Hi there,

I'm wondering if there is anyone on here with experience breastfeeding with your lapband. How did you calculate how many calories you needed? I have found some conflicting advice. I'll talk to my doctor too, but I was wondering what your experiences were. Thanks in advance!

Y_{ep breastfed till he was 18 months. I have never been one to count calories. I had to have a lot of Fluid removed while I was pregnant. I went very slow with my fills over the course of a year to insure I was getting plenty of calories. Make sure you are also getting in enough Water. I could always tell if I hadnt eaten enough, my supply would drop.}

_{My first fill was when he was 2 weeks old. I soley breastfed him till he was 6 months and then started some solids. At that point I was able to get another fill. You need up to 500 extra calories a day to breastfeed. And dont worry if you feel like you are hungry all the time. It really does take a lot for your body to heal, take care of daily life and provide the nutrition to a child.}

_{I wanted to add that this was my third child and first lap band baby. It was different trying to make sure I stayed up on enough calories. There were several times I could tell I hadnt eaten enough and my supply had dropped.}

I agree with the previous poster...you need to be certain to get sufficient fluids and calories every day.

Though I did not have a band at the time, I lost a substantial amount of weight while breastfeeding, and I was actually trying to maintain my weight at the time. I remember being told that it took about 1000 calories a day to make sufficient milk for my son.

It's important to continue to make healthy food choices while nursing...I'd definitely consult with my surgeon as to how to adjust the bandster diet to ensure proper nutrition for both you and your infant.

Good luck and best wishes...

I'm breastfeeding now. My baby is 6 weeks. I had to have all fluid taken out during my pregnancy. Just had 3cc put in. I'm hungry all the time and only eat cereal. I'm so busy, I don't cook. This is bad I know.

Thank you so much ladies!

I did get all the fluid out of the band at the beginning of my pregnancy. I'm not particularly worried about weight loss at this point in time, because I've lost over 100 pounds, and I only gained about a total of 11 pounds the whole pregnancy (lost 16 at the beginning); so my main concern is Maisie's nutrition, and then my own so I don't tax my body too much. I appreciate the note about needing about 500 extra calories a day. Cool beans. Thank you so much!