Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the perfect source of nutrition for your baby. That’s because its composition helps in providing essential nutrients and antibodies for the healthy growth and development of your child.
Since the composition of breast milk can vary from one mother to another, that makes it important to understand its nutritional content, especially the calorie content, to ensure proper feeding and monitoring of your baby. In this article, let’s explore the number of calories in your breast milk and how the calculator can help you in discovering that.
Facts about Calories in Breast Milk
Calories in Milk Production
The process of producing breast milk is an impressive feat that requires a lot of energy from your body. While your baby is in the womb, your body begins preparing for milk production and after giving birth, your body continues to produce breast milk.
This process actually burns calories from your body. In fact, it is estimated that producing breast milk can burn an additional 300-500 calories per day. Fascinating right? That act makes it possible to contribute to postpartum weight loss for many breastfeeding mothers. But what about the number available in breast milk?
Calories Available in Breast Milk
The number of calories available in your breast milk can vary from feeding to feeding and throughout the course of lactation. That’s due to many factors including your own diet. However, generally, your breast milk is estimated to contain around 20 to 22 calories per ounce.
So how do you get the total amount of calories in your breast milk? Let’s check out a formula.
The Formula for Calculating the Daily Number of Calories in Breast Milk
To start, you’ll need to measure the volume of breast milk your baby consumes or you produce over 24 hours. This can be done by weighing your baby before and after each feeding or by keeping track of the amount of expressed milk.
Remember to record the total volume accurately.
Once you have the volume, you can calculate the total calories by multiplying it by the average calorie content per ounce, which is around 20 to 22 calories. This average value gives you a reasonable estimate of the calories in your breast milk.
For example, if your baby consumes a total of 35 ounces of breastmilk in a day, you can calculate the calories as follows:
Total Calories = Volume of Breast Milk (ounces) x Average Calorie Content per Ounce
Let’s say, about 20 calories are in one ounce of breast milk in this case.
Total Calories = 35 ounces x 20 calories per ounce
Total Calories = 700 calories
This formula easily helps you estimate the number of calories your baby is consuming approximately from breast milk in a day.
From our example, you can deduct that your baby consumes 700 calories per day from your breast milk.
However, by using the calculator, you do not need to carry out the calculations yourself. All you need to do is to input some information and the estimate of the total calories in breast milk will be provided. Apart from that, you get to see the calories burnt in producing milk as well with the total of both together.
How Does the Breast Milk Calorie Calculator Work?
Making use of the calculator is quite easy and requires no stress. But to use it, make sure you get the right amount of breastmilk you produce in a day.
Please know that you can get the amount both in oz or ml as both are available for use on our calculator.
After getting that, choose the form of measurements you will like to use; oz or ml. Make sure to select appropriately.
Enter the amount of breastmilk you produce in a day in the form of measurement you chose.
Note that the calculator automatically uses 20 calories as the default number of calories available per ounce of breast milk.
Not okay with that? You can adjust that using the slider.
After completing that part, the calculator automatically brings out your results. Know that your results will present the following:
Calories produced in breast milk
Calories burnt in producing milk, and
Total calories burnt in breastfeeding.
We hope you find the steps easy to understand.
With Calories and Love
In the realm of breastfeeding and nurturing your little one, understanding the role of calories in breast milk adds another layer of appreciation for the incredible journey you are undertaking. This doesn’t diminish just being aware of how you lose calories from your breast milk as a mother.
And that’s why we created the Breast Milk Calorie Calculator specially for you! By utilizing our breast milk calorie calculator and following the simple formula to estimate daily calories, you have received the power to know the number of calories you lose and to ensure your baby is receiving the energy they need for healthy growth.
However, beyond the numbers and calculations, it’s crucial to remember that breastfeeding is so much more than a calorie exchange. It is a bond that transcends measurements, a connection forged through the warmth of your embrace and the whispered lullabies that accompany each feeding.