Question for those who have tandem nursed

[SollysMom]

I'm currently 36 weeks pregnant and nursing my 26-month-old. I know that the increase in breast size when my milk comes in won't be as dramatic this time around as it was with my first, but I'm wondering if it will still be noticeable/significant. My milk hasn't dried up completely during pregnancy but my supply has decreased quite a bit. DS still nurses several times a day and at night. My breasts have grown a bit as I approach the end of my pregnancy. The bra size I'm currently wearing is JUST right, if not a tad too small (gives good cleavage though LOL). I bought one in the same style in one cup size up and it's pretty big on me, but I'm wondering if I should keep it on hand just in case my breasts grow more when my milk comes in. If I keep it I'll need to get the band taken in, so I can't just return it if I don't end up needing it. I'm also thinking I won't be able to fit nursing pads in the bras that fit me well now.

Thanks in advance for any replies

[junipermuse]

I'm tandem nursing and my boobs got noticeably larger after ds(3.5mo) was born. It was very obvious to me and my husband also has commented on it. In fact this is the largest my breasts have ever been, even larger than after dd was born. I don't know if that helps at all.

[SollysMom]

Thanks for the reply. I did remember that I have a nursing bra left over from when DS1 was first born, that's a little big on me now. So if I do end up needing the larger size, I can run the new one to the tailor and wear the old one for the few days it takes them to finish it.

[etsdtm99]

i tandem nursed .. my DD was 26 months when Ds was born..

my breasts grew just as dramatically when DS was born - i wasn't expecting that and did not have any much bigger bras on hand like i did the first time around -( iu had the bras that had fit me right after DD was born).. the completely huge-ness did go away much faster though, for 2 weeks though, i was HUGE and my engorgement was much worse the 2nd time around, must more persistent .. even with a toddler to help they just kept filling up to the point of plugged ducts and square edges.. lol anywa, yes - keep that bra on hand!

also, not sure if this matters, it is unrelated to tandem nursing - but none of the clothes i was able to wear after DD fit me the 2nd time around, even though i weighted almsot exactly the same as i did the first time around.. i was 2ish sizes bigger the 2nd time for the first 4-6 weeks.. even my baby was a 1lb bigger .. maybe everything is just bigger the 2nd time lol

[SollysMom]

Originally Posted by etsdtm99

my breasts grew just as dramatically when DS was born - i wasn't expecting that and did not have any much bigger bras on hand like i did the first time around -( iu had the bras that had fit me right after DD was born).. the completely huge-ness did go away much faster though, for 2 weeks though, i was HUGE and my engorgement was much worse the 2nd time around, must more persistent .. even with a toddler to help they just kept filling up to the point of plugged ducts and square edges.. lol anywa, yes - keep that bra on hand!

Yikes! I just assumed it would be a smoother transition this time around, but good to be prepared that it might not be. Thanks!

[tanyam926]

I am tandem nursing for the second time right now and while my breasts were fuller when my milk came in after the new baby was born they didn't increase in size dramatically. I also didn't need breast pads AT ALL after the birth of my ds2 or ds3.

Everyone is different though so it might be a good idea to keep a couple of bras in a bigger size on hand.

For me, it was a really smooth transition, although juggling 2, mostly at night was a real challenge for the first couple of wks. (Gets way easier and I don't regret a minute!)

[ChinaDoll]

Mine were slightly fuller, but no engorgement, no need for breast pads

[AbbieB]

I had a week during pregnancy (some where in the late 20's early 30's week wise) when my breasts actually felt like they did pre babies. It was really weird (and kind of nice) and then things went back to the way I had become accustomed too.

Once DS was born, my milk came in within 24 hours and I had very full, firm breasts. I remember calling DH out of the shower to come check them out. I had ridiculous amounts of milk too, but I never had any issues with engorgement. I think nursing the 4 year old helped with that.

Size wise, it's not so much that my bra size changed, it's more that they were more full and high rather than saggy. It's hard to say though since I wear sport bras and tank tops with shelf bras. But they all still fit just fine.