Pregnant and still breastfeeding

[1love4ever]

Are there any risks to being pregnant and still breastfeeding my 1yr old?  What kinds of complications, if any, might I run into?  I REALLY dont want to stop BFing!!  Of course everyone is telling me I need to though!  Any tips on making it work, how to be healthy, any specific foods you recommend eating or things you recommend doing?

Thanks everyone!

[ElliesMomma]

the biggest risk is that your 1 year old will wean. how close to 2 is he/she?

Edited by ElliesMomma - 5/28/11 at 11:15pm

[Marissamom]

possible complications:

taste of your milk will change

milk may dry up/change to colostrum (you can keep nursing through this. that way you still keep the emotional and sucking needs met, and when your milk comes in after baby is born, your toddler goes back to getting all the benefits from the actual milk again)

your nipples may be sore

your uterus may contract during/right after feeding your toddler. it used to be thought that these contractions could cause miscairage or preterm labor. now it is know that they are just Braxton-Hicks type contractions, the same type that many women have after intimacy. they can be annoying, but are not harmful.

you will be insanely hungry

when your colostrum comes in your toddler may have soft or runny stools because it is a bit of a laxative, this is only an issue in that the diapers can become a pain

while you still have milk, you can somewhat keep your supply up by staying hydrated and eating well, but when/if it does dry up is hormonally controlled. and eat well, pay attention to what your body is asking for. for me, bananas and red meat have been a really important part of my diet, but what your body needs will probably be different than what my body needs. the big thing is to eat a lot, and eat often. 

[1love4ever]

Ok thanks!  My 1 year old just turned 1 less than a month ago lol, and I am about 2 weeks along in my pregnancy,  Just found out yesterday!!

[1love4ever]

Oh and people are saying that it could affect my unborn child, by the baby not getting enough nutrition, preterm labor of course, low birth weight, etc.  I am not inclined to believe what people are saying, but it does put that worry in the back of my mind.

[Marissamom]

Originally Posted by 1love4ever 

Oh and people are saying that it could affect my unborn child, by the baby not getting enough nutrition, preterm labor of course, low birth weight, etc.  I am not inclined to believe what people are saying, but it does put that worry in the back of my mind.

nutrition goes to the unborn first, the toddler second, and the mom third, so any nutritional issues you have are felt by you long before they affect the unborn. Kellymom has a really good page on breastfeeding through pregnancy FAQs. 

[Flower of Bliss]

Congratulations on your pregnancy

I'd highly recommend the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing.  It's an excellent resource for any mother pregnant and nursing, whether you choose to tandem nurse or not.

KellyMom is another excellent source.

[1love4ever]

Thanks everyone.  I just got off the phone with WIC and am feeling very good because she asked if I was still breastfeeding, I said yes, and she said that is great, not a problem, etc!  She did not tell me to wean, did not discourage me!  It just makes me feel good that everyone dosnt discourage BFing during pregnancy!  Finally, a person who is not bringing me down about breastfeeding, what a miracle!!

[mamafever]

Congratulations on your pregnancy and also sticking with BFing! I am pregnant right now and still nursing my 2 1/2 year old. My supply seemed to dro a lot in the beginning and eating oatmeal every morning seemed to help increase it again. Also make sure you drink lots and lots of water!! Adventures in Tandem Nursing is an excellent resource for preggo nursing mamas. 

[Chloe'sMama]

Congrats mama!

I nursed my DD1 through my entire pregnancy and have continued tandem nursing.  DD2 is 6 months today and doing very well.  She was almost 10 lbs at birth, so no problem with low birth weight here.

My milk decreased significantly and eventually dried up, but DD1 continued to nurse.  She didn't want to wean and I didn't want her to, so it worked out for us.

Good luck!

[1love4ever]

Thanks so much everyone.  Of course I am still getting bombarded from all around me with comments about how ridiculous it is for me to still BF, "She doesnt even need it anymore!" they all say.  "You've got to put her in her own bed to sleep now!" is another one I am getting.  Why cant people just be encouraging!?  That is one thing that has mystified me ever since I got pregnant with my first.  Everyone tells you what they think you're doing wrong and what is ridiculous based upon nothing and no experience.  Hmmmm

Thanks again for the info and encouragement!  I really need it right now!

[Marissamom]

on the cosleeping thing, you can cosleep both a newborn and a toddler, but you do need to have a plan for keeping them separated during the night. lots of parents seem to need either a king-sized bed or a sidecar or cosleeper to do this. at the same time, you have months and months to figure that one out. 

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by Marissamom 

nutrition goes to the unborn first, the toddler second, and the mom third, so any nutritional issues you have are felt by you long before they affect the unborn. Kellymom has a really good page on breastfeeding through pregnancy FAQs. 

Just wanted to second this.  I did want to add, though, that it is not uncommon for a nursing toddler to not gain as much weight during a pregnancy than they generally would.  DD was 23 months when we become pg with DS and I just went ahead and weighed her each time I went to the midwife.  I noticed that she only gained about 2 lbs in the 9 months of my pregnancy, but then gained about 5 pounds very quickly after DS was born.  She went from being skinny to finally having a little pudge on her face.  Also be aware with a toddler that young there is a good chance you will need to suppliment during your pregnancy.  Many people will have at least some supply decrease while pregnant and at that age (under 2) it is important for brain development that your toddler get plenty of full fat foods.  Anecdotally, it seems like early in the 2nd year is a very good time to get pregnant if your goal is minimizing your chance of completely loosing your milk (it seems to me that more people with very young babies, or significantly older children have huge milk loss).

Good luck and take care!

[kalamos23]

Originally Posted by TiredX2 

Just wanted to second this.  I did want to add, though, that it is not uncommon for a nursing toddler to not gain as much weight during a pregnancy than they generally would.  DD was 23 months when we become pg with DS and I just went ahead and weighed her each time I went to the midwife.  I noticed that she only gained about 2 lbs in the 9 months of my pregnancy, but then gained about 5 pounds very quickly after DS was born.  She went from being skinny to finally having a little pudge on her face.  Also be aware with a toddler that young there is a good chance you will need to suppliment during your pregnancy.  Many people will have at least some supply decrease while pregnant and at that age (under 2) it is important for brain development that your toddler get plenty of full fat foods.  Anecdotally, it seems like early in the 2nd year is a very good time to get pregnant if your goal is minimizing your chance of completely loosing your milk (it seems to me that more people with very young babies, or significantly older children have huge milk loss).

Good luck and take care!

I 100% agree - I'm still nursing our 32mo (got pregnant 3 times in her second year, lost the babies and got pregnant a month after she turned 2) She has not gained any weight since 18mo, BUT she is growing and meeting milestones and nursing through the colostrum. I did have serious drops in my supply almost immediately, so be aware that this can happen pretty quickly and be prepared to offer a lot more solids/supplementation. Some women don't lose their milk at all, but this is the not the norm by far - I read somewhere it's almost 80-90% that see a decrease or lose it completely at some point, simply because the hormones for pregnancy compete with the hormones for lactation, and your body will choose the pregnancy over the milk supply.

I did end up dry nursing somewhere in the second tri for a while - and my colostrum came in around 23-25 weeks? to give you an idea of timeline. 

[lulu1213]

Originally Posted by ElliesMomma 

don't take special herbs for breastmilk, etc. those can be harmful to the pregnancy.

does this include mother's milk tea? (fenugreek, anise, fennel)  i'm at 11 weeks and have been drinking it off and on.

[1love4ever]

Yes it does!  It should say on the box not to drink it while pregnant!    The reason being it tries to regulate menstruatoin which can cause miscarriage.

[lulu1213]

Originally Posted by 1love4ever 

Yes it does!  It should say on the box not to drink it while pregnant!    The reason being it tries to regulate menstruatoin which can cause miscarriage.

Well, it doesn't say on the box, so I contacted the company this morning.  They say that their product contains plants and herbs which do not require any special precautions, and that I can consume the tea with confidence throughout my pregnancy.  In any case, I will probably avoid it to be on the safe side.

[Peony]

Fenugreek is a well known uterine stimulant and it you look it up, it should be avoided during pg. I ignore almost all things "they" say you shouldn't ingest while pg and fenugreek is one I don't touch. 

[1love4ever]

I'm surprised it does not say so on the box, and even more so that the company told you it was safe!  Yes, I agree, you should look up the herbs which are in the tea.  I too don't buy into much of the things "they" say, and I dont think a very small amount of fenugreek would do much, but just to be safe I avoid it.