nursing mamas - how's it going? « Back to Group Discussions

[etsdtm99]

Who else has kept nursing this pregnacy ?

I have nursed through pregnancy  and  tandem nursed twice before, so you'd think this would be same-old whatever by now, but nursing is SO painful, uncomfortable and IRRITATING!  my poor DD gets to nurse for 5 mins at bed time and i can't even let her nurse to sleep anymore, i just can't and she is so sad about it, i feel horrible  - it is the most annoying feeling in the world and it hurts at the same time..  i don't remember it being quite this bad with the other two ..  it has been taking me almost 2 hours to get her to sleep at bedtime but even that is easier for me to deal with than letting her nurse for 20-30 mins it would take to get her to fall asleep..  

I know in my head that it won't feel like this after the baby is born, but right now i can't picture myself ever enjoying nursing ever again..  (and i know i thought that at some point during my last 2 pregnancies.. )

anyone else suffering through this torture? (or not bothered by it.. i know some people don't have such a hard time) 

[Chloe'sMama]

Me-

Nipples are so so sore now.  I am nursing DD2 in the morning (sometimes, maybe 2 days a week) and at naptime and bedtime.  I will let her nurse 10 or so minutes and then I have to ask her to stop.  She usually cries for a few minutes, which is so tough for me, but I just can't stand it any longer.  

I had a brief thought this week about trying to wean her before baby comes, but I don't really want to do that.  We will see if I can muscle through the next 15 or so weeks.  

[Elodie's Mama]

My daughter is 27 months and I'm also starting to resent nursing a bit! I started off planning to tandem for as long as possible, but I have been contemplating weaning as well (never going to happen, DD isn't ready). My colostrum came in last week and now that she's getting something again she's been nursing more frequently. If I could cut out bedtime nursing I would, but it just doesn't seem like she'd handle it well!

[Brambleberry]

We are almost weaned.  Supposedly twin pregnancy makes your nipples more sore as well as worse morning sickness, etc.  I don't remember having sensitive nipples at all during my first pregnancy, but of course I wasn't nursing.  On nights when DD has had a nap that day and isn't as tired she often asks to nurse still and I'll nurse her for just a few seconds on each side.  She doesn't complain about the duration - we've been slowly working our way down to that.  It is SO uncomfortable, but a few seconds isn't the end of the world.  She's probably nursing about twice a week now, which I can't complain about.  However, the very infrequent nursing does make me a little nervous about preterm labor risks.  Generally, nursing during pregnancy isn't a problem at all because your body is used to it - it's accustomed to getting those regular surges of oxytocin from nipple stimulation and they shouldn't affect anything.  With her nursing so infrequently I don't know if it's the same.  I think that as I get closer to term and start having more BH I'm going to have to cut her off completely because I'll just be too nervous about it.  Especially with twin pregnancy up-ing my risk for PTL.  We've been talking about having a weaning party when she decides that she's done nursing for good, but she's not ready to say that yet.

[etsdtm99]

Oh good, i feel better just knowing i'm not alone - sometimes i feel completely insane for keeping up with this because i hate it so much - i've contemplated spacing my kids further apart so i don't have to nurse during pregnancy, but my DS didn't wean until I got pregnant this time and i love having them closer together and tandem nursing doesn't bother me either.. & i really feel like it helps the toddler and baby to bond..  I just have to get through the pregnancy..  over half way, right?? 

Brambleberry, I know twin pregnancy increases your risk of PTL but i've really never heard that infrequent nursing increases your risk of having ctx from nursing, even twice a week, your body should still be use to it .. it is very common for toddlers to really cut back during pregnancy and then pick back up to a couple times a day after the baby(babies!) is born..   my DS was down to 2-3 times a week for part of my pregnancy with DD2 and it didn't increase ctx, i assume partly because it was such a short time nursing, like 1 min   it would have been easy to wean him before DD2 was born but he picked back up to twice a day after she was born and nursed for almost another 2 years.. 
 

I checked last night and i have zero colostrum now.. my milk changed to colostrum at around 15 weeks and now at 25 i can't get a drop of anything out of them..  maybe that partly explains why it is getting soooo painful 

[shazrael]

DS is 18 months and has been mostly weaned since 15. He nurses every other week or so when he is really upset and I can't calm him any other way. We visited family who sometimes smoke in their house on Saturday and last night he was having horrible congestion and coughing himself awake. I ended up nursing him at 3 am and again at 6, but at 6 I started having contractions about two minutes apart. After the third one I got freaked out and stopped him. I think I'll try to have us be completely done at this point. That said I'm in Eastern PA and Hurricane Sandy is about to hit and likely knock out our electricity for a few days. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear. Has anyone else had contractions start from nursing yet? I'm 23 weeks with my second.

[HouseofPeace]

my sweet 18 month old weaned over the last month.  it's now been about 2 weeks (i think) or at least one, since she even tried.  she didn't like the colostrum (and it is completely colostrum now).  i nursed through my last 2 pregnancies, and had a good supply, but she was just ready and moved on.  She decided she'd rather play w/her siblings in the morning than snuggle mama and nurse....

i never did get contractions from nursing.  one time i had a miscarriage while still nursing my 15 month old, and my mother blamed it on nursing.  but then i carried my next child, tandem nursed for the entire first trimester, full term w/ no problems.  and the next one.  and the next one.....  

my last two were 10 months and 9 months when i got pregnant with their younger siblings and exclusively breastfed for the first trimester, but they did ease up and were down to morning/evening only by the time i hit my 3rd trimester, and mornings only until birth.  and then they joined back in to tandem nurse for the first year.

and i wonder if my toddler will nurse again when the milk comes in (all my other kids had great enthusiasm return when the mama milk machine came on duty).  

all of my children have self-weaned over the years, between 18-30 months.  my supply stays high, they just prefer food, playing, and move on from me. 

i was really really sad when she weaned.  but now i'm really happy that i don't have that added burden.  i have more energy, my nipples were so painful (though that hasn't stopped me in the past) and i'm looking forward to nursing again.... though not the milk coming in.  so i'm grateful that she weaned, but i don't think i would have pushed her to wean.  she still likes to snuggle up on my breasts and pet and talk to them, but they are no longer interesting to her for food or comfort beyond snuggling.

to all you mama's still doing it- blessings and peace and rest!!!

[BaMo]

We are still nursing. DD just turned 2 on Tuesday. She is down to 2x a day thought. I'm kind of suprised that I lost my milk 2 weeks ago. When I was pregnant with my DD (and nursing my DS), I never lost my milk and then went on to tandem nurse for another 6 months after she was born. This time, I really would like for her to be weaned before the new baby comes. I feel great that I have nursed her for 2 years but also a bit guilty that I'm nudging the weaning process along.

[etsdtm99]

Shezreal - i do occasionally get ctx while nursing (25wks w/#4)  they usually don't hurt, more like BH .. but i try to stop nursing when that happens, and they always stop after i stop nursing.. with one of my pregnancies i remember having cramping and ctx the entire pregnancy while nursing.. i am pretty sure that was with #2, i didn't wean #1 but we did cut back to once a day and #2 was born at 41 wks so it didn't cause preterm labor.. just discomfort..

[cierra159]

My DD is 24 mo and still asking to nurse a couple times a day, mostly before and after sleep, or of she's bored. It hurts so bad, just so sensitive right now. I got to appoint where she was only nursing once a day when they became really sore in the beginning, then they weren't as sore and she started nursing more, and she's just become attached to it again. I'm pretty positive I dnt have any more milk though, for the last two months, so it's just dry nursing I think? Just feel so bad bc it's so painful, I can't wait for colostrum/milk to come in, so it can be more comforting to both of us. Hoping to tandem nurse if I can make it that far, 26 weeks currently. I don't remember getting colostrum or milk in during pregnancy last time though :/

[HouseofPeace]

take-back- after about a month of not nursing, she just took to it again.  we'll see if she keeps it up.  it didn't hurt, and i obviously released enough colostrum that she was swallowing and happy about it.  she had a rough night last night (i think she was cold), so wanted a little comfort.  

my right side seemed pretty dry, but she got a good amount from my left (my left side is an enthusiastic over-achiever in colostrum and milk production)

i wouldn't mind if she started up again at 1x a day- it would ease my swollen colostrum filled breasts a bit....

[cierra159]

Eeeeeeeeeek! Just had a tiny bit of colostrum on my right side! She pulled off and was fascinated! Then said mommy this is guuuuuud! Woohooo! And, it didn't hurt when she first latched! I'm sonexcited!