A couple of questions about tandem nursing

[Chloe 777]

Hello!

My daughter is 3 years and 3 months, and I'm 39 weeks pregnant with baby #2. She nurses only a couple of times a day now, pretty much just before she goes to bed, and nap time, probably because it doesn't seem like I have much of a supply anymore. I have a feeling she will want to breastfeed more often though once baby comes. I'm perfectly okay with that, I'm just a little unsure of how things should go.

Do I always let the baby nurse first and her second? Will she feel bad about that?

What if baby nurses every 30 minutes like dd did when she was a newborn, when will I find time to nurse her as well?

Will I have enough milk for both?
With my first daughter, I had to work really hard, pumping, taking blessed thistle and fenugreek, even domperidone to build a supply she was finally happy with. I'm worried now that I'll have two to nurse...

[PGTlatte]

Having an older child nursing may help boost your supply, so you may find that improved this time around.

I always had enough milk to nurse both at once, but if that was an issue, I would tell the older child that the baby needs to eat first, because the baby can't have any other food.

I did not want to nurse DS1 every time I sat down with DS2. He had a name for nursing at the same time - "both sides" - and I would tell him "not both sides this time, both sides next time", so we started out alternating, and eventually this grew to him not expecting or asking to have "both sides" more than a couple time per day.

[Saarland]

I am so glad others do it, too

Hi,

I am so glad to see that other moms think about tandem nursing as well. In the last few weeks I have felt like everybody is looking at me crazy. Well, they are anyway, because most people seem to think I should not be nursing our 31 months old son anymore. And he is nursing a lot still !

Now that I am pregnant with our second baby, people tell me "Now you will get him off the boob, right?!" But I don't think so. I was actually thinking about trying to get him off, but I do not want to force it, especially not now that I am pregnant. I do not want him to think that he has to stop because of his baby sister. I am perfectly fine with breastfeeding him and a newborn.

I am hoping that he might start nursing less though. I have to admit that. He is really nursing very often still. But on the other hand, last week I was so happy he was still nursing so well. We were both ill for a while and he refuses to eat and drinks much less when he is ill. But he will nurse lie crazy. I had him on me for hours.

Any advice on nursing both him and the baby?

Thanks

Saskia

[Reubsmum77]

Hello!
I have a 3.5 DS and a 10 week old DD and we were pretty much like you before DD was born - nap time and bedtime nursing. Having an experienced nurser helped when DD was born and my milk came in.
DS began to want boobie every 3 hours which was ok with me but when he began shaking me awake in the night for boobie I began nightweaning again!

From the beginning I 'assigned' boobies - left is for baby and right is for him (I also pump from that side for my sister in law whose has low supply due to medication). It works for us and the main thing is he is happy to share. Before bed and nap is the only time I nurse both together as I am topless. It is sweet that he holds his sister's hand and pats her back to burp her.

My advice would be to go with the flow and see how it pans out - a couple of times I've found feeding both together is over sensory and also my DS's suck was too strong which annoyed me (?) but I don't regret doing it - my DS loves his milk and I think it gives him a connection to his sister.

Good luck with tandeming!
Anita x

[Chloe 777]

Saarland, everyone looks at me like I'm crazy too, but it really doesn't bother me, as long as my family is happy!

So I had the baby, and dd is still nursing happily twice a day, sometimes a little more. I don't nurse them both at the same time because the little one has such a tiny mouth and it takes effort to keep him on the breast with a correct latch. So far everything is working well.

[PGTlatte]

Congratulations !!!!!