Breastfeeding and body image

[Bubmum]

Some threads on here today got me thinking about the effect breastfeeding has on body image post pregnancy. Has there been any studies done?
A lot of the Mummies I know have lost all the "baby weight", and none of them are breast feeding. They tell me that they have heard it is hard to lose weight and breastfeed at the same time, grrrrr. The truth is that I am not bothered to lose the weight. I didnt' put that much on, it came after I think. Before I had Dd, I wasn't that keen on my boobs (HH size), but now I see them as something that my baby loves, and I am pretty happy that they serve her so well.

[codswallop]

i always was told BFing helps you to lose the baby kgs?
i feel better about BFing in public then i do wearing a swim suit?

[meme]

i dont' think i have a prblem with body image and i breastfeed. if anything i see my body as positive for what it can do rather than what it looks like.

it nourishes kids well.

and it also looks hot imo!! lmao!

[Freya]

I lost most of my baby weight in the first 6 months and was breastfeeding... I think breastfeeding contributed to my weightloss.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

For some women breastfeeding can make it hard to lose the last few kg.

I think it might be marginally easier for me to lose weight now than pre-baby, but probably just because I am so much gigantically fatter that I have a higher energy requirement.

I think having a baby makes it harder to lose weight though.

I have never to be honest thought about breastfeeding & body image. I certainly don't think breastfeeding has any negative effect on my body image - if anything I feel proud of my body and breastfeeding makes me feel kind of sensuous/confident, heh.

Hideous maternity bras do not do much for my body image though.

[Veritas]

For me I think I'd never felt better about my body image than when I was breastfeeding....

I did get to a point where I was considerably smaller than pre-pregnancy, and struggled to keep up with providing my body enough nutrients to supply a growing babe and maintain my weight, but for the first time in my life I actually had breasts and cleavage...

In all seriousness my ability to provide all my child needed with my own body that created her was the biggest ego boost one could ever have...

[naebie]

I've heard that when breastfeeding, the weight tends to stay on for the first 6 months because your body needs the fat stores 'just in case' there is a food shortage, etc. I don't know the accuracy of this comment though!
I personally don't feel any worse about my body now than before I was pegnant- If anything I now have an excuse for any things I might be insecure about! I am about 10kgs up on my prepregnancy weight, but still feel fantastic!

[Freya]

Hideous maternity bras do not do much for my body image though.

Oh I agree. I ended up giving up on them completely when DS was maybe 7 months. Haven't got any for this time around either.

[Benji]

The last thing on my mind when I was breastfeeding around the clock was my own body.

Although bfing and walking helped me get back to my pre-baby weight. In all honesty, not that I cared! I wasn't huge in any way shape or form.

[littlemissmoi]

There are body image issues other than weight.

My sister in law told BFed her kids til 1 year old, but she once told me that she really felt yuk until she stopped BFing. She didn't feel like a woman (I think she meant in the sexy sense, but didn't want to think about it too much because she's married to my brother errk!) until she fully weaned.

Personally, I stick the kid on the boob, and she feeds. Then when she's no on the boob, I totally forget that I'm a lactating mother... So i guess that means it feels like second nature to me?