03/09/2026
Breastfeeding is NOT a weight loss strategy.
And the fact that this needs saying tells you everything about how we have failed postpartum women.
What breastfeeding IS:
— A profound act of nourishment between mother and baby
— A living, dynamic fluid that changes composition in real time in response to your baby’s needs
— One of the most nutritionally demanding things your body will ever do
— A hormonal event that suppresses ovulation, elevates prolactin, moderates oestrogen and releases oxytocin with every feed
— A process that draws directly from your own stores when your intake is insufficient
— An act that supports infant immunity, gut microbiome development, nervous system regulation and mother-baby bonding
What breastfeeding IS NOT:
— A calorie burning exercise
— A weight loss tool
— Something that should be happening alongside a caloric deficit
— A reason to eat less
— A substitute for postpartum nutritional support
— Something that will fix your relationship with your body
What is actually happening hormonally:
Prolactin is elevated to drive milk production, suppresses ovulation and keeps oestrogen low. This low oestrogen environment is also why many breastfeeding women hold onto body fat, particularly around the hips and thighs.
Oxytocin is released with every feed, driving uterine contraction, bonding and emotional regulation. Also deeply depleting if the mother herself is not being held and supported.
Cortisol: if you are undereating, over exercising or chronically stressed, cortisol rises. High cortisol directly suppresses milk supply. Pushing weight loss while breastfeeding is not just ineffective it is counterproductive.
A depleted mother makes milk at the expense of her own body. Her bones, her mineral stores, her mental health. There is no version of aggressive postpartum weight loss that does not cost her something.
Feed yourself like you are feeding your baby. Because you are.
🌿 Save this. Share it with a mother who needs to hear it.
❤️🌍🤱🏻
