Any other pregnant nursing mamas having issues with the creepy crawly feeling?

[Beauchamp]

I thought it wasn't going to happen to me, and then all of a sudden BAM I started getting this horrible feeling when nursing DD, especially at night. She will sometimes go back to sleep with water, shushing, back-patting, singing, etc, but sometimes it doesn't work and she will scream NANANA (her word for nursing) and claw at me crying until I nurse her. (She's almost 19 mo and I am 18 weeks PG)

I feel SO awful that I feel this way. But I feel her mouth on me and I want to push her away. I can tell when she is not drinking because it feels like a constant tiny sucking, not normal nursing. But it is aggravating and irritating like someone giving you a limp noodle handshake, KWIM? Just annoying and I feel like unlatching her and rolling her away from me.  :(  She also has a really lazy latch lately, I think because the milk is just not there anymore, and so she doesn't have enough nipple in her mouth, which is irritating, and she clamps down and leaves teeth marks as she falls asleep, and sometimes breaks my skin. I just want to STOP nursing her and I hate myself for thinking this way! When I am done nursing her I am so relieved, and I put my shirt down and just clamp over my breasts and push down to get the feeling to go away. I have been sleeping on my stomach as much as physically possible because I hate the feeling of anything touching my nipples. 

Tell me I am not alone. I wish she would just naturally wean until the baby comes and I am in nursing mode again.  :(

[Oregonicmama]

I'm a big fan of extended nursing but if you feel that way and she's not super into it maybe the time has come.    My best friend just had to wean her 2 yr old because she's pregnant and it just wasn't working for them anymore.  {{hugs}}

[gemasita]

I get the creepy-crawly feeling being pregnant and I am not even nursing another baby!  I think I have something related to D-MER (www.d-mer.org).  So I think it's hormonal.  It's supposed to be related to your prolactin increasing and that causing your dopamine to drop TOO much.  It's like these moments of "ick" and then it passes.  It's not a good feeling!

[kawa kamuri]

I was very upset to find myself unexpectedly pregnant with a then 11mo nursling because I knew it would affect our BF relationship. I considered terminating to avoid losing my supply. Perhaps it sounds extreme but that's where my head was. It was so important for me to allow her to wean at her own pace. Luckily I had some great friends who have nursed throughout pregnancy as well as tandem nursed. They didn't sugar coat the experience but gave me realistic expectations and much needed perspective. 

I'm 18w tomorrow and cannot stand nursing my daughter. I do it because it's best for her but I don't enjoy it. Well, there was a moment on Christmas Eve when I was nursing her and able to feel her tiny brother moving in my belly at the same time. Then I realised it was her foot on my belly. Regardless, those feelings are few and far between. I do daydream about nursing my newborn. 

She's almost 15mo, mostly night weaned at this point because I couldn't sleep and have a piranha latched onto my nipples several times a night. It's been a long road but I'm glad we did it. I cringe anytime my nipples are touched. When she switches to comfort nursing - which doesn't take long as my supply is low - I ask her to open her mouth and let go which she does without fuss. She only nurses a few times a day, almost never asks but usually will agree to nurse when I offer. She once signed to me "no nurse more" and will often frantically sign "milk" in my face while nursing. This whole thing is bittersweet. I love nourishing her but the process is terrible.   

[crayfishgirl]

I do, but its gotten better now that I'm farther along in my pregnancy (31 weeks).  I had that feeling a couple of months ago and I wanted to claw my own face off.  I encouraged a reduction in the frequency and duration of nursing (it took a while, but we night weaned...."boobies are sleeping, lets snuggle instead") and thought my daughter would have weaned by now, but she still has booby at least twice a day.  I'm definitely not feeling those sensations anymore, or the conflicted I-love-you-but-don't-touch-me heartache that I was.  I'm even thinking that tandem nursing would be kind of nice, although I'm aware that I might be feeling a little sad at the fact the she's growing up and won't be my baby anymore.

I hope it gets better (it really is better for me, so it might)....I know its not a great place to be.

[prothyraia]

I felt that way pretty much my whole second pregnancy (nursing my older son).  It was worst when I lost my milk.  I did push through it because I wasn't ready to wean him yet- but I set many, many limits.  Towards the end my goal was just to make sure he latched on at least once a day so he didn't forget how, and if that was all I could tolerate then that was all I allowed.

It was actually still uncomfortable nursing- both the newborn and my toddler- after the baby was born.

I'm pregnant again and I weaned both of them (now 4 and 2 1/2) because I didn't want to do that again and because they both seemed to accept it pretty easily.  I'm glad that I continued nursing my oldest through my second pregnancy, but I certainly didn't like it at the time.

[altoidmandy]

I am having the same experience as crayfishgirl- it has actually improved later in pregnancy.  I had a very hard time nursing from weeks 10-20, but now at 26 weeks it has really stopped bothering me.  It helps that we nightweaned, and are generally nursing less during the day.

[kriket]

I m right there with you! I wanted DS to wean himself, but I have had to severely reduce his nursing. I know there is barely any milk, so he just comfort nurses and it is soooo creepy. It has gotten to the point where it down right pisses my off. Plus, I have been really sick this PGcy and constantly nauseous.

We totally night weaned (which is f-ing awsome) DS is super clingy. I don't know what 'high needs' is, but he for sure has a strong need for constant attention and milkies, even all night long. I haven't slept more than 4 hours since he was born. Now we are night weaned, he sleeps from about 9p-4a, then wants to cuddle until 6 when we get up. Good sleep goes a long way in your 1st trimester!

I do feel bad, and I am trying to get exited for tandem, but there are just so many unknowns.

[kawa kamuri]

I'm so relieved to learn that, for some mamas, the ick factor goes away/lessens later in pregnancy. I hope this is the case with me. 

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by kawa kamuri 

I'm so relieved to learn that, for some mamas, the ick factor goes away/lessens later in pregnancy. I hope this is the case with me. 

Me, too. It seems to be really bad right now, at 18 weeks. I hope it gets better, because there are just times when (at night) only nursing will calm her down. Last night I gritted my teeth because it just felt so...irritating. I held on for barely two minutes and then unlatched her. I normally let her go 5-10 for night wakings, and I just couldn't. 

If I knew there was milk coming out I think it would make it easier for me to hold on longer. I just wonder what benefit she's getting if nothing is coming out. Or if there is just a tiny amount coming out. And I wonder if she can feel my reaction? 

This is such a hard phase.  :(   It makes me feel guilty for getting pregnant now. 

[Smokering]

I don't mind the nursing itself so much... well, apart from the searing pain factor... but it does drive me up the wall when her hand wanders around between my breasts or when she idly squeezes my neck (which makes me want to vomit). So we have a severe "keep your hands to yourself" policy. And yes, I've cut down on nursing. I'm 18 weeks, DD is a few months shy of 3. She nurses briefly to sleep if she hasn't already dropped off by the time I come to bed, and usually wakes in the early morning, hops over to our bed, has one side, and has the other an hour or two later. She'd go for more, but I tell her she's had both sides and the milks are empty and/or sore now, and she gets it. She's not thrilled, but she's getting used to it. We don't nurse during the daytime except for an afternoon nap some days.

Honestly, I'd be happy if she decided to wean now, and I'm not sure how I feel about tandeming (I mean, I think it's great in principle, I'm just not sure how well it'd work for us). But I'm not prepared to actually sever the nursing relationship completely. Even the cutting down - the mostly-night-weaning, particularly - has been quite freeing. I can even make maternity clothes that don't double as nursing tops! But I'm VERY glad I decided to wait until she was this old before getting pregnant again, and next time (if baby #2 is similar to DD) I might ideally even wait for a few more months. This would have been a lot harder when she was still nursing 10 times a day!

[ahdoula]

Sounds more like breastfeeding aversion vs. D-MER. From the D-MER site:

Is there a connection between D-MER and the breastfeeding aversion that some women have while nursing and pregnant?

In regards to nursing while pregnant, we have purposely pursued this possible connection and interviewed mothers on the subject. It is true that often mothers who are nursing while pregnant resonate with how D-MER is described. But it's currently the thought that mostof these mothers are "annoyed" or "irritated" when they first sit down to nurse, probably because of nipple contact, and it dissipates with milk release. Unlike D-MER, in which mothers feel fine with latch on and when the milk release process is triggered their feelings emerge. It is thought that pregnant mothers handle the dopamine drop normally, and that its nipple sensitivity that prompts them to feel irritated. Hilary Flower, author of Adventures in Tandem Nursing, suggests that breastfeeding aversion could be a result of our mammalian roots, and notes that maternal aggression is not uncommon in the animal world at weaning time. Perhaps it is a female body's way of protecting itself and the unborn child. That aside,we feel D-MER and "breastfeeding aversion" aren't the same, but we will go as far as to say they may be related. We are pursuing further investigation of this. It also may be possible that a mother could develop D-MER later into lactation, like when she gets pregnant again, but so far we have found no one that actually fits this model.

[amaayeh]

I feel this way!  My almost 3 year old is still nursing what seems like constantly.  I've cut her back to nap time and at night, but honestly that still gives me the creeps.  When I deny her at night she screams bloody murder and wakes everyone in the house.  It's lovely.  I just lost my milk in the past week and I think that has made it worse.  She has bit me multiple times when sleeping and since it already hurts when she latches, that is even more painful.  I hope it gets better or we can wean.  She's a determined little girl, though!

[clutterbug]

Oh, I am SO there!  I am 24 weeks and the really sore nipples are gone...but so is the milk and the relief that used to come with letdown.  At least when I was sore, it would get better through a nursing session because I found the milk flowing made the pain ease off.  But now I find I just feel impatient and irritated the whole time.  First off, his latch is suffering since there's no milk.  And secondly, he spends the. whole. nursing. session. flutter sucking.  I love that when they are little and just getting a letdown going, but man, constant flutter sucking by an almost 3 year old with a kind of crappy latch for minutes on end (I can't possibly take more than a few minutes!) is getting a little much. 

[ashleypLC]

I was totally there with my last pregnancy...nursing an 18 month old at 18 weeks pregnant who only slept with my breast in her mouth.  I would get nauseous with that feeling of wanting to jump out of my skin!  I will say it got a little better throughout the remainder of the pregnancy until about 36 weeks...the nipple pain was excruitiating and the contractions were very uncomfortable.  Some nights I refused to nurse her but she was 2 by then and generally okay with it.  I attempted tandem breastfeeding when the baby was born but was really uncomfortable with both breasts being stimulated at the same time but at different intervals. 

So now I'm upset that I'm pregnant with my 1 year old!  I really thought this would be our last and was looking forward to allowing him to wean when he was ready.  I'm really not looking forward to very sore nipples or "that" feeling!  And he's a late bloomer with teeth, only has 2 on the bottom...but there are 6 coming in on the top!  I certainly can't wean him anytime soon.

[hannybanany]

Originally Posted by bluepetals 

Oh, I am SO there!  I am 24 weeks and the really sore nipples are gone...but so is the milk and the relief that used to come with letdown.  At least when I was sore, it would get better through a nursing session because I found the milk flowing made the pain ease off.  But now I find I just feel impatient and irritated the whole time.  First off, his latch is suffering since there's no milk.  And secondly, he spends the. whole. nursing. session. flutter sucking.  I love that when they are little and just getting a letdown going, but man, constant flutter sucking by an almost 3 year old with a kind of crappy latch for minutes on end (I can't possibly take more than a few minutes!) is getting a little much. 

Yes, the flutter sucking. Can't stand it.

I'm 28 weeks and while the pain is decreased the combo of poor latch and no milk and light sucking makes nursing such a chore. From my previous experience with nursing through a pregnancy and tandem nursing I don't expect for this to improve until the baby is born. Thankfully DD is nightweaned, I couldn't stand nursing through the night!
 

[lovingmommyhood]

I had D-MER with my first two children. I can totally relate. 

Originally Posted by gemasita 

I get the creepy-crawly feeling being pregnant and I am not even nursing another baby!  I think I have something related to D-MER (www.d-mer.org).  So I think it's hormonal.  It's supposed to be related to your prolactin increasing and that causing your dopamine to drop TOO much.  It's like these moments of "ick" and then it passes.  It's not a good feeling!