Pregnant and Nursing - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[LeighPF]

I agree with Banana, night weaning makes all the difference. Mine both took to the notion that the nursing was asleep pretty well and it became normal within the week. It did not stop the occasional co-sleeping or night waking (Monkey was sad, fell asleep in my bed and neither of us had the energy to move him), but it does make it all nicer and less draining.

[CraftyMcGluestick]

Enjoying reading along with you ladies. I think I am at, or very near the end with nursing 27 mos-old DS. I'm sad about it, but kind of relieved, too. Banana, do tell how you stopped the obnoxious nursing; I haven't figured out the secret! Buuuut, DS is really only nursing a few minutes at bed time and occasionally a few minutes first thing in the morning. It's too painful if it's longer. My milk is either mostly dried up or is pretty salty because he asks for water after. I'm touched out and thankful for a break, but I am sad to end my nursing relationship with my only baby . Nice to have you ladies for support.

[Banros]

Originally Posted by mamaki 


On man, I would be having a hard time with that too. Luckily we recently night weaned. If not I would have been experiencing the same thing you are. I find it really hard when I have little people climbing all over me right now. Could you maybe try to night wean?

I was thinking about it, but she doesn't use any other means of comfort (no blankets, pacifiers, or lovies) and she's just really having a hard time now. I probably will closer to the 20 week mark, if she seems to be doing better. She doesn't nurse hardly at all during the day so then it would actually be almost full-time weaning. :( I just don't know what to do yet, so I'm sticking it out. And even if I did want to night wean - it would mean less sleep for everyone because she cries hysterically if I take the breast or refuse it.

[Banana731]

I just told her that it hurt me and she had to stop doing X or stop nursing. I gave her alternatives too. She likes to grab and squeeze (my breast) while she nurses, I bunched up my shirt and said she could squeeze that. Or when she grabs my face, I tell her (and show her) to be "nice " to my face. She took to it quite well!

[AUvetmom]

I'm nursing my 14 mo son and I'm about 4.5 weeks along. On the days that I work, he's down to one pumped bottle. Today when I pumped, I only got 2 oz if that. Is it possible my supply is going already? It seems early for that.

[porcelina]

Hi Ladies!

I am currently nursing DS2, age 26 months. He only nurses before bed and first thing in the morning. He has been sleeping with his dad at night for the last 4-5 months, though when I do sleep with him from time to time, he wants to nurse all night long.

I have very conflicted feelings about nursing while pregnant/tandem nursing. I nursed DS1 while pregnant with DS2 and tandem nursed for about 3 months. I had had all these hopes that it would "make things easier" and "build a bond," and had all these images of how cute they would be holding hands. Well, it turned out to be more h#llish for me than that! I had 1) both children crying and screaming to nurse at 5:30 in the morning (and I was not able/did not want to tandem nurse at that time, I wanted toddler to sleep until 6 am), 2) only tandem nursed (at same time) a few times, and felt uncomfortable every time -- it was more like DS2 needed to nurse and DS1 wanted to get in there (felt like he needed it), and we did it at awkward moments, like at our babysitter's house once! 3) I had such a strong bond with DS1 that he felt the jealousy even more intensely when DS2 nursed -- I was best off when DS2 nursed in the carrier, 4) I worry that DS1, as a much more efficient nurser, ended up getting most of the colostrum. To this day, DS2 has a weaker immune system. :( I finally had too much of it (within the first 2 weeks!) and decided to wean DS2 when he turned 3, some 3 months later. We talked about it every day -- when he turned 3, he was not going to nurse anymore. It was hard when we did it, but we got through. Not to mention, nursing during pregnancy hurt!!!

So, based on my experience, I really don't know if I want to do it again. I think in all honesty I'd rather be done with it before baby. And, he'll be only a month short of 3 when baby is born anyway. I know it gets harder and harder to wean as time goes by in a lot of ways, but I also think it is just hard anytime you do it. Thankfully, 2 sessions a day is a lot more manageable, whether we decide to continue or not, than continuous, all-day/night nursing that DS1 was doing at this point!
 

Anyway, that is where we are! I can't wait to see how this journey unfolds for us and everyone else this time!

[Banana731]

Porcelina- that sounds super stressful, I'm sorry you had such a rough experience.

If it makes you feel any better, both my older dds self weaned right around the age your ds2 is now. I'm more in the "don't offer, don't refuse" camp (though I will distract or delay sometimes ), and it happened without much fanfare for both.

Also dd2 has a much weaker immune system than dd1 or dd3, and I have never tandem nursed, or nursed during pregnancy. There was nothing I did differently with her than the others. Don't be too tough on yourself

[CrunchyMom05]

Joining! Nursing my soon to be 3 year old. Want to wean but I don't want to force her and so far that has no been on her radar!

[CraftyMcGluestick]

.....aaaand my milk is totally gone. DS wanted to nurse for his nap and just gave up after less than one minute. He said "nonnie gone." I asked him if he missed his nonnie and he said yes.

I am SO sore when he nurses that I'm partially relieved, but I am sad. I will mourn this nursing relationship. You only get your first baby once.

[Banana731]

Sorry Crafty. If it's any consolation, between the two of you, you're probably the one who's more upset. When dd1 stopped nursing right around that age, she asked out of the blue a few days later to nurse again and I said sure. She latched on for 15 seconds and then came off and LAUGHED. As if she was saying, "what a silly thing to try to do..." She never asked again!

[LeighPF]

Bee was playing with me and gave me kiss on the nipples, but two weeks weaned and she has forgotten. The one sip she tried to take, it was like she was using a straw cup. On the other hand, she has started saying "hug you"

[aphel]

My DD is 2 and still nursing, but we did have a short time in the fall when she wasn't allowed to nurse due to some medication I was on. I let her "nurse" for a few seconds on either side so she wouldn't forget how, but she was temporarily weaned. Point of my rather longish story is that I noticed that during that time she was much more snuggly than usual, and we still had a lot of physical closeness during that time. I don't think either of us missed nursing as much as I thought we would. I'm not terribly worried about weaning during this pregnancy.
 

[Banana731]

So nipple tenderness has arrived at the 6 wk mark :/

Though it's not as bad as when I O, and I nursed through that. A good sign, I hope.

When did your breast tenderness stop in previous pregnancies? I can't remember for myself!

[HippieIncognito]

My DD is turning 1 on Jan 8. I am feeling very guilty about possibly losing my milk because of being pregnant. I am 5 weeks, 1 day. She still nurses all the time and doesn't eat a ton of solids, though recently she has started eating more. I have some milk saved but not a lot. My goal is to nurse her for as long as I possibly can and then tandem. How can I keep my milk? I am desperate to. I love nursing her and need my milkies to stay!

[Banana731]

Many women nurse all the way through a pregnancy. if your LO nurses often, your supply is going to be higher to begin with than a mama with a 27 mo old who nurses once a day, kwim? So it may not go away completely. At a year, she will begin to fill in with food too.

You could try all the regular things to increase milk supply. Oatmeal, drinking lots of water. I don't believe that fenugreek or blessed thistle are contraindicated in pregnancy, but you should talk to your CP or a good herbalist about that.

[CraftyMcGluestick]

Being out of milk is apparently not stopping the nursing train over here. My DS still wants to and my tenderness has abated somewhat so now we're nursing once at night and then since we've been together every day for the holidays, at his nap time, too. I notice when we don't nurse at all, he is incredibly clingy to me and constantly rubbing my shoulder or pinching my arm pit (hate that one!) and I have been much less tolerant of it than I used to be. I feel like I've been touched out this entire pregnancy, which is only 9.5 weeks so far, but has felt like an eternity!

[HippieIncognito]

Originally Posted by Banana731 

Many women nurse all the way through a pregnancy. if your LO nurses often, your supply is going to be higher to begin with than a mama with a 27 mo old who nurses once a day, kwim? So it may not go away completely. At a year, she will begin to fill in with food too.
You could try all the regular things to increase milk supply. Oatmeal, drinking lots of water. I don't believe that fenugreek or blessed thistle are contraindicated in pregnancy, but you should talk to your CP or a good herbalist about that.

Thank you! I am drinking TONS OF WATER and I just went and bought More Milk Two from Motherlove so I hope that helps. I am really happy to be in this DDC :)

[BKGreen]

My 14 month old is still nursing, but only in the morning and before bed. I feel like there is absolutely no milk anymore though. My supply was dwindling before and it seems like the pregnancy totally wiped it out And there is tons of tenderness when she nurses! Never had tenderness much with my other pregnancies, but this is the first one while still nursing...my son self weaned early

[LeighPF]

My milk supply was super low most of the time I was pregnant with Bee and that did not stop Monkey, he loved his "na-nas" and kept on nursing. Shorter sessions and fewer, but we kept our only snuggle time. Then he was thrilled around 32 weeks when it came back in. Worked out great since I had a nice supply established with she was born and she had a lovely time filling her tummy that first day. Nursing a toddler is really more about love than milk so it does work out.

Bee is a different kid and I know she would not have stuck around if there was nothing there. Now instead of nursing, she snuggles up in the same positions and places and sometimes sticks her hand down my shirt, particuarly if she is trying to fall asleep.

[somegirl99]

So as I mentioned before, DS still nurses at home ~2 times a day and maybe once at night if he wakes up to pee. He only has nursed at home for quite some time now.

We were just on vacation the last few days, and he did not ask to nurse at all in those 4.5 days. I did hand-express once for comfort. We got home tonight, and he did ask for it just before bed, but he kept it really short. I guess I am glad that it seems his weaning is going to be pretty gentle and self-led. I think my supply is down a bit, so that is probably contributing, but there is still definitely milk there. Not sure how much longer it will be. He has still been very cuddly and clingy for mommy specifically (this is nothing new) or I would be sadder about it. Still kind of bittersweet to see it happening though.