Many women are told that breastfeeding will help them lose their pregnancy weight. But what happens when the baby is feeding well and the mother's weight refuses to budge?
Nigerian celebrity fashion designer Veekee James has offered a humorous response to that familiar postpartum experience, telling breastfeeding mothers not to expect breastfeeding alone to make their pregnancy weight disappear.
In a video shared on Instagram, the new mother joked, “Breastfeeding mom no dey do weight loss,” describing how the demands of feeding her baby have affected her expectations about returning to her pre-pregnancy figure.
Her comments have brought attention to a subject many new mothers understand: the pressure to lose pregnancy weight quickly, even while recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn.
Veekee explained that breastfeeding can leave mothers hungry at different times of the day and night.
“If hunger catch you for 12 o’clock, you go chop. If hunger catch you for 1 a.m., you go chop. If hunger catch you for 2 a.m., you go chop,” she said.
Her point was that breastfeeding mothers cannot always organise their eating around conventional meal times. Their bodies need nourishment while they meet the demands of feeding their babies.
She also joked that mothers should not expect to lose all their pregnancy weight immediately after delivery simply because they are exclusively breastfeeding.
The designer's comments reflect her personal experience, rather than a universal rule about how every breastfeeding woman's body responds.
Breastfeeding requires additional energy, and the body uses calories to produce breast milk. However, that does not mean every breastfeeding mother will automatically lose weight.
Changes in appetite, food intake, sleep, activity levels and individual physiology can all influence postpartum weight.
Some women lose weight while breastfeeding. Others retain weight or find that their weight changes very little until they reduce or stop breastfeeding.
That is why Veekee's experience challenges the popular assumption that breastfeeding is a guaranteed way to regain a pre-pregnancy body.
Breastfeeding can contribute to postpartum weight changes, but it is not a weight-loss guarantee.
Should Breastfeeding Mothers Avoid Weight Loss Completely?
Veekee's humorous advice should not be interpreted as a medical rule that breastfeeding mothers can never pursue weight management.
The more important consideration is avoiding extreme dieting, inadequate nutrition or aggressive weight-loss efforts that could compromise a mother's wellbeing.
Breastfeeding mothers need sufficient food and fluids to support their health and milk production. Anyone considering a structured weight-loss programme after childbirth should discuss an appropriate approach with a qualified healthcare professional, particularly if milk supply or recovery is a concern.
The aim is not to tell women that their bodies no longer matter after motherhood. It is to challenge the expectation that they must quickly return to a particular appearance while caring for a newborn.
Celebrity culture and social media often make postpartum weight loss look effortless. Images of mothers appearing in their pre-pregnancy shape shortly after delivery can create unrealistic expectations for women whose experiences are very different.
Veekee's comments offer a relatable counterpoint. Her message is that feeding a baby can be demanding, hunger is part of the experience for many mothers, and losing pregnancy weight may take longer than expected.
Her humour also raises a broader question about how society measures a mother's recovery. Is the focus on whether she is healthy and adjusting to motherhood, or on how quickly her body returns to its previous appearance?
Must Mothers ‘Snap Back’ So Quickly?
Pregnancy and childbirth bring significant physical changes, and recovery does not follow one universal timeline.
Veekee James has used humour to challenge the expectation that breastfeeding should automatically make those changes disappear. Her comments remind audiences that mothers experience postpartum recovery differently, even when they follow similar feeding routines.



















