on to calories because this is needed to make the milk. But you still look great within weeks after giving birth - maybe not great enough for celebrities who like to be too skinny, but hot enough for your hubby, I'm sure. And the rest of the weight usually "falls off" without any effort on your part once the baby begins eating cereal and baby food because your body doesn't have to make as much milk. And anonymous#1, I'm sorry but while it doesn't necessarily make her a "bad mother", it was most definitely selfish and I agree with the other comments that people tend to find creative and very convincing arguments (a.k.a excuses) for why they don't breastfeed. If you know all of the info about the benefits to your baby and still don't want to do it, then you are just selfish in my opinion. The only exception is when the mother has to work outside the home in order to make it financially. On a side note, am I the only one who has noticed that the obesity epidemic in America began when the first generation of primarily un-breastfed babies reached adulthood? It's not only the mother's weight that's affected -- you are setting up your baby's metabolism for life! If an infant's body is forced to digest formula, which is made from milk designed for baby cows - (not baby humans) - then it has a drastic effect on the digestive system! Not to mention the lack of a maternal bond that you lose when you can pass the bottle and baby to anyone who's willing. The only one benefiting here are the companies who manufacture the formula and the mothers who are too selfish to devote their time and body to nurture their newborns.

 
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