Why does breastfeeding make you hungry? Why am I so hungry after breastfeeding? If you’ve wondered about this before, there’s a reason for it!
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I’ve been meaning to write this post to new moms for quite some time now.
Breastfeeding hunger is a real phenomenon, and it can be easy to miss practical hunger cues as a new mom.
Although I technically have been a mom for close to a year now (!), I still feel very new.
I can’t tell you all the times I’ve felt inadequate or have no idea what I’m doing.
One minute I feel like I know Camryn and her schedule like the back of my hand, and the next she’s a whole new baby with new cries and demands.
But, one thing is for sure – I have no trouble honoring my hunger and respecting and acknowledging that feeling hungry after breastfeeding nursing is normal.
Which is a good thing because I am always hungry when breastfeeding and often rely on these healthy meals for breastfeeding moms.
I’ve written more about intuitive eating and motherhood, too.
Many of the new moms I work with are intimidated by this feeling of constant hunger, whether they’re breastfeeding or not (which is why I created a resource for learning all about your hunger!).
They feel as if they’ve done something wrong to feel hungry all the time.
Society has implemented this fear of hunger among us, and we feel wrong for feeling hungry.
While people should probably be googling “breastfeeding and hunger” and how to help it, instead they are googling “how to lose weight while breastfeeding” or “breastfeeding diet plan to lose weight.”
Both tell me they are both ashamed and scared by these feelings of hunger. Neutrally, “breastfeeding and always being hungry”make sense.
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Toxic diet culture has made a breastfeeding appetite out of control sound like such a negative thing, and it surely makes us question our hunger and question, what do I want to eat?
So, let’s talk all about hunger and why it’s a good thing that you’re hungry while breastfeeding your newborn.
In fact, consider snacking on some of these healthy snacks for breastfeeding.
“Breastfeeding makes me hungry” is a common complaint I hear among clients and see on social media, aside from “my nipples hurt.” This nipple cream really helped me.
People tend to blame breastfeeding hunger for everything, from gaining weight, to being unhappy.
Well, you are producing food (breast milk) for a baby.
That takes a lot of work and energy on your body’s part and it may explain why you’re constantly hungry while breastfeeding.
You’re probably constantly thirsty too. When breastfeeding, I still rely on my favorite electrolyte drinks for pregnancy.
Eating enough is also important for maintaining milk supply.
Once I understood this, it made me think less about, why am I so hungry while breastfeeding?
To make milk, your body is using your fat stores and energy reserves, and it can disappear almost as quickly as you make it.
Most babies eat every 2-4 hours, so if you think about it, that’s a ton of energy your body is making and using around the clock so it certainly requires extra calories. It’s only logical that breastfeeding makes you hungrier.
This is on top of the other energy your body requires around the clock, like for your heart to pump, kidneys to filter, lungs to breathe, and more.
And if you’re exercising on top of that, well that’s even MORE energy you need to replenish.
Now that Camryn is older, I’m not nursing as much since she relies more on solids now. But, I remember the early days.
I remember constant hunger while breastfeeding being more potent than any post marathon hunger I’ve ever had.
And if you happen to be running and nursing, you’ll definitely be hungry!
That’s why I have these healthy postpartum snacks pre-prepped.
Again, this is a constant thing your body has to devote energy to.
I would eat, be satisfied for a minute or two, and then feel the need to eat again. I was literally starving while breastfeeding.
I relied on so many homemade vegan protein bars, peanut butter coconut balls, vegan 3 ingredient cookies, and packaged snacks, anything that I could get my hands on quickly when hunger strikes.
I was so thankful I made several postpartum freezer meals I could rely on.
In the early days, I remember needing a snack every time we woke up during the night.
Breastfeeding hunger at night is so normal and natural!
I made so many muffins, like flourless zucchini chickpea flour muffins with extra protein or collagen to hold me over, and these healthy cereal bars with healthy fats!
I relied a lot on these performance plates, because although I wasn’t training, my needs were just as high!
Now, I still even have nights where I wake up hungry and need to eat.
I feel very in tune with my hunger and while it hasn’t happened overnight, it’s something I never think to question anymore.
I still look towards a pregnancy smoothie every day because it’s an easy way to get calories and nutrients and satisfy my constant hunger while breastfeeding.
This is where most of my clients get hung up because when you’ve ignored your hunger for so long, you may not know what hunger feels like.
And then once you start nursing and experience nursing hunger, you’re in for something.
Your body may have blunted some of the signs. The other reason this is so hard for clients is because hunger is scary.
It forces you to think about food (maybe something you’re actively trying not to think about or something you overly focus on already).
Whether it’s primal hunger, feeling so hungry while breastfeeding, or any type of hunger, I encourage you to take some time to become familiar with your early hunger warning signs.
There’s no exact blueprint since all of us are different but you should know what yours are. We talk ALOT more about this in my Ebook all about Hunger!
For me, hunger manifests as a complete inability to think about anything else other than food.
I can’t focus on Camryn without getting frustrated, I can’t keep my mind on task for work, and I keep thinking about what food I want.
Hunger gets a bad rap, but I love working to normalize it. Hunger cues are a good thing, and honoring your hunger is a step towards earning trust with your body.
Like my other non-diet dietitians, I like to use the hunger scale with clients. I like the general idea of it, to help bring awareness of what hunger feels like for you.
Sometimes, it takes a little journaling and recognizing trends to understand signs from your body that are actually hunger.
In general, I tell my clients that physical hunger usually comes on gradually, while emotional hunger may be more sporadic.
But, hunger when breastfeeding isn’t always gradual either.
It can come on very suddenly, which is why it’s important for new breastfeeding moms to be equipped with easy snacks nearby.
A hungry mom is not a pleasant experience, and mother hunger is no joke.
But, more about being in tune with hunger signs from your body. Maybe you’re not tired at the supposed 3 pm slump like you think you are, you’re just hungry.
Or, no wonder you can’t concentrate in your 10am meeting – it’s usually 3 hours after breakfast and you’re not having a morning snack – you’re very hungry!
As new moms, this hunger scale becomes even more important because we can lose track of time (and energy), and before we know it, breastfeeding hunger has the best of us and we are long past the initial signs of hunger.
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Increased hunger while breastfeeding is completely normal and warranted. It makes so much sense as to why we would have it.
What I see being most important here is acknowledging the early signs of hunger and preventing ourselves from getting to the “starving” and “hangry” levels.
Once you to a certain point, the end goal is just to get food. We lose all mindfulness, we lose enjoyment and we can’t gauge our fullness levels as easily.
It’s easier to overshoot our hunger, meaning go from one extreme (very hungry) to the other (very full), without feeling the in between.
Ideally, you notice your hunger before you get to a 1 or a 2 because those are unpleasant feelings that no one likes to feel.
I like to eat when I am a 3 or a 4 because I’m not so hungry that I can’t enjoy my meal. I can think clearly and have time to put something together or eat my meal mindfully, when possible.
While this may seem foreign at first, the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Soon enough, you won’t have to think about the feelings of hunger, you’ll instinctively eat when your body gives you a sign.
Breastfeeding hunger, primal hunger, stress hunger, whatever hunger you have, all are important signs from your body. We never want to ignore hunger.
Hunger is a sign from our body, just like thirst or the need to pee.
And we don’t question those signs, do we?
One of the main reasons to honor your hunger is that it helps establish trust with your body. Every time you feed your body when it’s asking for food, you’re establishing trust. You’re saying, “hey body, I hear you. I got you.”
It’s important to be aware that sometimes this isn’t a physical sensation of hunger. You may want to eat something to reminisce, to socialize, or just because you’re feeling emotional. They also provide opportunities to enhance trust.
I also want to mention that this may be new as you experience increased hunger with breastfeeding. Maybe it’s to a level you’ve never experienced before.
Your body is smart – it needs more energy to perform everything it has to do.
The other reason to listen to hunger is because it can prevent overeating or binge eating tendencies.
I’ve had clients come to me complaining about binge eating while breastfeeding and I can almost say with certainty its because they aren’t eating enough.
If we think about the hunger scale, if we ignore early hunger signs and maybe wait until we’re a 1 or a 2 to eat, we’re more likely to eat more than is comfortable for our body.
While binge eating is a classified eating disorder with criteria, it usually happens because people are not eating enough. The body’s natural response to restriction is to try to get a lot of food.
Now, with all of this being said, I think it’s important for new moms to keep easy snacks for new moms on hand and available for when hunger does come on.
And when you’re newly postpartum, focus on some of these postpartum recovery foods.
Carbohydrate-based snacks are usually the easiest to grab on the fly and are great for quick energy.
However, adding protein and fat can keep you satiated for longer so I encourage clients to try to keep some options on hand when possible.
Protein needs when breastfeeding can be just as high (or higher) than protein for runners!
I really recommend asking yourself, “What do I want to eat?”
And try to honor that. If you can’t discern what you actually want, here are some of my favorite options:
Also – go for a meal! Sweetpotato turkey burgers or apple turkey burgers are great and include protein, fruits and veggies!
I’m a big fan of the cook once, reuse method. So, I’ll cook a bunch of sweetpotatoes are once, and then re-use them in different leftover recipes and combos.
Check out this post on what to do with leftover sweet potatoes for more inspiration.
I love talking about the nuance of hunger – emotional hunger vs. physical hunger is huge to understand. More in this Instagram TV on hunger.
If you want to learn more about emotional eating, how to tell if you’re bored or need nourishment, what to eat when you’re not hungry but you need to eat and more…check out my Ebook!
Grab Our Meal Prep Ebook to Finally Conquer Meal Prep in the Kitchen
PS – Speaking of breastfeeding hunger, these lactogenic foods are great for naturally helping milk supply!
And this roundup of breastfeeding smoothes is great and banana oat waffles for an easy breastfeeding meal.
Are you always hungry breastfeeding too?
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Support Bucket List TummyOh man I am sooo hungry breastfeeding- my baby is ten months now and I’m still hungry. I just want to get back to being super skinny. Is it possible that I just won’t be able to do this while breastfeeding? It’s like impossible …and I used to be anorexic and find it easy to ignore hunger.
This was so helpful. I’m a new mom and often SO HUNGRY. I am getting bored of the granola bars. It was affirming to hear this is normal and also get some better ideas for what else to eat than just chips.
So glad you found it helpful, Brittany! Very normal!
Hi! Interesting post.
Why do you think I am more hungry now that the baby is nine months? I have been breastfeeding more and he is waking up again at night because he just got 4 teeth!
I am back to being hungry almost constantly. It had gone down when my baby went to solids.
I am a grazer. My favorite snack is hummus and I have a sweet tooth so candy or sweets once or twice a day.
You already provide nice support in this article and good snack ideas. Do you think the increased nursing due to teething is what is causing my appetite?
Hi Sarah, that certainly could be a contributing factor! I would also reflect on whether you’re doing more activity? Eating enough protein and fat? Carbs seem to be the easiest snack to grab but protein and fat are what keep us satiated. Just some thoughts!
I loved this post; even though I haven’t gotten married and don’t have the prospect of a baby any time soon; so many of these principles are ones that I’m learning right now when it comes to honoring your hunger and not getting too hungry. I love the hunger/fullness scale. 🙂
Honoring our hunger is such an important principle that can definitely apply to everyone!
I love the reminder on hunger signs. Also the Kind bar you showed looks delicious, I’m going to have to search my local stores for that flavor.
It’s really good! They have a peanut butter one that I like too 🙂