How to Gain Weight While Breastfeeding

Calculating How Many Calories You Need

Talk to a doctor or nutritionist about your nutrition needs. If you haven't already, discuss the issue with your doctor. It may be that you don't need to gain weight. If you do, your doctor can help you estimate how many calories you need, and they can help you make a plan to increase your calories in a healthy way for you and your baby. Your doctor may also recommend that you see a nutritionist, who can provide you with one-on-one help to make a dietary plan.

Determine your caloric needs while breastfeeding. People who are breastfeeding generally need more calories than usual to meet their nutritional needs. In fact, an additional 330-400 calories per day (compared to the amount you were eating before) is usually needed. There are online calculators available to help you determine exactly how many calories you need to stay nourished and healthy while breastfeeding. These calculators use factors like your weight and height to determine how many calories you need, and they give you the option to factor in your breastfeeding status. Try the one from the U.S. Government at https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlatePlan. This particular calculator tells you how many calories per day you need to maintain your weight, so your goal will be to eat more than this number. Be sure to mark that you're breastfeeding. EXPERT TIP Lora Luczywo, IBCLC Lora Luczywo, IBCLC International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Lora Luczywo is an International board certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) based in Los Angeles, California. Lora has over 10 years of lactation consulting experience. She completed her lactation education at the University of California, San Diego and earned her clinical competency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and Torrance Memorial Medical Center. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Arizona. Lora Luczywo, IBCLC Lora Luczywo, IBCLC International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Our Expert Agrees: To have a healthy diet while you breastfeed, focus on eating things like lean proteins and vegetables. It's probably fine to eat any of the foods that you ate while you were pregnant, but you should add in about 500 extra calories a day. Also, make sure to stay well-hydrated.

Keep a food journal to estimate how many calories you're eating. To gain a pound, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than you're burning. This can be over any period of time (several days, a week, a month, etc). A food journal can help you keep track of how many calories you're consuming each day, so you can increase or decrease as needed. Write down the foods you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Add up the number of calories you're eating. You can use this chart to help you out: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/pdf/food_diary_cdc.pdf. If you're not used to counting calories, you may need to measure your foods to accurately represent what you're eating. For instance, you may not be able to visually estimate what a serving of pasta looks like, but you can use measuring cups or a food scale. There are also online calorie counters and apps that can help you estimate your servings and track your calories.

Adding More Calories to What You Already Eat

Sprinkle cheese on your food for calories and calcium. Try adding some shredded cheddar cheese to your scrambled eggs, or sprinkling some on top of a casserole. Toss feta cheese into your salads, or add Parmesan on top of your pasta dishes. Since cheese is high in calories, it increases your caloric intake effortlessly. Plus, your baby will appreciate the extra calcium.

Include healthy fats for your baby's brain health. Healthy fats include fatty fish, nuts, avocados, olives, and certain vegetable oils, such as corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, and safflower oil. To easily increase calories, add more of these to your meals. This may look like adding more dressing to your salad, or adding some sliced avocado to your morning toast. You can also sprinkle nuts on top of salads, or sneak avocados into your enchiladas. Eaten in moderation, fatty fish is great for healthy weight gain. It’s important, however, to avoid fish that are high in mercury, since this can pass from you to your baby through breast milk. Good low-mercury fish options include canned light tuna, trout, tilapia, cod, herring, catfish, shrimp, salmon, and crab. Avoid options that are higher in mercury, such as king mackerel, shark, swordfish, orange roughy, and bigeye tuna. If you’re worried about mercury, stick to one serving of fish per week.

Mix fat-free milk powder into soup. Milk powder is a lean protein that can add some extra calories. Plus, it will give your baby a calcium boost. You likely won't even notice it in your soup, except it may be a bit creamier. You could also add a dash to mashed potatoes or casseroles.

Put honey and jam on toast. Honey and jam are relatively healthy sugary toppings, and they are calorically dense. Add them to your foods when you can for an extra boost of calories. You can also add a dollop of jam and/or honey to your oatmeal, or mix some honey into your morning tea or coffee.

Eating More Calories Overall

Use each breastfeeding session as a reminder to eat. If you're having trouble gaining weight, it may be because you get full too quickly. Eating small meals more often can help take care of that problem, and your baby’s breastfeeding schedule is the perfect built-in guideline to follow. Each time you finish breastfeeding, prepare yourself a small, calorically dense meal. Aim for 5-6 small meals each day. A small meal could be 2 eggs and whole wheat toast, a ham sandwich, or a can of soup, for instance.

Don’t fill up on liquids before you get a chance to eat. If you drink water right before your meal, it can make you feel full. Instead, consume drinks with your meal, or if that still makes you full, wait 30 minutes after you're done eating. Pick high-calorie beverages like milk, juice, or even a smoothie.

Choose nutrient-dense foods that are high in calories. If you get full quickly, eating foods that are high in calories (but still nutritious) can help you gain weight. Try foods like dried fruit, heavy whole-grain breads, and bean and meat stews. These foods will add calories, but still give you and your baby the nutrition you need. Dried fruit is a good option because it condenses the calories of the fruit into a much smaller package, so you don't feel as full when eating it. You can also try nuts, seeds, and lean proteins.

Down a smoothie or protein shake when you don't feel like eating. If you need to eat but nothing sounds good, a smoothie may be a good option. That way, you get some calories, but you aren't forcing yourself to eat. Plus, smoothies give you an extra boost of vitamins and minerals, which is great for you and your baby. You can buy pre-made smoothies or make your own. Add some protein and calorie-dense foods to your smoothie, such as yogurt, peanut butter, almond butter, milk, or protein powder. You can also try meal-replacement protein shakes, which are available at most grocery stores. Keep them on hand for when you need a quick, substantial meal, but you aren’t necessarily hungry.