I think most mothers who are breastfeeding often feel EXTRA HUNGRY, and find it hard to control their food intake. Myself included.

Good news is that, an exclusively breastfeeding mother, on average, needs to take in AN EXTRA 300-500 calories per day, above what was needed to maintain pre-pregnancy weight.

The number of additional calories needed for nursing actually depends on:

The EXTENT of breastfeeding:

If you are exclusively breastfeeding, the calorie requirement will be HIGHER compared to if you are breastfeeding an older child or partially breastfeeding.

Mom’s FAT RESERVES:

A mother’s fat stores typically provide about 200 calories per day for lactation. (Yay to losing weight! )

A mom who does not have any spare fat reserves will need the greatest number of extra calories. So if you’re very underweight, you will need to get extra calories from your diet.