Your experiences with nursing while pregnant please

[InsideOut]

I've got a 6 month old who is pretty much EBF. I've begun to suspect that I may be pregnant again but will only be taking a test in a few days to confirm. I'd be like 3 or 4 weeks I think.

My nipples have been pretty sore lately and it seems that DS is nursing more than usual. I've read that the pain may be assoicated with low milk production and constant sucking with nothing coming out. And then it occured to me that he may be nursing more frequently because he's not getting enough at one time.

I realize I may not be pregnant and then I'd have to look in to other reasons for these changes but would really appreciate some insight from others who have nursed through pregnancy.

I do not want to wean DS AT ALL. I can have milk for him throughout a pregnancy, can't I?

[Peony]

Have some milk, probably. Enough to fully feed a EBF baby, less likely. Most women will have a decrease in milk supply or dry up, it is related to pg hormones they win over lactating ones. There is nothing to do keep  milk supply or not, every's body is different and the regular tricks for increasing milk production do not work during pg. If you are pg then I'd suggest reading Adventures in Tandem Nursing, it is the only book written about nursing during pg and beyond. 

I'm nursing through my 4th pg right, I've nursed through every one since my first. It isn't easy and I only have drops left at 13 weeks already but we will keep on going. 

[3girls1boy]

Sore nipples may also be associated with ovulation.  

[ewe+lamb]

Originally Posted by 3girls1boy 

Sore nipples may also be associated with ovulation.  

Yup my thought too, although pregnancy is also another reason.  Wait for the test I'd say!!

[JudiAU]

I don't think that you can guess. If your milk supply is going to dry up, and it happens to many women, it usually happens around 20w. Mine did, and my 22 m was just done. I was really surprised because he loved to nurse.

I have another friend who nursed throughout her pregnancy and tandemed for awhile. She maintained her milk supply until the very end. Her baby was only 4m when she got pregnant.

[HappyMommy2]

Sore nipples could be your period returning, too.  I had light spotting at 6 months, and I thought it was my period.  But then it didn't come back full force until 18mo pp.

My DD is 3years4months, and nursed through my pregnancy.  DD2 is 3 weeks old, and there has been plenty of milk for both since she was born.

I never did lose my milk while pg, but I don't think there was a ton of it.  But she was down to 3x/day before I got pg.

Feel free to ask specific questions.  I was nervous too, and there is a serious shortage of info and experiences about nursing while pg and then tandem nursing.  Surprising that even on MDC, it is hard to find.  I started a couple threads, but didn't get tons of responses about tandem nursing.

[InsideOut]

Thank you all so much for replying. I guess with everything baby related it really just depends on your body - there are no hard and fast rules, but I appreciate reading other people's experiences.

I went to the store today to get a test and came home with everything but, I totally forgot that's why I even went to the store

I'll try to stop speculating until I get a test. I've not had a period yet and my period was so irregular before getting pregnant that I would really have no idea if I was getting a period or not, pregnant or not, ovulating or not...

I'm a little all over the place now so I'll just say again, thank you for the replies and for the book recommendation, Peony.

[sunnygir1]

I was breastfeeding a 2yo when I got pregnant with my second.  I was around 4 months pregnant when dd weaned (with encouragement from me).  We were already down to a few times a day when I got pregnant.  I just couldn't handle the discomfort -- it did hurt at first, but later the pain went away.  The thing that I couldn't handle was a different kind of pulling sensation that made me want to crawl out of my skin.  It didn't start until the second trimester, I think.  I just couldn't keep breastfeeding, I felt like I was going to lose it.  Anyway, I don't know how much milk I had, but I could always hear dd swallowing right up to the time she weaned -- and there would be milk in her mouth if she let go in the middle of nursing.

[InsideOut]

Just to update, I'm not pregnant. I really hoped I was but as a few of you mentioned, it may be associated with ovulating and getting a period and I did have spotting here and there for a couple of weeks. Nothing of substance and no period so I guess that solves the mystery. Thanks for your replies. In the future when I hope to have more children it will be good to know that it's possible to continue to nurse through a pregnancy.