low blood sugar shakes

[bonnieUK]

Hi,

I'm back on vanilla No S having had something of a break due to pregnancy and breastfeeding.

One issue I seem to have recently is that low blood sugar shaky feeling that causes me to immediately want a snack in order to feel better.

My baby is 7 months and I'm still breastfeeding her about 4-5 times a day, she's eating real food also (3 small meals a day).

I'd like to get back on track with 3 meals a day but the shaky feeling causes me to have snack attacks! I also find it difficult to eat enough at each meal to keep me going all the way until the next. In the past I used to do 4 meals a day, but I'd like to go to 3, basically because I've plateaued and am not losing any weight at all despite breastfeeding (I weigh exactly the same as I did 3 weeks after giving birth, I seem to be one of those lucky ladies that will not lose baby weight until after weaning )

Is the shaky feeling something that goes away with time? I've forgotten what all the "starting out with vanilla no s" stuff is like

[elegantportions]

Protein always helped me with blood sugar issues. And for breastfeeding, you need plenty of that plus lots of fluids. Have you tried a glass of milk (or substitute) instead of a solid snack?

[jessand2boys]

That happened to me some when nursing. I ditto the protein suggestion - to me a snack of something like string cheese or some greek yogurt or cottage cheese isn't like a big handful of crackers or something. Maybe you could build a mini-4th meal around nursing time or somehow work your meal times close to nursing so that you're fortified.

I think Kellymom had an article about this, possibly.

[osoniye]

Breakfast: tea/coffee, fruit juice and 2-3 slices of thick toast (wholewheat) with butter and 100% fruit jam, sometimes an egg.
... my husband has the (annoying!) Mediterranean habit of wanting to eat after 9pm,

Hi Bonnie,
That's great you're breastfeeding at 7 months. (Seems like lots of moms are ready to throw in the towel right about then.)
I took the above quote from another thread. I see you are eating little or no protein at breakfast and trying to eat late suppers... it seems like those factors could contribute to your body getting depleted while trying to make milk for 4-5 feedings. I'd like to suggest you consider maybe getting in a full serving of protein at breakfast if at all possible (maybe an egg and some cheese-?) and add a milky drink in the place of a snack before you start to feel shaky.
Hope that might help.

[bonnieUK]

[/quote]Hi Bonnie,
That's great you're breastfeeding at 7 months. (Seems like lots of moms are ready to throw in the towel right about then.)
I took the above quote from another thread. I see you are eating little or no protein at breakfast and trying to eat late suppers... it seems like those factors could contribute to your body getting depleted while trying to make milk for 4-5 feedings. I'd like to suggest you consider maybe getting in a full serving of protein at breakfast if at all possible (maybe an egg and some cheese-?) and add a milky drink in the place of a snack before you start to feel shaky.
Hope that might help.[/quote]

Thanks,

My baby refuses to drink milk from a bottle or cup, plus I do enjoy our snuggle time together while she nurses and thankfully I work at home so don't have any particular pressure to stop.

I think you're right about the lack of protein, I had strong protein aversions during pregnancy and seem to have just continued that habitually.

[bonnieUK]

That happened to me some when nursing. I ditto the protein suggestion - to me a snack of something like string cheese or some greek yogurt or cottage cheese isn't like a big handful of crackers or something. Maybe you could build a mini-4th meal around nursing time or somehow work your meal times close to nursing so that you're fortified.

I think Kellymom had an article about this, possibly.

Thanks, that reminds me of something I read in "French women don't get fat" about having plain yoghurt or almonds as emergency only snack foods (snacking is seen in French culture as something rather childish, but these two foods can be considered socially acceptable in some cases)

[oolala53]

Consider another tablespoon or the equivalent of a good fat along with protein. It's condensed enough not to make you feel bloated and, for me, just seems to blend with the other nutrients so that I feet full longer between meals.