Nursing during pregnancy (and possibly tandem) questions

[physmom]

DD (2years old) is still nursing pretty regularly and I'm pregnant with #2.  I'd like to wean here because I'd love the break but on the other hand I know she's not ready and would be very resistant. I'm kind of hoping that my milk flavor will change and she'll give up on her own she it might not be an issue at all. Anyways, I just have two questions about the situation:

1.  For those who did nurse during your pregnancy did your bra size change through out your pregnancy?  I'm really, really hoping not to get bigger since it's already a HUGE struggle for me to buy bras since I have a large cup size and normal band size. :( I really am not sure what I'll do if I get even bigger. 

2. When I was nursing DD at the beginning I really struggled with weight loss and actually ended up gaining quite a bit because I was sooo hungry all the time (granted my eating habits were worse than but still...).  I'm wondering if I were tandem nursing if I'd be even hungrier and this would be a bigger struggle for me or if it could finally actually help with weight loss?  Anybody else struggle with weight loss while nursing #1 and see any changes with it after #2?  I did eventually loose most of the weight from DD but it wasn't until right before she turned 2 (and I then I got pregnant before I lost the last few pounds! ).

[Marissamom]

well, I can answer #1, I started my second pregnancy with a B cup (down from the almost D cup I had when I was first nursing DD), at 33.5 weeks I'm wearing a C cup again (have been for the last month and a half). I'm kind of scared if they get any bigger after the baby is born (I'm pretty small, normally an A cup).

I don't have any answer for your second question. 

[rightkindofme]

I have held steady at a 36 E since about month 8 of my first pregnancy and I am 5 months postpartum with #2.

I haven't lost much weight though I have dropped back to my pre-pregnancy size.  Things are funny shaped. :)

[physmom]

So it sounds like you both didn't change that much throughout your second pregnancy and beyond?  I'm really hoping that's the case for me otherwise I'm going to have to custom order bras or something!

[rightkindofme]

You should be going to www.bravissimo.com anyway. :D

[CrunchyChristianMama]

My bra size didn't change much during my pregnancy with #2 while I was nursing #1.

I ended up weaning DD1 when I was about 34 weeks pregnant because after much deliberation I decided I didn't want to tandem.  At first I was really glad to be done nursing while huge and pregnant.  Then a few weeks after DD2 was born I wished I would have kept nursing DD1.  That only lasted about a month.  Now I'm really glad that I'm not nursing two kiddos. 

I found that I wasn't nearly as hungry or thirsty the second time around with nursing.  I lost my weight at about the same rate as I did the first time around.  Things shifted more, so I didn't look as small or fit into my clothes as well, but #'s wise I got back down there just as quick.

[physmom]

Oh wow, why have I never heard of that website before??????  Seriously and they have a world wide flat rate for shipping!  I think I might buy all my bras/tops/dresses there from now on once I loose the baby weight!  Do you know if the dresses are true to the measurement sizes there?  I can't wait to actually have a bra that fits (right now I know I'm in the wrong size but could never find somewhere that I looked like they had supportive bras in my size, most of them were just those stupid night bras, which don't do any good at all!!).

And why don't they have maternity clothes there too? Grr...

[physmom]

Thanks crunchyCM, I really hope I'm able to get down to a good weight shortly afterwards.  That's good to hear at least you weren't as hungry the second time around so I have some hope. :D 

Yeah, I really have a feeling that I don't want to be nursing too but I'm also so scared of weaning DD (she's very, very attached to nursing).  I'm still weighing if it's going to be worth the battle or not (maybe better to even think about it in my second trimester when I'm not so fatigued and even getting out of bed is a battle! ).  Did you feel that weaning that close to your second's birth gave your DD enough time to adjust?  I keep thinking sooner is better with DD because then she might not be as jealous of the baby, I don't know???

[CrunchyChristianMama]

It was a slow process throughout my pregnancy.  I started by limiting her nursing to certain set times of the day.  Then I slowly cut those out one at a time.  When I was ready to be all the way done, my DH and I did a couple night stay at a local bed and breakfast and my MIL came and stayed with DD.  The couple days away were just what she needed to be ok with dropping the last session.  I won't say it was always easy, but setting some boundaries with when she could nurse saved my sanity while pregnant. 

[rightkindofme]

I will say that once the new baby came and I hit engorgement I was SO VERY HAPPY that I still had a nursing toddler.  I would wake her up in the middle of the night to relieve my pain.  She chunked out really fast.  :)  I started cutting her back when the new baby was around 4 months and it has gone really well.  Part of it is my toddler's mouth has changed dramatically and she now leaves teeth marks when she nurses--she isn't biting... she just can't latch without her teeth hitting me.  I have explained to her that it hurts and she seems to feel that it is reasonable of me to limit nursing because it hurts.  I think she's kind of weirdly empathetic though.