For those who nursed during pregnancy (to the end)...

[AllyRae]

Did you go into labor before or after your due date? How did that compare to your first?

Everyone seems to like to tell me that because DS1 is still nursing 4-8 times a day that he'll make me go into labor before my EDD...but DS1 would have been much later than that if he weren't induced. Are people just full of it, or should I actually be prepared for an early bird? :LOL

[Lula's Mom]

My second child was 2 days past EDD, with dd nursing several times a day. I don't think nursing will affect the baby's arrival time at all; it's like other natural methods of induction (sex, manual nipple stim, etc.) If your body's not ready, it won't work. There are oxytocin receptors on your uterus that don't become active (to accept the oxytocin produced when you nurse) until the baby's done cookin'.

[HelloKitty]

My youngest was a week late and I was nursing his brother through to the end several times a day.

[Kleine Hexe]

I nursed my entire pg and even nursed during labor. I went into labor during the 40th week. Nursing is not going to make you go into labor early.

[AllyRae]

All right...it's official then. Other people are crazy... :LOL

[stafl]

yup, they're nuts!

nursing, if you do it the entire pregnancy, does not kick labor in any sooner than labor would start anyway. No method of induction, medical or natural, will make labor start if your body is not ready.

DD1 nursed through my pregnancy (and still nurses occassionally) and the only time it ever made me have contractions was the night before baby was born, and even then, it was more of a false labor and just petered out a few hours after they started.

oh, to answer your question, she was born 1 hour shy of her EDD (at 11pm the night before she was due).

[AllyRae]

Wow...she was prompt! :LOL

[anonymommy]

First baby active labor 41+3
Second baby 41+1 after nursing through whole preg.

[Patchfire]

My first was born at 39w4d.

My second was born at 40w2d, nursing through the pregnancy. I sure WISHED the nursing would do something, at the time. :LOL

[Mallory]

My first was born on his due date- I wasn't nursing

My second was born a year and a half later-- with a toddler who nursed day and night throughout my pregnancy-- and he was born the day after his due date.

[Rach]

Wow!
Thanks for the thread, it's good to know because I was wondering the same thing.

[eilonwy]

My son nursed through my pregnancy with BooBah. I never went into labor with her at all-- she was born at 39w1d by emergency c-section (she turned herself breech at 38w6d and prolapsed her cord; then she stood on it. :LOL).

I never had so much as a contraction, and he nursed *constantly*, especially toward the end. :LOL

[ctdoula]

My dd was born at 40w5d (spontaneous labor started 40w4d)

She nursed through my whole pregnancy. At the end, every night I would let her nurse as long as she wanted, praying it would start contractions. Many times it would, but they'd fizzle out as soon as she stopped.

My ds was born after inducing labor at 41w2d.

[stafl]

Originally Posted by AllyRae

Wow...she was prompt! :LOL

and we had driven into the next time zone to have her, so if she had been born here instead, it would have been exactly midnight. :LOL

[Lousli]

Not to be the dissenting voice here...but my second was 7 weeks premature, as compared to number 1, who was 4 weeks early. But, I honestly think nursing had nothing to do with it. I did have lots and lots of contractions from very early on (like 17 weeks) but they didn't seem particularly tied to nursing. I didn't talk to my OB about nursing because I was afraid he'd tell me to stop. I do wish there was better research on this issue, because if I could have done something to keep dd#2 in a little longer, I would have. I just don't think weaning would have helped the contractions, and I know it would have been hard on my older. Still, it would have been nice to know for certain that the nursing wasn't a problem.

[kavamamakava]

In my experience and based on anecdotal evidence, nursing through a pregnancy causes babies to be born later. I think the stimulus from nursing gets the body used to it.

[crunchymomof2]

I nursed ds through my last pregnancy and my dd was exactly a week late. It didnt even cause contractions for me.

[Selissa]

ds1- 2 weeks late exactly
ds2- 1 week late exactly

ds1 nursed several times a day througout preg

[shelley4]

i went into labour 9 days after my due date for my firstborn.. .nursed him thru out the next pregnancy, and DD was born 6 days before her due date, then we tandem nursed together for 6 months

[mom2threenurslings]

*There is absolutely no evidence that nursing during pregnancy causes preterm labor or that babies come any earlier when nursing during pregnancy.*

My experience:
My first was born at 41 w 2 days weighing 7 lbs 2 oz (I actually think I was 40 w and the OBs were wrong about my dates!).
I nursed him through pregnancy (9-18 months old) and my second was born at 41 w 1 d weighing 9.5 lbs. (I was in labor with him for three days and nursing my 18 month old 12+ times a day didn't help labor along at all!!!)
I then tandem nursed through pregnancy and dd was born, depending on which EDD you go by, at 40w 4d or 40w weighing 8 lbs 4 oz.
I'm currently tandem nursing through pregnancy again (I'm 31w 2d) - I'll let you know when this one decides to arrive!