I'm Hungry-Breastfeeding & Hunger

I just finished breakfast.

I just pushed the bowl that was heaping full of oatmeal away from me. I'll admit that Millie got a few bites. But I devoured the most of it. Not surprising. I may or may not have selfishly thought "She gets the boob."

This is part of our morning routine. We get up brush my teeth, change her diaper, start water for oatmeal, and eat together while I peruse facebook, Pinterest, or read. We empty the bowl together, I push it away and then...I wonder what I can have for a snack.

Seriously.

The hunger that I feel as a nursing mother is another thing that I didn't exactly account for. It's always there. Sometimes it is right in your face-being the only thing you can focus on, other times you can push it down until it's time to eat a meal again. But it's always there, always running, like the refridgerator. And it feels like I will never catch it. I am still nursing at least six times in a 24 hour cycle. It's probably usually closer to eight. And so every time I sit down in that glorious leather recliner I picked out at 5 weeks postpartum, I may look like and feel like I'm relaxing- but I'm not. I'm working. Making a meal that 10 months ago I was not.

"The average woman secretes between 425 and 700 calories per day in her breastmilk according to the American Pregnancy Association. To compensate, you'll need to increase your caloric intake by 500 calories bringing your total daily requirement to around 3000 calories."

The first few weeks of hunger I was not surprised. After all, I had completed the ultimate marathon. Labor and birth. My body needed recharged. Now? I am hungry for everything. Healthy stuff. Junk food. Meat and potatoes. Salads and soups. Smoothies. Cheesecake. My mouth is honestly watering just typing it. I eat as much as Jerrel-if not more sometimes. So I hunt for food to stifle the hunger. But I'm not always very successful.

My body weighs less than before I was pregnant but I'm eating more than ever, It's just how it responded to this crazy amazing process. So if you can't seem to locate me sometime, look at the grocery store, a restaurant, the kitchen, the fridge, the potluck, or the soup supper. Or my recliner. I eat there a lot too.

I think I'll look up a smoothie reciepe now. Or maybe I'll just beg my husband to cook me a steak. That'd work too.

Blessings!