[*mylittleprince*]

Hi

I'm after some advice and tips please.

I'm exclusively breastfeeding 7.5 week old twins and feeling hungry all the time and very flat. I take an iron supplement, a calcium supplement, 2 vitamin C tablets and a dairy free probiotic each day.

I'm allergic to gluten/soy/peanut and have eliminated dairy 3 weeks ago as my daughter's been diagnosed with cow's milk protein allergy. Since doing this I've been left feeling very hungry and flat. Dairy was a massive part of my diet due to allergies and fussiness.

This is an average day:

Two boiled eggs, gf and dairy free toast, dairy free margarine.

Apple, handful of nuts.

Beef/chicken/bacon salad - also add a handful of lentils/chickpeas for extra protein.

Piece of fruit.

Two pieces of gluten and dairy free toast, dairy free margarine and syrup.

Roast beef/chicken and vegetables OR beef stirfy OR salad.

Small bowl of sorbet OR 1/2 packet (about 6) gluten and dairy free biscuits

I literally eat the same thing every day. I'm so hungry that the last week I've been eating a packet of biscuits a day (30g fat) which is so unhealth but I just don't know what to eat.






Every now and then I mix 1L water and 1L apple juice plus a sachet of rehydrate. I'm drinking 4 - 6L of water each day.

Any tips or advice appreciated.

[Boo_Girl]

Hi, so to start I need to say I am NOT a dietician but I have a strong interest in diet and nutrition and am considering studying it as a second career. So my first tip would be to make an appointment to see one. You have a good honest recording of your daily intake which is great. A dietician should be able to help with ideas such as what you might be lacking and when to take particular supplements, as some are water soluble and some are fat soluble, which means that you may not be getting the whole benefit of say iron or calcium if you are taking it at the wrong time or with the wrong foods.

Next I would say that you need more protein, a good protein hit at breakfast and lunch really sets you up for the day in terms of hunger management. The eggs at breakfast are great, but may add to your bad cholesterol over time if you are having 2 a day. Might have to watch that, for some people 2 are fine but for others it puts them in the higher bad cholesterol zone. Can you alternate with cereal at breakfast? You can have with apple juice instead of soy or dairy and trust me, it might sound weird but its actually quite yummy. A good muesli mix gives you fibre, with 1tbls LSA (ground up linseed, sunflower and almond) - gives you protein, your probiotic should give you Ca and some protein, and 1tbls psylium husk will also give you fibre. You could even add LSA to your probiotic for a quick protein boost.

In terms of snacks and lunch and dinner, it sounds like you are getting a good mix of protein from animal sources and nuts, but can you add some from plant sources into the diet? Chickpeas (made into hummous - yummy with carrot and celery sticks - a great snack), lentils (eg a nice dhal mix), kidney or cannellini beans dropped into a salad, which you are already doing but maybe just add some more, or mashed up with your mashed potato, you get the idea. Maybe you could add another snack of nuts in for the day, you are feeding 3 after all!

Lastly I would say perhaps you can add some fish into the diet - good protein source as well as the omegas. Depends if you like fish of course. It is the easiest thing to cook or add into a salad for lunch. Let me know and I can give you some recipe tips. You didn't mention whether you were taking fish oil tablets?

Good luck!

This post has been edited by Boo_Girl: 30/11/2012, 09:40 AM

[Jostaberry]

Hi OP,

Congrats on BFing your twins. It isn't always easy!

It looks like your diet is really healthy and full of protein, I don't know what else you could do... a lactation consultant suggested protein shakes to me, which didn't interest me as an option, but if you are desperate, maybe you could add that. Feeling ravenous is normal, I reckon, though things settled for me at about the 12 week mark. If you need a packet of Tim Tams or whatever to get through, just go for it! When else will you have the excuse? I feel for you with the loss of dairy (I have become a dairy addict, drinking a litre of milk a day while feeding my twins). Maybe goat dairy is an option?

Also, have you tried B vitamins as a supplement? My BFing vitamins are chock a block with B vitamins and I notice you didn't mention that. A good health food shop will have a consultant who can "prescribe" something better than the supermarket variety vitamins.

Otherwise, have you considered that it is not an issue of diet? Breastfeeding aside, caring for twins is a tough gig, you might just be sleep deprived and run off your feet (congrats if they are good sleepers who let you nap, though!). Personally I have found myself using sugar for energy (counterproductive, I know, but you do what you have to in order to get through the moment).

Best of luck!!!

[*mylittleprince*]

Thanks for the advice so far.

BooGirl - I find the gluten free cereal doesn't touch sides and leaves me even hungrier. I can't have normal cereal or oats. Can you eat the LSA alone? Will try add a bit more protein. Are there any dairy free protein shakes that you would recommend? I have seen a dietician and she gave me so little food to eat (less than what I've put down). I'm having a phone consult with an allergy specialist dietician on Sunday.

Jostaberry - Not taking a pregnancy/breastfeeding supplement so will try that. I think sugar does make me feel worse.

[foxy77]

Hi Mylittleprince,
I was also constantly ravenous breastfeeding twins. I was having double serves of lunch and dinner. My partner and MIL couldn't believe how much I was eating... I could put away so much food! Plus I was having half of a large family-size block of chocolate per day... and drinking 4-6L of water. Yikes!

So you are normal, maybe you could just increase your portion sizes? I don't have any other suggestions, sorry, but just to let you know you're normal!

Good luck with the breastfeeding, I found it incredibly tough!

[MeN3Ps!]

Hi

I'm after some advice and tips please.

I'm exclusively breastfeeding 7.5 week old twins and feeling hungry all the time and very flat. I take an iron supplement, a calcium supplement, 2 vitamin C tablets and a dairy free probiotic each day.

I'm allergic to gluten/soy/peanut and have eliminated dairy 3 weeks ago as my daughter's been diagnosed with cow's milk protein allergy. Since doing this I've been left feeling very hungry and flat. Dairy was a massive part of my diet due to allergies and fussiness.

This is an average day:

Two boiled eggs, gf and dairy free toast, dairy free margarine.

Apple, handful of nuts.

Beef/chicken/bacon salad - also add a handful of lentils/chickpeas for extra protein.

Piece of fruit.

Two pieces of gluten and dairy free toast, dairy free margarine and syrup.

Roast beef/chicken and vegetables OR beef stirfy OR salad.

Small bowl of sorbet OR 1/2 packet (about 6) gluten and dairy free biscuits

I literally eat the same thing every day. I'm so hungry that the last week I've been eating a packet of biscuits a day (30g fat) which is so unhealth but I just don't know what to eat.






Every now and then I mix 1L water and 1L apple juice plus a sachet of rehydrate. I'm drinking 4 - 6L of water each day.

Any tips or advice appreciated.

Hey hun - I was in the same boat! Just eat as much as you can! Sounds like you ate alot more than I could manage to when breastfeeding twins. It is really hard to get anytime at all for yourself _ but you are doing really well to get this far!!

Good luck! Just keep eating and drinking and definately try to take naps when you can as it help milk production.. (wish I had learnt this before it was too late!) ~

[Boo_Girl]

Have you tried the Eden products? This protein shake could be an option :
http://www.glutenfreeshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ProductId=4486

Its soy gluten dairy free and you could add LSA for a mega protein boost. Try that and uping your portion size and adding in some more vege based protein snacks. And you could mix it with rice or almond milk.

I think that advice you got from the dietician might be a bumsteer; to suggest you cut down when you are looking after not only yourself but two babies!!!!! Good grief!

I wish you the best! When you dont have enough energy life is super hard, so I hope you improve soon!

This post has been edited by Boo_Girl: 30/11/2012, 10:15 AM

[Matthias' mum]

I was already gluten free, and have had to cut dairy as well. It's tough, as it's a big part of my diet as well. I can still eat soy, but am trying to limit it as I don't think it's healthy to eat too much of it.

I'm eating a lot of eggs as well. I add spinach and maybe some ham or chicken to bulk it up more. You could try baked beans (not sure if ready made ones have soy, but you could makes your own and freeze portions). I have almond milk regularly, and I quite like the taste - it's good for cereal. The only gluten free cereals I find worth the effort are the expensive muesli. Otherwise you could try porridge made from rice flakes, quinoa, or polenta. I have mine with slivered almonds and stewed apple (homemade and frozen in ice cube trays).

For snacks, carrot and hommous are good. tomatoes on crackers, and I make GF/DF banana and choc chip muffins. Most dark chocolate is gluten, dairy and soy free. I've also discovered coconut yogurt, and it is amazing. It's expensive, but very rich, so you only need a small serve. It's lovely with fruit. Coconut icecream is delicious as well. I'd also liik at some low GI foods - sweet potato, pumpkin, beans etc. all help.

I am not feeding twins, but am feeding a 6 month old (also have a 3 year old). She's recently increased her feeds dramatically, and I've had to be careful with my diet, otherwise I fade very quickly. I'm currently eating at least 3 meals a day and 3-4 snacks, and I'm still losing a lot of weight, so I can't even imagine how tough you're finding it!

My best days are when I'm organised, and have lots of healthy fresh foods readily available. The days I fill up on crappy biscuits are the ones when I'm about to collapse by mid afternoon.

[The Cat's Me-Wow]

A quick note that eggs shouldn't be a problem in the OPs case. They do contain some saturated fat, but it's minimal, and the benefits from the essential amino acids and protein in the eggs would outweigh the small amount of 'bad fat' in them.

I was underweight when feeding my first, and was told fats and proteins were very important. More meat, eggs, nuts. Less calorie negative veggies.

[Boo_Girl]

I wasn't saying eggs are a problem, just that too many can raise cholesterol levels - the low density lipoprotein (LDL or bad ) cholesterol. We should include eggs as part of a healthy balanced diet that is low in saturated fat as they are packed with omegas and protein and all sorts of good stuff. The heart foundation says a healthy balanced diet can include a serve of eggs (two eggs) in two to three meals a week (they may say a little more is ok for breastfeeding mums, I haven't researched that). Not a big issue, just something to watch over time. For now just get as much protein from a mix of animal and plant sources. Let us know how you get on?