Any other nursing mamas out there?

[muppet729]

I have a nursing 2.5yo and about half of the people that I've told about this pregnancy want to know if I'll wean her off the breast or out of our bed or rather- WHEN- I'll do those things. Just wondered if anyone else has had this discussion or thought about it.

[Leilalu]

My thoughts?

it's really not up to them
There is no need to kick the older out of the family bed anytime soon.Placement arrangements will need to be made for safety in the first months, but it can be done. dd still sleeps on one side of me, ds on the other.

And the nursing-it is a special relationship between you and your child. When you wean, you lose a special bond forever. You really do. I wouldn't push weaning but rather nurse like you always have, and let the child decide.

[Lizzo]

I am! DS is only 14 months...so i'll go as long as he wants.
He bit me today though and I handeled it badly...I feel really bad.
I kind of feel like if they need it, they'll want it.
But I worry about breast tenderness b/c I get it bad, even though they hurt, but not when he is nursing.
Good luck!

[JunieMoon]

I'm still nursing also. DS is nearing 3 in a few months. I did set some boundaries when I found out I was pregnant. In the last month or so he's started cutting out nursings on his own, so I just reinforced them. We only nurse in the morning, at naptime and bedtime. I think I can handle 3 times a day. Any more than that and I dream about weaning. I cannot imagine not nursing him though. It would be so sad because I know it means a lot to him. If he weans on his own during this pregnancy it will be bitter sweet, but I cannot fathom that happening.

[naturegirl]

I just found out I am pregnant (I think) and am still nursing my 22 month old a lot. I have to admit that I worry some about m/c (had one before ds) as well as a weight problem. I really need to gain about 20 lbs. For those reasons I have considered greatly reducing nursing to daytime only however I am still nursing at nightime. I may still nightime wean in the near future, if my pregnancy is confirmed 100%. I think it all depends on your situation, your health, the age of your child, etc. I have known moms with younger babes that have nursed through the whole pregnancy and then tandem nursed with no problems at all. I have also known moms whose babes weaned themselves as the pregnancy got further along. It is a personal decision that one needs to feel comfortable with and not feel pressured into.

As far as the co-sleeping goes, I have no idea what we are going to do either. Just go day by day I think and see what happens! Keeping everyone safe of course.

Good luck and congratulations!

[jee'smom]

when i was pg with ds, i was nursing dd (she was 15 mo.). people used to ask me if i was going to wean her, i'd say "ARE YOU NUTS?!!! and take away the BEST way to get her to sleep!!!" those same people used to call me after the birth of their babies and complain how tired they were b/c when the baby slept, they were up with the toddler, or when the toddler slept, they were up with the newborn. i'd think/say "yeah, everyday, i nurse the baby, he'd fall asleep, i roll over, nurse the toddler, she falls asleep, and we'd ALL sleep for about 3 hours!!! if either woke up, i'd roll over and nurse them back to sleep... it was heaven to my postpartum body and mind!" (by the way, i went into pre-term labor with dd at 29.5 wks. i was told to wean her ASAP when i became pg with ds. i decided to wean her down to about 2 times/ day (and 1-2X/night) over the course of 4-5 mo. in the event that i HAD to wean her completely, it wouldn't be as traumatic. it ended up causing some contractions, but not nearly as bad as sex caused, so i kept on nursing her, and he was born 2 days before his due date; no problems... as a matter of fact, one of my OB's "caught" me nursing her with my big pg belly. i was like "i guess i'm busted huh?" he goes "oh that... that's not going to cause any contractions significant enough to start labor, don't worry about it!" just some inspiration to people who this has happened to.)

[ibusymomto5]

I just found out I'm pregnant, and I'm still nursing my 13mo. I don't plan on weaning her. Most of my babies have lost interest sometime between 18-24mo., so I wouldn't be surprised if she does the same.

Does the milk supply drop or change taste during pregnancy?

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by jee'smom

when i was pg with ds, i was nursing dd (she was 15 mo.). people used to ask me if i was going to wean her, i'd say "ARE YOU NUTS?!!! and take away the BEST way to get her to sleep!!!" those same people used to call me after the birth of their babies and complain how tired they were b/c when the baby slept, they were up with the toddler, or when the toddler slept, they were up with the newborn. i'd think/say "yeah, everyday, i nurse the baby, he'd fall asleep, i roll over, nurse the toddler, she falls asleep, and we'd ALL sleep for about 3 hours!!! if either woke up, i'd roll over and nurse them back to sleep... it was heaven to my postpartum body and mind!" (by the way, i went into pre-term labor with dd at 29.5 wks. i was told to wean her ASAP when i became pg with ds. i decided to wean her down to about 2 times/ day (and 1-2X/night) over the course of 4-5 mo. in the event that i HAD to wean her completely, it wouldn't be as traumatic. it ended up causing some contractions, but not nearly as bad as sex caused, so i kept on nursing her, and he was born 2 days before his due date; no problems... as a matter of fact, one of my OB's "caught" me nursing her with my big pg belly. i was like "i guess i'm busted huh?" he goes "oh that... that's not going to cause any contractions significant enough to start labor, don't worry about it!" just some inspiration to people who this has happened to.)

This is a good testimony to hear! So how is it having 2 that close together? My youngest and this baby will be about 21mo apart.

[TR's_mummy]

I'm nursing a 14 month old. I don't plan to wean him. Right now, he's down to just nursing at naptime & bedtime. Two months ago, he was nursing 8 times a day, so I think he might already be weaning himself!

[Leilalu]

Mine were 19 months apart. Hard at first, I won't lie. But so worth it when they get older. Mine play together like best friends ...mostly. I think close age gaps are good for long term relationships.

When dd weaned during my pregnancy(I was drinking lots of soy, which I think caused my milk to stop) it was so hard ot get her calm, or to sleep.

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by Leilalu

When dd weaned during my pregnancy(I was drinking lots of soy, which I think caused my milk to stop) it was so hard ot get her calm, or to sleep.

So soy can dry up milk? I usually try to drink soy protein shakes during pregnancy, so maybe I should try a different kind...

[fljen]

Just found out today that we're pregnant and I'm still nursing my 2.5yo ds. Not planning on stopping, that's for sure, but my mom has already said that tandem nursing is absolutely disgusting. I have told her point blank that she's never to say anything to my ds about it though, tough part is that she lives 2.8 miles from my house, lovely... Should be interesting

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by fljen

Just found out today that we're pregnant and I'm still nursing my 2.5yo ds. Not planning on stopping, that's for sure, but my mom has already said that tandem nursing is absolutely disgusting. I have told her point blank that she's never to say anything to my ds about it though, tough part is that she lives 2.8 miles from my house, lovely... Should be interesting

Congratulations to you!!

[JunieMoon]

Originally Posted by ibusymomto5

So soy can dry up milk? I usually try to drink soy protein shakes during pregnancy, so maybe I should try a different kind...

I've never heard that soy dries up milk. I never had a problem. I've always had an abundant supply and drink soy protein shakes also. I do feel that there are better sources of protein though and am going to try out a rice protein shake this pregnancy.

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by JunieMoon

I've never heard that soy dries up milk. I never had a problem. I've always had an abundant supply and drink soy protein shakes also. I do feel that there are better sources of protein though and am going to try out a rice protein shake this pregnancy.

Hmm.. maybe I'll look into rice protein shakes as well. Thanks for the info.

[NCMommax2]

Still nursing a 17 month old!

I am a bit worried though- I am scared I will lose my milk too soon thus, losing my instant sleep inducer!

[Leilalu]

Originally Posted by ibusymomto5

So soy can dry up milk? I usually try to drink soy protein shakes during pregnancy, so maybe I should try a different kind...

at a LLL meeting recently , the leader was telling me that a possible reason could be that in the presence of estrogen, your body stops producing milk. Something to that affect. So, a certain amount of estrogen will cause your body to stop. Since I was pregnant(one strike agaisnt nursing) AND drinking soy(plant estrogens,two strikes) it seems my chances of success in tandem nursing were slim.

I feel hopeful this time around that maybe I can continue until the end.

Hemp protein seems the safest so far to me.

[ibusymomto5]

Originally Posted by Leilalu

at a LLL meeting recently , the leader was telling me that a possible reason could be that in the presence of estrogen, your body stops producing milk. Something to that affect. So, a certain amount of estrogen will cause your body to stop. Since I was pregnant(one strike agaisnt nursing) AND drinking soy(plant estrogens,two strikes) it seems my chances of success in tandem nursing were slim.

I feel hopeful this time around that maybe I can continue until the end.

Hemp protein seems the safest so far to me.

I've never heard of Hemp protein. Will my local healthfood store have it, or do you have to order it online?

[jee'smom]

with the kids 24 mo. apart, it was a little hard at first; but so worth it!

[Leilalu]

Originally Posted by ibusymomto5

I've never heard of Hemp protein. Will my local healthfood store have it, or do you have to order it online?

Whole Foods has it sometimes, but you'll pay through the nose. Azure Standard is where I get it a bit cheaper.

So far as I know it is safe. and a good way to get protein other than in soy or whey.