01/31/2026
Like many moms, I believed I would lose weight breastfeeding.
Like many moms, I did not.
It’s true that making milk burns a LOT of calories. But it’s also true that you’ve never been hungrier, your hormones are a mess, and sleep deprivation does weird things to your appetite and metabolism. And weaning both of my kids actually caused me to gain weight.
In a world where we’re inundated with language about “bouncing back after baby” and the shrinking bodies all around us, it can be really tempting to want to hurry into your own postpartum weight loss. I get it.
I am on a GLP-1 and I’ve seen amazing benefits from it. I started about a year after weaning my son, when dietary and physical changes to my life just weren’t moving the needle. When I asked my weight loss physician about what advice she would give breastfeeding parents who are interested in GLP-1s for themselves, she said she will not prescribe to breastfeeding parents and recommends just waiting it out until they’re done.
Why? Not because of the reduced calorie intake, but for one simple reason: There just isn’t enough data on how it affects babies at this time. GLP-1s are an amazing tool, but it’s worth the weight (get it?).
In the meantime you can:
💕 Give yourself grace: your body has been through so much and how amazing is it that you can feed your baby this way?
🥑 Focus on protein, healthy fats, and whole foods rather than a quick carb or sugar fix.
🚰 Stay hydrated
🧘♀️Move your body as much as you can, even if it’s just walking or gentle stretching.
🕵️♀️ Work with your doctor to assess if you need hormone help – many synthetic hormones and medications are well-researched and proven to be breastfeeding compatible.
➡️ Be easy on yourself. GLP-1s will still be here when you’re done breastfeeding.
