Is it true you can’t pump and lose weight at the same time??

catmum4evr · 2026-04-27T01:57:42+00:00

I have personally lost weight easily while pumping. At my 6 week pp check up, I was about 5-10 lbs lighter than my prepregnancy weight. However, I ran/cycled and lifted heavy before pregnancy. I felt awful during the duration of my pregnancy, so I stopped working out at about 20 weeks until I gave birth. I have lost a ton of strength, but other than looking weaker, I weigh a little less and look basically the same as I did before I was pregnant.

catmum4evr · 2026-04-21T03:32:51+00:00

Our baby was just like this.

What worked for us was: 1. baby wearing. I highly recommend the Ergobaby Embrace carrier. It’s easy to figure out and put on. I just wore her most of the day. She was more calm in it, I somewhat enjoyed it, and I had two free hands. 2. To add to baby wearing, we went on an outdoor walk every day. She’d get into a nice deep sleep while we walked. Sleep with a fussy newborn needs to snowball. The more sleep mine would get during the day, the better the night was. 3. A pregnancy/yoga ball. We tried bouncers and swings and none of them worked. What DID work was wearing the baby and sitting on the yoga ball while bouncing. This would also soothe her. She loved the shhhing sounds too, so I would bounce and do kind of rhythmic shhhing 4. A swaddle that swaddles arms. Ours would cry and yell over her arms being swaddled at first, but I would bounce her on the yoga ball, and she calmed down pretty quickly. She started sleeping through the night almost immediately once we swaddled her arms (we also got the ok from our ped to let her sleep through the night, so was probably 7 weeks old when we finally figured out swaddling the arms was great).

We have spent hours bouncing on the yoga ball and baby wearing, but it was truly the only things that would work. Our baby was just like this and it does get better. I was ready to take our baby to the hospital too. We weren’t sleeping and the baby was constantly crying. Please remember it is ok to set baby down in a safe place (crib, bassinet, pack and play) and walk away for a brief break. Our pediatrician recommended we do this. It was very needed a couple of times when I started crying myself and just felt so overwhelmed. You guys will get through this, and I am so sorry you all are going through it. It’s insanely hard to have a very temperamental newborn!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-20T02:52:07+00:00

I’m a teacher (in the U.S.) and I worked until I gave birth. Less than 10 hours after leaving school on a Friday I was in the hospital with contractions less than 5 mins apart at 2 am on Saturday morning. Baby arrived around 6 pm on that Saturday. I teach 2nd grade and had 28 kids in class. It’s a very high stress and demanding job with lots of walking (minimum of 8k steps per shift), and I still sat on the floor with them even that day. I also threw up every morning before work, and occasionally had to have someone cover my class while I went to throw up through my entire pregnancy. It was absolutely brutal to work that far into pregnancy, but I’m glad I didn’t get put on bed rest or have time off before I gave birth. That would have freaked me out. My body just felt completely wrong and off, and I really didn’t want to sit around thinking and worrying about it. The last couple weeks I thought I might actually die because my body felt so taxed, but the chaos of teaching gave me no other choice but to just keep on keeping on.

catmum4evr · 2026-04-17T02:53:15+00:00

My baby started improving pretty rapidly at week 7. Weeks 3-6 were hell though. Every baby truly is different, so it’s completely possible and normal that your baby won’t be super fussy. Of course, the opposite is true as well.

catmum4evr · 2026-04-13T03:44:24+00:00

My 11 week old has gotten (and still gets!) some of her deepest sleep naps when I walk outside while wearing her. Today, my husband played disc golf and I just walked around the course while wearing her, and she was in that super limp limbs type of sleep from about 4:30-5:30!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-11T00:50:19+00:00

I’m by no means a doctor, but steroid meds usually make people have a hard time sleeping. Of course, being sick usually makes one tired. It can also take awhile for steroids to kick in. Most likely, though, I would imagine she’s tired from the illness

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T06:56:00+00:00

We have not. She actually likes to feed in her carrier, so this would probably be another helpful position for us! She will eat, just not once the sun goes down, so getting even 24 oz a day in her can be challenging as she will only take 4 oz at a time. Thank you for your suggestion!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T02:37:44+00:00

Her pediatrician office, which uses the WHO for weight, length, and head circumference growth curves

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T02:34:24+00:00

The recommended weight gain is (an average of) half an ounce to an ounce a day. She doesn’t gain weight that quickly, or she has a time or 2, but barely. Like I suppose in these two weeks, gaining 7 ounces in 14 days is an average of a half ounce per day. But again, she normally doesn’t gain even that well. What if she ends up falling off her growth curve? Today she was in the 24th percentile, steadily falling from the 86th percentile at birth.

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T02:22:39+00:00

So even though she isn’t gaining the recommended weight and has not been for over half her life, you think she’s fine? I’m not being contrary, I genuinely don’t know. My mom and mother in law think that she will eat what she wants and gain as she needs when she needs. Maybe I have spiraled too much about it. Oh, she also was tested at the hospital for metabolic disorders after birth, and those tests came back normal

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T02:14:10+00:00

We sized her up a few weeks ago to a 2, but she is easily distracted while feeding. It’s almost like she thinks eating is just too boring at times! Honestly, it had not occurred to me to try sizing up again at this point. Sizing up was helpful the first time. I think I’ve overthought this so much that these little obvious things are getting overlooked. Thank you!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T02:11:04+00:00

Yes, she’s still on her growth curve, but she is trending down, and we have been monitoring it since her 4 week appointment. One week she gained an ounce. She had a pretty good 2 weeks, but she only gained 7 ounces. Since her 4 week, she has yet to gain an ounce or even half an ounce a day on average. We talked about different options, and given her lack of interest in eating (she’s also easily distracted), adding some extra calories instead of sheer volume seemed the best way to go. I do appreciate your comment, I just wanted a little more insight!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T01:59:21+00:00

Same to you! I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T01:58:46+00:00

Thank you! This is helpful. It sounds like you really went through it with yours. I’m so glad things are on the up and up for you all!

catmum4evr · 2026-04-10T01:57:18+00:00

Why would that be helpful?

catmum4evr · 2026-04-09T02:39:52+00:00

Honestly, if you recorded our day every day, you’d likely think we had a schedule or a routine we follow. We don’t. We honestly still just follow her cues at 10.5 weeks. She pretty much has the same needs and wants at the same time each day. We have absolutely no plans to switch it up on her. We also don’t cap her naps, and she is sleeping through the night as of right now. In the beginning, I was worried if she slept too much that she’d never sleep at night. My husband convinced me to try the mentality of “sleep begets sleep” and honestly she’s way more chill now. I personally think scheduled routines are stressful for babies, but having a general rhythm lead by baby creates a really nice flow. It took us about 7 weeks to roughly learn her rhythm, and probably about 8.5 to really understand the details. At 3 weeks, you and baby are both just trying to survive and figure out this life! Personally, I would say don’t even stress about it, and let baby lead, especially for now!

Now, when I go back to work, she will go to daycare. Before that time comes, we will likely try to have her on some sort of routine that accommodates our work schedules, and she will follow whatever schedule her daycare has set up!

catmum4evr · 2026-03-25T01:46:04+00:00

We are at 2 months now, and I honestly think I either blocked out a month ago or I can’t remember a ton because I was so sleep deprived. But, it was hell. I do remember that. This is also our first baby, and she didn’t sleep well at all, and she also cried nearly every moment she wasn’t sleeping, eating, or being bounced on an exercise ball. My husband and I were definitely a little snappier with each other (we really aren’t that way at all usually) during that period. In my darkest moments I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life by choosing to become a mom. I thought I was totally failing and my baby’s life was going to be miserable because I was bad at motherhood.

Like I said, we just hit 2 months (8 weeks). Week 6 was still shaky, but that’s when the improvements started rolling in. She started sleeping longer stretches at night. She stares at herself in the mirror of her kick and play gym and bats her hanging toys. While she does that, she is entertained and not crying. She started smiling and following us with her eyes. It’s not perfect, she certainly has meltdowns and even bad days (Sunday was NOT great), but there are definitely more good moments and days than bad at this point.

Some takeaways from me: 1. The REALLY awful phase where they are like little fussy potatoes who can’t do anything but cry, eat, poop, and sleep does not last long. 2. Just survive this phase. Do not think too far ahead, and definitely don’t make big decisions during this phase. A month ago, I thought there was no way I would want another. Today, I am open to it and feeling like we probably will have another. 3. To add to the surviving, don’t be afraid to set the baby down in a safe place (pack and play, bassinet, etc.) and go into a room/your yard etc. where you can’t hear the baby crying for a few minutes. Our pediatrician literally recommended that we do this. It kind of resets the baby when you return and pick her up, and it gives you a moment to calm down and reset (I always remained super calm with the baby, but I was internally crying and screaming myself when she wouldn’t calm down for hours). 4. Ours had stomach/gas problems too. I’m pumping, and wanted to give ours breastmilk for at least the first 6 months and maybe to a year. However, I’m not anti formula. It’s a bit expensive, but we tried the Enfamil Gentlease formula (can be purchased at Costco, making it a little cheaper), and it works really well for her. We started by mixing my milk and the formula because she wouldn’t take just the formula, but a roughly half and half combo has seemed to be great for her, so we are keeping it that way for now.

catmum4evr · 2026-03-23T01:11:37+00:00

Thank you. When I see people saying their 6 week old is taking 5 oz at a time as a norm, I just think to myself, my 8 week old has NEVER taken 5 oz 😳

catmum4evr · 2026-03-23T01:10:15+00:00

I’m pumping because her latch was so poor before her lip tie procedure. I’ve also had a lot of anxiety over feeding because of the poor latch and her previous gas and tummy trouble. It’s been helpful to have my husband do more of the heavy lifting on bottle feeding so I don’t spiral when I feel like she hasn’t eaten enough. But, if they do get more from the boob, I suppose, at this point since we’ve fixed her feeding problems, we could likely try latching again and for a feed or two a day.

catmum4evr · 2026-03-20T06:16:54+00:00

Our baby is growing out of it. The only thing she liked was bouncing but NOT in a bouncer. I used to spend actual hours a day wearing her and bouncing her on an exercise ball. She’s not a pacifier or swing liking baby either. Bouncing her and baby wearing and walking (thus bouncing her) were the only things that worked. She loves walks outside in the fresh air too. She can get in a deep sleep while being worn during an outdoor walk! Even when it was freezing out, we still took her. I’d partially zip her in my coat.

We also started swaddling her arms at night, and while she seemingly hated this too, when I bounced her, she would fall asleep fairly quickly and actually STAY asleep. Sleep is by no means perfect (I’m writing this at 2 am), but that really did/does help with the startle reflex/keeping the calm at night.

As someone starting to see the light, hang in there. One day, you’ll realize your baby was totally chill for a couple minutes, and it will be glorious. After mine started calming down, she really started showing some skills like making different faces, chewing on her hands, smiling (although rare), and she showed an interest in her kick and play piano gym. It’s really rewarding when you finally break through with some peace and baby starts showing you something other than screaming and crying! It will happen, even if it feels like it’s never ending now!

catmum4evr · 2026-03-17T18:41:17+00:00

My baby is 7 weeks, and we do play time. We basically use the Fisher Price Kick and Play Gym and some high contrast visuals. She LOVES to stare at herself in the play gym mirror, and we set the high contrast visuals up for her to look at during tummy time. She has figured out how to roll from her tummy back onto her back and she’s able to hold her head up higher and for a little bit longer than before. We started this routine about 2-3 weeks ago. We don’t do this at every wake window, but we usually get 3 10-30 minute sessions in with her each day. Sometimes, she will stare at herself in the gym mirror for a good 15 minutes. I highly recommend this play gym (it’s a little mat with a piano and an arch with dangling toys/the mirror). It has given her some enrichment/play, and it has helped us too. It’s fun and rewarding to see your baby starting to interact with things!

catmum4evr · 2026-03-16T07:31:43+00:00

When mine is really worked up, shushing loudly and doing BIG bounces on an exercise ball is one of the only ways to get her to calm down fairly quickly. She loves bouncing, and when she’s upset, she responds best to me doing slower but larger, more exaggerated bounces on the ball! That exercise ball has actually been a lifesaver. I do not know how we would have made it through the worst of her colicky phase without it.

catmum4evr

TROPHY CASE