What Is Healthy and Typical Weight Retention While Nursing?

For nursing mothers, its very typical to have most the baby fat just fall off, but then have trouble losing the last 10 lbs. That is the typical standard, but of course 13-14lbs isn't that far off. I know with my children, I gained alot (50-60 lbs) during my pregnancies. I nursed both of them and lost the majority of my weight within 3 months. With my first, that usual 10 lbs did stay on me until I weaned him. After that I had no trouble losing it. I am still nursing my second, and am in the same boat as you, with a little under 15 lbs to lose. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Once you wean it will be much easier to lose the weight because you're appetite will decrease. It is your body's way of ensuring that you have enough energy to supply yourself and baby with food, and it is the norm for your body to want a little more fat when you're nursing, which it gets by increasing your appetite.

I know that some women lose weight more quickly while nursing and others retain it. I work out like a crazy lady and eat super healthy and carefully, but I just couldn't shake the last 15 lbs until My daughter weened with my first - and with my still nursing son (20 months) - the same seems to be happening. It's frustrating to be at a standstill despite working out 10 hours a week and counting calories, but I know that I'm strong and healthy and have my fingers crossed - that my body just needs to hold onto this weight, so long as I lactate.

Be kind to yourself. With 2 little ones - applaud yourself for your commitment to nurse and focus on being healthy ;-)

I've always heard that it's "normal" for about the last 10 lbs to stay around for awhile (evolutionarily it would have helped to feed the baby in times of famine).

I'd say your 13-14 lbs is perfectly normal.

Congrats on your new little one!

I thought I'd try to find some stats too for you, but I can't seem to find any either. Like you said, you're fine! Not sure it there really is anything typical or normal because there are too many variables, such as nursing, gain before birth, how much the baby nurses, what you eat, how much you exercise. My guess is, you're not losing it as quick because you're older now than you were with your first, so losing weight will be harder. Like the other post said, nursing should have you burning more calories. I heard 500 plus calories are burned each day just because of nursing (if nursing exclusively). I gained 25 total and lost about 15 right away (baby included). It's been almost two years and those extra ten are still there. Good luck losing it. But 3 months is no big deal, I say. It'll go in time and with your help with exercise and eatig right.

I know that you are supposed to burn more calories nursing, but some women go into "survival mode" while they nurse. Their metabolism all but shuts down in an effort to conserve energy. That it what happened with me,(except each time I stopped nursing, I just got pregnant again!!). Anyway, sounds normal to me- good luck!

Congratulations to you!! And sorry for the essay!
I can't help but respond as in three days my second son will be six months and I just finished logging in the entire weekend in my weight watcher's tracker.
You sound alot like me. I gain 40 pounds with both of my kids, and my second was 9lbs 3oz and just ate and ate and ate for the first several months. Even though I work full time outside of the home I am still exclusivly breastfeeding him and all is going well.
After my first son I was still about 15 pounds above my prepregnancy weight at about 5 months. I started on weight watchers and really cleaned up what I was eating. I did some reading on organics and nutrition. I have switched to mostly organics, I think it is most important for meat and dairy to be organic, and tried to cut out all the processed foods. I ended up losing almost 25 pounds altogether because I realized that I wasn't eating propoerly before I got pregnant. I was about 9 months post partum by the time I weaned my first son completely and and was back to feeling like myself.
This time around has been so different. I started off at the smaller weight and ate much healthier throughout my pregnancy, but still gained the same 40 pounds. However I produced this enormous baby and I swear he just came out starving because he nursed what seemed like non stop until he was about 3 months old!!! LOL!
Because I had felt so good about myself after the first baby I had a really hard time being patient this time. I was dying to start dieting after a month, but forced myself to wait. All the literature said to wait until at least 6 weeks. So I did. I started cleaning up what I ate around 6-10 weeks and lost about 5 pounds, but I was so hungry (even though I was still eating like 40 points a day-for you WW people) I was worried about my milk supply, so I stopped and gained it all back in a week. I figured my body wasn't ready. and sure enough right around 3.5-4 months postpartum I was about 15-20 pounds from my prepregnancy weight and suddenly my hunger started to go down and the weight started to come off at about a pound a week. So I started on WW again and I am about 2-3 pounds from my goal weight now!! Yay! It has been slower this time. Last time I was in the process of weaning when I was losing the weight, so I wasn't concerned about the lessening milk supply, this time I am going the distance with the bfeeding, so I have had to eat more and really watch how much I pump.
It sounds like you are ahead of the game and doing well. It is so hard to lose weight and keep the nursing up. and I think when they start to need solids a chemical reaction in our bodies takes place and suddenly we tend to shed the weight quicker. I also found i shed about 10 pounds overnight around 7-8 months pp last time. That might be different for me this time.
Everybody says that nursing makes you lose weight so fast. But virtually everyone I know has had trouble in the first 3 months because you do have to eat so much to maintain your supply. I swear I was hungrier nursing than pregnant!
Good Luck-I have a feeling your expeirience will be similar to last time!

i dont know the stats but after my son stopped nursing i lost 20lbs in a matter of months with out really "trying" so i would think you are in the realm of normal. dont worry about the weight until after you have stopped nursing. they say you lose weight faster if you breastfeed but i think they fail to say that the weight comes off after you stop, though comes off faster then if you had not :) good luck