Help me Prepare of Milk Drying up (Pregnant)

[BabySmurf]

I am hoping to get some advice in terms of helping my DS have an easier transition when my Milk dries up.  I'm assuming that it probably will?

I am at about 6 weeks in (and still kind of in disbelief!), and DS (23 months) still nurses around the clock.  I am feeling pretty awful about the fact that I feel like he will be short changed in terms of our nursing relationship.  I know that he will likely dry nurse (If I can handle that), but I am worried because he still gets a large portion of his calories from nursing.  I don't know how to get him to eat more food, since he much prefers to nurse.  I don't know how to go about night weaning, which I feel needs to happen before new baby comes. Should I pre-emtively(sp?) cut back on things, or will he just naturally stop as the milk slows down?  I don't know how to go about anything, and I am just kind of freaking out a bit.  Any advice, words of wisdom is appreciated. 

[greenemami]

I'm sorry this is stressing you out! I don't know that I have any great advice for you, but this was my experience.  I ended up weaning my dd when she was about 2-1/2 and I was 4ish months pregnant, not because my milk dried up but because it was so uncomfortable for me.  Your milk may not dry up! I have heard of lots of ladies who were able to nurse through pregnancy and tandem nurse.  I probably could have physically, but emotionally it was just getting to me too much, nipples were too sensitive and it was just time for me to stop.  I still feel a little sad and ambivalent about the whole thing-I don't think she was traumatized or anything (at all!), but I wish the end of our nursing relationship had been more pleasant for me!

As for nightweaning, I night weaned both my kids between 2 and 2-1/2 by telling them that nursies went to sleep when they did (they still nursed to sleep) and then they could have them again when it was light out.  My son still wakes up wanting to nurse fairly frequently now at 2-1/2, but I hold pretty firm unless I am too tired and kind of wake up nursing him without knowing how it happened! I would probably start night weaning slowly and gently first-for my daughter, this led to her weaning completely pretty easily, for my son not so much :)

I don't have a lot of advice re: the food...I tend to think these things will work themselves out and he will just naturally start eating more as he nurses less :)

Also, try to remember you made it to 23 months! That is awesome! You are not at all short-changing your child by nursing to 23 months, even if it is not the ultimate goal you set for yourself. 

[katelove]

I'm 36 weeks pregnant, BFing my 2y 5mo and expressing for my new babe in case she needs supplementing as I have GDM.

A couple of weeks ago I night weaned because I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I didn't plan too, I was just so sore on night I couldn't bear to feed her so I said no and she went back to sleep. I still feed her to sleep for daytime sleep and bedtime and anytime she asks during the day. Overnight I don't feed her until 5am.

It has made a *huge* difference. I had constant breast and nipple pain and was wearing cloth breast pads because even brushing my nipples against something like the clothes basket or whatever was agony. That pain virtually disappeared with night weaning. It still hurts to feed but I can cope with it during the day.

I'm not sure how much she's been getting over the course of the last 8 months but, as I said, I'm able to express at the moment.

I know everyone is different but that has been my experience.

Oh, and we still co-sleep so we haven't needed to put her in her own bed to nightwean although a couple of weeks before we put her mattress next to ours and she has been sleeping on that. It is a couple of inches lower than ours but butted right up against our queen mattress so still one big bed.

[BabySmurf]

I literally started crying tears of joy when i read your responses! Pregnancy hormones ;) Thanks for sharing.  I think I will just see how things go, and work from there.  I ordered new pump parts so that I can start pumping again, and if the nursing bothers me too much, then we will deal with that as it comes too.