Nursing my 5 month old son- WLS consult later this month

Hi everyone, I'm currently nursing my son who is only 5 months old and I am wanting to have surgery. Does anyone have any experience maintaining their breast milk supply through this process? Should I wait to have surgery, or can it be done? I am seriously ready to move on to this next chapter in life where I feel healthy, but I know that right now the most important thing to do is feed my baby. What is it like after surgery? Is it painful? I have an appointment on the 29th of this month, I can't wait. =)

Currently weigh 224lbs

32 years old

May we suggest you try posting this on this forum for more responses.....

Pregnancy after Weight Loss Surgery

Many insurance companies require a 6-month supervised diet, so that would take you to the 1 year mark or so.

Not sure how long you intend to nurse, but just saying, it could've be several months before surgery would be scheduled.

Congratulations on the birth of your son .....

When you are nursing,  you are sharing your nutrients from your body with your child.  WLS is forcing your body to use more nutrients than it consumes, which can put you and your child at risk, nutritionally.  Go to the consult and see what your insurance company requires to get approved.  It may be several months before you can get this done, so you'll be fine, depending on how long you want to nurse. 

You can start getting your son ready now by giving him one bottle of formula a day, either first thing in the morning or last one at night.  Those are the two hardest times to break the nursing when it comes to weaning.  Your body will adjust and stop producing milk at the time you bottle feed as long as it's consistent.  I did this with my son, and when I was ready to wean, he never looked back.  It kind of hurt my feelings a little, but there was no fight from him, which was nice. 

I gave up breastfeeding my son the week before my surgery - he was 11 months old and so was only really feeding just before bed.   I don't think I would have been able to breastfeed exclusively after my surgery but once your son is on solid food and breast milk is only the top up, it should be just fine!

If you start your 6 month pre surgery hoop jumping, you should be just about as ready as I was!