Tandem Nursing anyone? « Back to Group Discussions

[kitteh]

OK, so I kind of expected my 3 yr old (just turned 3 yesterday, omg!) to stop nursing as the milk dried up, and while it definitely has slowed her down she hasn't lost interest entirely. I have a feeling that this is going to continue over the next 20 weeks, and if she is still interested when baby arrives, I'm sure her interest will skyrocket once the milk returns. So I'm looking at the possibility of tandem nursing a toddler/pre-schooler and a newborn. Anyone have experience with this, or think you might be in the same boat come June?

I've heard that it is a good idea to start talking with the older child about what life is going to be like when baby arrives. How baby is going to look, act, sound etc. I've also heard that it is a good idea to show them pictures of tandem nursing, to get them ready for the idea and to start talking about tandem nursing etiquette. We've been browsing google images and I just had to share a few here. I hope its ok that I'm posting photos that are not my own, but all of these are easily accessed via google, so it's not like I'm being creepy or anything.

Almost holding hands! Awww

This is so darn adorable. I die.

Tandeming in public! WTG mama!

Old School Tandem

I love everything about this photo. It seriously makes my heart sing

Looks almost like the age difference that I'm going to have when baby comes

Ahahaha, stack em up!

Another public tamdem nurser, this time with a slightly older DD, which I like to see because it might be me some day (though I don't think I'd have the guts to do it in public. I wish!)

So mamas, what are your thoughts or experiences with tandem nursing?

[BumkinsMum]

Beautiful photos! Love the stacked babes.

Been there, got the shirt yada yada

My DD was just 22 months when #2 came along. She nursed through pregnancy but almost stopped in the last month due to my milk drying up.She started up no prob after baby was born. In fact one of my favorite picture of my newborn is with my daughter tandem nursing for the first time while we were still in the birthing tub. It was like two brand new nurslings and so very special. Oh, the bonding between newborn and toddler, the hand holding, the head rubbing, and the hair pulling.... wait..

My boys in-between didn't do so well with the tandem and eventually just moved on, some before I was ready and self-weaned before the next babe .

Funny story (that I hope you don't find squeamish) while my sister was pregnant with #2 she COULD NOT NURSE her 2 yr old, it was too uncomfortable. So Since our kiddos are roughly 9 months a-part and I had my little one and plenty of milk to spare I nursed her toddler.

Sometimes the older one just needs that comfort while mom is growing another bean and I was so blessed to be able to help him and her with it until she got more milk.

Tandem Nursing Rocks!!

[FarmerMomma]

Awesome pics. I love it. Maybe I'll have a chance w #3. DS is 5 and self weaned years ago.

[zjande]

This will be my 4th time tandem nursing. :) My milk always dries up around 15-18 weeks but my toddlers keep going strong until birth. Each of my toddlers have such different personalities and all 3 so far responded to tandeming very differently. One was very aggressive and would get angry and jealous when I would nurse the newborn without him attached to the other side. Another was sooo laid back and easily adjusted to the new baby & our nursing schedule. The other one nursed happily through my pregnancy with no milk coming out, but then weaned himself weeks after the birth because he didn't like the milk! lol  You just never can tell how a toddler will react.         I'll admit that, while we discussed birth and the new baby a lot, I never really mentioned tandem nursing or what that would be like. None of the kids seemed shocked though. :p

[sky_and_lavender]

My daughter will be a couple of months shy of 4 when the babe arrives. She has always loved nursing, and still does. She will almost never turn it down if offered. During this pregnancy, she has cut down her nursing a bit, so now it is usually only a long session in the morning, nursing to sleep at night and nursing through the nap if there is one. Sometimes we will also nurse an extra time during the day, but it's not that common. Before pregnancy, it was 5 times a day and at least once during the night (we night weaned as soon as I got pregnant, due to my sleep deprivation.) She maintains that there is still milk in there. I'm not sure.

Right now I'm trying to figure out if/how to cut down on her morning nursing/cuddle session before the baby comes. Our current routine is that she sleeps with her father, and then around 6:30, she comes to my bedroom and nurses/cuddles for up to an hour and a half before she wakes up or her father comes in to get her for their morning routine together.  I'm not sure I will be able to nurse two simultaneously, though if I am, it might give me some extra rest at times when I am really tired and my husband has to leave earlier for work. We really love the morning cuddle time, and it seems impossible to imagine cuddling without breastfeeding in this context.

She does "get" that babies get all their food from their mamas and have to nurse a lot, but I think it may hurt her feelings when I have to delay or deny her her breastfeeding in the moment because the baby needs to eat. I'm not sure how to prepare us for all that. I'm not sure how to plan.

Did others read Adventures in Tandem Nursing, and was it helpful?
 

[BabySmurf]

i've been meaning to post here for a bit - we are planning on tandem nursing too.  i love the pictures you posted! DS has been going nuts lately because my colostrum came in, so we are in it for the long haul :)  He will be about 2 yrs and 7months or so when the baby comes.

i just went to a lll meeting, hoping to get the Adventures in Tandem Nursing book on lend, but it was out.  I really do want to read it, but i don't want to pay the 50 bucks to buy it.  i have heard that it's really helpful though.  there is also a regional/local lll meeting coming up with a section for tandem nursing, so i think that i am going to go to that.  didn't realize how lonely i felt about this journey until i went to the meeting and started talking about it.  i know of one person who tandem nursed her kids, but it was years ago, and i don't think it was a pleasant experience for her...although she didn't tandem the second two and feels a lot of guilt for weaning her middle child too soon.  i'm really looking forward to going to a place where there are more like minded parents to chat with....my close family knows that i am still nursing DS, but most everyone else assumes that he is weaned.  if people ask, then i will tell them that we are nursing, but most people don't, so i guess i am feeling a little lonely about our situation, especially because it's emotionally and physically challenging right now, and I am sure that it's going to get even more complicated once the baby actually gets here, lol!

[jr'smom]

This will be my third time tandem nursing.  Much to my surprise my 2 yr old weaned just before my last baby was born.  The first 2 didn't wean until they were over 3yrs old.  My 22 month old is still nursing, but some days not very much.  I hope she hangs in there because I think it helps with jealousy issues...and she is by far my most jealous baby!  How a 4th child can think and act like she is an only child is beyond me!  She literally pushes the older kids off my lap.  They let her get away with it too.