Who has nursed through a pregnancy?

[Jeannabna]

OUCH!! Im 6 weeks pg and over the past week my nips have gotten increasingly more tender, and last night I laid on my belly to hide them from DD which didn't work btw. She is a week shy of 15 months, and I REALLY want to nurse her for a while, I can't imagine weaning but PLEASE tell me this will get better?!?! I never imagined it would hurt this bad.

[aikigypsy]

I'm in the same boat but my DD is 21 months old and I think I'm at 5 weeks on the pregnancy count. I am cutting back. I know she still needs it, and would nurse all the time if she could, but I also feel that it's time that she got most of her calories from food other than from breastmilk.

For the past few days, I've been determinedly cutting out any daytime feedings between 8:30/9am and naptime at around 1. She nurses at the beginning and middle and/or end of the nap, which is usually around 3 (or sometimes later if she's seriously resisting napping. Then she nurses to sleep around 8:30/9 in the evening, once in the middle of the night, and once around 5 AM, and/or around waking up at 7 or so. The next to go will be the middle of the night feed (I hope) then maybe I'll get naptimes down to 1 session instead of 2-3, then I'll have to find some other way of getting her to sleep!

It is not fun, weaning at this age. She knows what she wants and can be very clear and persistent about it. I've heard, however, that 18 months is a good age to wean as they're easily distractable then.

Hmm... that really wasn't what you were asking, was it? I've read that it gets better (in terms of nipple owies) in the second trimester, at least for some.

[diaperdancer]

I nursed until Week 16

My 1st was deeply committed to bf-ing. I couldn't bear to stop, but my pediatrician and my ob were pressuring me to stop. The ob threw out her trump card, threatening that the nipple stimulation could cause premature labor.

My girls are now 3 and 1.5 years old now. The younger one though is pretty small for her age. I wonder now if the bf-ing during pregnancy had anything to do with it, but i honestly don't think so. Her body type is just like her father's, so I don't worry about it.

Good luck!

[fruitfulmomma]

I nursed all the way through my 2nd pregnancy with no problems at all, during my 3rd pregnancy I weaned both the older two because I was really sore, breastfed through my 4th pregnancy again with no problems, and during my 5th pregnancy I weaned #3 but allowed #4 to keep nursing about once a day because I really didn't want to wean her but it hurt pretty bad and had a really low milk supply.

Probably not what you want to hear, but ime it gets worse toward the end. But hang in there. If you need to cut her down to only once a day for few minutes at a time, that is okay. I generally find they will nurse less anyway if milk supply is dwindling and then they pick back up once the baby is born and there is an abundance, which is great when you need help with engorgement.

Oh, and make sure she is latched correctly. I find that older children get a little lazy with that and it certainly doesn't help momma.

The ob threw out her trump card, threatening that the nipple stimulation could cause premature labor.

Not true. Unless you were at risk for premature labor, in which case you would have been told to abstain from sex as well, there is no reason for her to have told you this.

Check out this site for more info on breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/index.html

[alegna]

I did. It gets easier. Then harder, then easier again

And yeah- the OB who nixed it doesn't know what he's talking about.

heh... premature labor... he he heh.

Ds was 43 weeks 5 days. I wish nursing caused labor...

-Angela

[fruitfulmomma]

Ds was 43 weeks 5 days. I wish nursing caused labor...

- I've had two of them at 44 weeks.

[isabchi]

Originally Posted by alegna

I did. It gets easier. Then harder, then easier again

And yeah- the OB who nixed it doesn't know what he's talking about.

heh... premature labor... he he heh.

Ds was 43 weeks 5 days. I wish nursing caused labor...

-Angela

:
I nurse through my second pregnancy and DS born at almost weeks. Now I tandem nursing a 4 1/2 yo and DS (1 yo).: I'm happy to pass all the obstacles during the pregnancy and the early postpartum days to provide to both of my children their chances of CLW.

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I nusrsed through my 4th pregnancy and am tandem nursing my 4 1/2 yo and 11 month old.
I had nipple tenderness on and off during my pregnancy....nursing helped my contractions along the day i went into labor...but i went to full term with baby #4..when all my other babies were 1-2 weeks early. Go figure!
The tenderness will come and go...just hang in their...distraction and offering juice or water or snacks....even a toy or something interesting to distract your child.
Hang in their it can be done!:

[erika978]

I nursed through my second pregnancy (dd2 born June 15th). It was extremely tender to nurse and was in fact my first (and initially only) pregnancy symptom and was the one that prompted me to test.

It became particularly bad around week 20 but I was also battling constant outbreaks of vaginal thrush which didn't help. Then it got easier. it was tender more or less throughout the pregnancy and I found it much easier after week 20. DD nursed right up to the end and continues to do so. DD2 was born a week past due date.

I don't know if this is linked but I did have strong BH's from 30 weeks and 2 weeks of nightly strong contractions.

As for my supply, it never really dipped. Or at least dd1 never gave me any indication that it did. She continued to nurse, and nurse loads. And now she happily tandem feeds and is really enjoying the milk for newborns. LOL

[Peony]

I've nursed through 2 pgs, hated every second of it honestly but it was my choice to get pg so I did it. For me, the nipple soreness gets a little better somewhere in the 2nd tri, it never completely goes away until the baby is born. What is even worse IMO is the nails on the chalkboard sensation later in pg, just the act of a child nursing is SOO irritating, not painful anymore, but I would have to force myself to lay there. Some women don't get that, but those who do can be surprised at just how strong the dislike is for nursing.

[LianneM]

I nursed all the way through my pgcy. DS was 3 and he didn't care when there was no milk, and then he liked the colostrum when it came in. There were times I'd count to ten and that would be it for that session, and other times it didn't bother me as much and he could nurse longer.

Tandem nursing has been the best thing for me, though. I can't imagine taking care of a newborn and not having nursing to offer the older child. It really helped us a lot.

[momma2girls]

I nursed my dd throughout my entire third pregnancy. Everyone (except my midwife and myself) were worried but we did just fine. DD was 16 months when I got pregnant and I just couldn't stop nursing her I didn't feel it was fair to her and I really didn't want to stop. DD#3 was my biggest baby, bigger than her sisters by almost a pound so obviously it didn't bother her at all! DD2 was quite helpful during the labor, which lasted 27 hours, and also with engorgement! Good Luck. It does hurt in the beginning but it gets better and just make sure to tell your dc to be gentle and no teeth!