Is it true that breastfeeding burns 500 calories each time or is it per day ?

[elle101604]

What if I am not consuming enough calories? I don't think I am eating enough. Will my milk supply go down? My daughter is 3 1/2 weeks old, just in case that is important to know.
LOL! That IS funny that I would even think for a moment that it was per feeding! Wow, I feel silly.

[dolfin426]

Oh how I wish it was each time, my life would be this...
cheesecake, nurse baby
lasagna, nurse baby
ice cream, nurse baby
pizza, nurse baby

[BoSox27]

That's per day, not per feeding. LOL! The way my son ate, especially in the beginning, I would have been a skeleton. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and keep taking your prenatal vitamins to keep your supply healthy. Good luck.

[mystic_eye_cda]

*lol* if breastfeeding burned 500 calories per feed I would burn at least 12,000 calories per day between feeding my toddler and baby.

No its 500 calories per day, more or less.

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/12more_bf_myths.html
2. A breastfeeding mother has to eat more in order to make enough milk.

Not true! Women on even very low calorie diets usually make enough milk, at least until the mother's calorie intake becomes critically low for a prolonged period of time. Generally, the baby will get what he needs. Some women worry that if they eat poorly for a few days this also will affect their milk. There is no need for concern. Such variations will not affect milk supply or quality. It is commonly said that women need to eat 500 extra calories a day in order to breastfeed. This is not true. Some women do eat more when they breastfeed, but others do not, and some even eat less, without any harm done to the mother or baby or the milk supply. The mother should eat a balanced diet dictated by her appetite. Rules about eating just make breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated.

Unless you are eating a starvation level of calories over a sustained time you will make plenty of milk. Mother's in the third world who eat diets consisting of rice or millet a few veggies and the occasional protein make plenty of milk.

So unless you are loosing 20lbs a week you are fine.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html
ccording to Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D., breastfeeding researcher and anthropologist, women throughout the world make ample amounts of quality milk while eating diets composed almost entirely of rice (or millet or sorghum) with a tiny amount of vegetables and occasional meat.

Are healthy eating habits recommended for mom? Absolutely! You will be healthier and feel better if you eat well. It is best for anyone to eat a variety of foods, in close to their naturally-occurring state, but this is not necessary for providing quality milk or for maintaining milk supply. Although it is certainly not recommended, a breastfeeding mother could live on a diet of junk food – mom would not thrive on that diet, but her milk would still meet her baby's needs.


What IS needed for maintaining an ample supply of milk?

The main thing needed to maintain an ample milk supply is simple --
The more often and effectively your baby nurses, the more milk you will have.

Occasionally, a mother's calorie or fluid intake can affect milk production:

* Calories: In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat to appetite - this is usually all you need to do to get the calories you need. Counting calories is rarely necessary unless you are having problems maintaining a healthy weight. Excessive dieting can reduce milk supply, but sensible dieting is generally not a problem.
* Liquids: It is not necessary to force fluids; drinking to satisfy thirst is sufficient for most mothers. Unless you are severely dehydrated, drinking extra fluids is not beneficial, may cause discomfort, and does not increase milk supply. It is not necessary to drink only water - our bodies can utilize the water from any fluid.
* The main message on calories and fluids -- Eat when hungry & drink when thirsty.


http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html
Do breastfeeding mothers need extra calories or fluids?

By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC

Calories | Fluids
Do breastfeeding mothers need extra calories?

In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat to appetite - this is usually all you need to do to get the calories you need. When exclusively nursing a young baby, it is very common to feel hungry much of the time... listen to your body. Mothers of older babies may feel hungrier when baby temporarily increases his or her milk intake (for example, during a growth spurt)... again, listen to your body. Counting calories is rarely necessary unless you are having problems maintaining a healthy weight.
If you really want (or need) to count calories...

Studies have shown that most healthy breastfeeding women maintain an abundant milk supply while taking in 1800-2200 (or more) calories per day. Consuming less than 1500-1800 calories per day (most women should stay at the high end of this range) may put your milk supply at risk, as may a sudden drop in caloric intake. (See Can I diet while breastfeeding? for more information on calorie restriction).

A mother's "baseline" need for calories (not including lactation) depends upon her activity level, weight and nutritional status. A mother who is less active, has more fat stores, and/or eats foods higher in nutritional value may need fewer calories than a mom who is more active, has fewer fat stores, and/or eats more processed foods. This link from the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine has more information (including a handy calculator) on determining your individual caloric needs: Research helps fine-tune a woman's true caloric needs.

An exclusively breastfeeding mother, on average, needs to take in 300-500 calories per day above what was needed to maintain pre-pregnancy weight. Since the recommended added calories during the last two trimesters of pregnancy is 300 calories/day, an exclusively breastfeeding mother will typically need either the same amount of calories she was getting at the end of pregnancy, or up to 200 additional calories per day. That's the equivalent of adding 1-2 healthy snacks per day.

Per Breastfeeding and Human Lactation (Riordan, 2004, p. 438), "The amount of energy needed by lactating mothers continues to be debated. The lactating mother need not maintain a markedly higher caloric intake than that maintained prior to pregnancy: in most cases, 400-500 calories in excess of that which is needed to maintain the mother's body weight is sufficient."