That breastfeeding myth

I remember looking through my bounty book and seeing this lovely illustration of a mum talking about how breastfeeding would help you loose weight and how the thought of a slimmer figure had her hubby supporting the choice to  breastfeed.

I didn't put much weight on while I was pregnant. My husband and I own a pub so during pregnancy I was run off my feet I was so active I ended up with spd and being signed off work.  We had to move when I was in my second trimester which again kept me on  feet.

My sons birth was a natural water birth I felt good and I was back to normal weight (size 10) by 10 days post delivery.  I'm a stay at home mum/blogger now so a lot of my day is sedentary- spent nursing or playing on the floor with my son.

We eat healthy and I don't drive so do walk a fair bit but it's nowhere near my previous activity. I thought my body had changed a little but was pretty shocked when I measured my waist and it was 3 inches wider than before making me a size 14/16.

While I try to cook healthy meals, I make cruddy snack choices.  I find feeding makes me really hungry (ravenous) and I just grab what evers to hand and easy. 

Would I rather slip back into my size 10? Yes of course, however, the other maternal benefits such as reduced ovarian and breast cancer rates,  reduced arthritis and osteoporosis rates,  and mental health benefits combined with all the benefits to my son and the ease of breastfeeding now its established enough of incentive to accept this will be my body shape whilst our feeding relationship carries on.

I think it's actually insulting that its the issue of weight the nhs use to promote breastfeeding in their propaganda for new mums , over the long term health benefits. It's pretty sexist to presume that's all we care about, we really look at breastfeeding from the wrong angle.
No wonder we have rubbish success rates.