So, does breastfeeding make you tired? Not exactly. But, as we've seen in this article, prolactin and oxytocin can make you feel relaxed and give you the sleepies while you're nursing. And postpartum recovery and lack of sleep can definitely make you tired!
As well as using a lot of energy, nursing also triggers the release of prolactin, the main hormone involved in milk production [3]. Prolactin can increase your body's dopamine and oxytocin levels, which can also cause you to feel more relaxed and tired.
About breastfeeding and diet
A healthy diet is always important, but it's especially important if you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding uses a lot of energy and nutrients. It is important that your diet supplies the nutrients you need during breastfeeding, including: protein.
Many lactation professionals agree that day three can be the hardest for moms. Breastfeeding is a whole new experience and it takes a little getting used to. Perfecting your baby's latch doesn't usually happen right away and it is important to remember that it may take some patience to establish.
It can be exhausting and physically demanding on our bodies. It does not happen without support and a significant learning curve—and it does not happen for everyone. Breastfeeding is a very personal choice—and is not the best choice for every new mom, every child, nor every family.
Stress and Breastfeeding
On the bright side, breastfeeding may help to lower your stress levels. The hormones that your body releases when you breastfeed can promote relaxation and feelings of love and bonding. Research shows that breastfeeding can significantly reduce physiological and subjective stress.
What are the “3 Golden Hours”? The 3 Golden Hours refer to the immediate hours after a mother gives birth. It's so important that mothers are given the opportunity to be skin to skin with their babies during these 3 hours to breastfeed their baby and form that immediate bond.
The first hour after birth when a mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn is referred to as the “golden hour.” This period of time is critical for a newborn baby who spent the past nine months in a controlled environment.
Breastmilk in the first year
Breastmilk contains all the nourishment needed to promote normal healthy growth and development in babies in their first 6 months of life and remains the most important food during their first year.
Indulging in too much caffeine, alcohol or smoking: All your vices might definitely give you a temporary high but will harm your breastfeeding routine irreparably. This is because caffeine, alcohol and tobacco can all affect your milk supply adversely.
Postpartum fatigue is a common experience for many new mothers and can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
The metabolic energy needed to breastfeed a baby each day is the amount you'd use to walk seven miles!
On average, exclusively breastfeeding mothers may see a loss of 1-2 pounds a month and over time, breastfeeding moms tend to lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed (Dewey, Heinig & Nommsen, 1993).
Exclusively pumping is harder than breastfeeding. It can feel very time consuming and overwhelming to pump, bottle feed and sterilise equipment while juggling a hungry baby. Being tied to a pump at regular intervals can be limiting especially when away from home.
Why do I feel so hungry whiile breastfeeding? Breastfeeding requires energy, and our bodies need to burn calories to create this energy. The extra energy used each day to create milk is around 500 calories and can be even higher during the first few weeks.
How Long Does Nursing Take? Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. As babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may take about 5–10 minutes on each side.
If you do the math, a year of breastfeeding equates to a conservative estimate of 1,800 hours of a mother's time. This isn't far off from a full time job considering that a 40-hour work week with three weeks of vacation comes in at 1,960 hours of work time a year.
A newborn should be put to the breast at least every 2 to 3 hours and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. But rather than worry about duration, it's important to know that the best way to ensure that the baby is getting enough breast milk is by feeding frequency, wet and dirty diapers, and weight gain.
"Something I recommend to moms is the 5-5-5 rule," Pawlowski says. "Try and use milk within five hours at room temperature, five days if in the refrigerator, and five months if in the freezer."
If you're storing your milk in the freezer, you need to use it within 3 months. Remember, never re-freeze or re-warm breastmilk, and discard any remaining or unused milk after the completion of the feed.
Myth: Babies who have been breastfed are clingy.
All babies are different. Some are clingy and some are not, no matter how they are fed. Breastfeeding provides not only the best nutrition for infants, but is also important for their developing brain.
But they say this crankiness in babies is normal and just their natural way of communicating their needs to their mother and is no cause for alarm. For example, some cries will be down to tiredness not hunger.
Breastfeeding / Nursing Aversion & Agitation (BAA) is a phenomenon whereby breastfeeding / pumping mothers experience negative emotions triggered whilst breastfeeding, these include anger, rage, agitation and irritability. Women also struggle with an 'overwhelming urge to de-latch', and often a skin itching sensation.