Tandem Nursing Tribe

[Still_Snarky]

Is there already a tandem tribe? Anyone interested in seeing one if there isn't already one? I am...!

I've only been tandem nursing for the past five weeks but boy, this is a whole new ballgame! Before her brother was born my dd (31 mo) was down to nursing when she woke up, when/if she went down for a nap, and briefly at bedtime. She's nursing more than the newborn now. Including during the night. :yawning: And she's quite demanding about it at times. Full on tantrums if she has to wait. In any case, it's been well worth it so far; I'm glad she didn't wean during my pregnancy.

[Still_Snarky]

Anyone?

[timneh_mom]

I'm nursing while pregnant... hope to tandem in February!! May I join?

I have heard what your toddler is doing is totally normal... maybe things will settle in the next couple of months? How did you get through pregnancy? I'm 14 weeks and have pretty much no milk now, hoping to get colostrum kind of early like I did last time.

[Still_Snarky]

Oh thank goodness, there is someone out there! YES! Of course you may join me. Hopefully there will be more of us soon.

My milk dried up pretty early in my pregnancy and my colostrum didn't come back until about 8 months. DD didn't seem to notice, or care. I did have some nipple discomfort but I kind of just pushed through it until it subsided. Are you experiencing any discomfort? How frequently does your nursling nurse?

Glad to have you here!

[HelloKitty]

I belong here too! Tandem nursing my 3 1/2 year old and 17 month old. I went through the same thing when my youngest was born, the toddler wanted to nurse non-stop.

Now they are both at the equally jealous stage - if one nurses the other one wants to. It can be exasperating! Although at night or nap time it's awesome because it's the easiest way to get them both to sleep.

[timneh_mom]

I haven't had that much breast pain at all, not like my first pg!! I have some fairly bad nipple pain when he first latches on, but after that, there really isn't any pain unless his latch is too shallow.

DS nursed 3 times today, but some days he nurses about 5 times... mainly at bedtime/naptime and first thing in the morning... and he usually asks a couple of other times per day, depending on how much we're out and about. The more we're home, the more he asks.

Thanks for having me I guess you could say I'm tandeming already, because the Bean nurses 24/7!

[scorch_dc]

Hello!

I am tandem nursing - have been for about 21 months now. My 2 sons are 20 months apart, I nursed through pregnancy and then tandem when new bb came and haven't stopped since! Definitely is a different experience than with just 1!

Denise

[damyen's mommy]

Hi!! I am tandeming my 32 month old and 6 month old. At first my ds was nursing more than the newborn but it did level off. He now nurses 3 times a day. Morning. nap and bedtime. There are times it drives me nuts. But when I see that happy little faces it makes my heart melt.

[wendy1221]

Tandeming here. Ds2 will be 3 next month, and ds3 will be 1 next month. They are 6 days short of being exactly 2 years apart, in case you're wondering. LOL

They are going through the jealousy stage already, as well. Ds3 is trying to grow up really fast to be like his big brothers. He's been throwing toddler style tantrums for the last 2 months as well.

Tandem nursing sucks most of the time, IMO, but when it's good, it more than makes up for the suckiness the rest of the time. If that makes any sense. lol. I can't imagine forcing my 2 yo to wean yet, so I persevere. I don't mind nursing them separaetely, but I'm sick of nursing at the same time and one after the other, which has been happening way too much w/ this jealousy thing. grrr!

[broodymama]

count me in! time to put my toddler to bed now but i'm glad to see this tribe!

[Still_Snarky]

Yay! Glad to see more people here. At my local LLL meeting there was one only one mom who had ever tandem nursed and her older one weaned ages ago. She told me to buy Adventures In Tandem Nursing (I ordered it; it hasn't arrived yet) but I want someone to commiserate and share with!

Originally Posted by damyen's mommy

At first my ds was nursing more than the newborn but it did level off.

That's good to hear...I just wonder when it's going to happen!

Originally Posted by damyen's mommy

But when I see that happy little faces it makes my heart melt.

[Still_Snarky]

Hey Sonja!

[ruthieroo]

Subbing! I will be tandem nursing once baby number two is born in October. My son is 16 months old and still nursing. I'm making lots of colostrum and my milk never fully dried up anyway so nursing while pregnant hasn't been bad at all. Just recently I'm more touched out but that's due mostly to the fact that he is teethign and wants to nurse ALL. THE. TIME.:

But yay, I'm glad to see a tandem tribe!!

[broodymama]

nak, of course

hey celeste!

liz - my supply dropped during pregnancy but didn't go away completely. around 10-12 weeks i noticed my milk was very salty. (another mom on here mentioned something about it so i tried mine and it was salty too.) ds didn't seem to mind, though. he still nursed a lot but also started drinking more water, he was about 16 months. by 20 weeks i couldn't express even a drop but i still had milk, as i found out when ds came down with rotavirus and would only nurse. about 24 weeks my colostrum came in.

ugh, today has been the longest day. i ate a lot of soy yesterday (i eliminated dairy) and now dd is reacting to the soy even worse than the dairy. poor little thing has been screaming all night. *sigh*

[Still_Snarky]

Originally Posted by LadyBug & BabyBug

ugh, today has been the longest day. i ate a lot of soy yesterday (i eliminated dairy) and now dd is reacting to the soy even worse than the dairy. poor little thing has been screaming all night. *sigh*

We went through the same thing today. I eliminated dairy about 6 weeks before DS was born but he seems to be reacting to something else in my diet. I too had soy yesterday, maybe that's what it is. I went through this with Miss P but she was able to tolerate dairy through my breastmilk by about 9 months.

[KittyMommy]

Joining in! I am tandeming my two: DS is 3.5 yo (4 in Dec) and DD is 22 mos. Both are still very active nursers, though DS can now accept "wait until after lunch" or "wait until sister is done" much better than before!

wendy1221...mine are 22 mos apart and things have been getting better all the time starting not long after DD turned one. I HATED tandeming for much of the first year (there were some wonderful moments, but...) and now I am actually enjoying it more often than not!

Jen

[broodymama]

Celeste - we went through this with DS also, so I'm not too surprised. I was just really, really hoping that it wouldn't bother her. DS outgrew it around 16 months.

Jen - mine are also 22 months apart and right now I feel like I'll never be able to get it together, dealing with both of them. DD is 3.5 weeks and DS is 23 months. How long did it take you to feel like you had a handle on things?

[Sailmom]

I am planning on tandem nursing as soon as this babe comes (due any day now). DD turned 2 on July 31 and really was/is down to nursing 1-2 times a day and sometimes skips a day here and there. I really thought she would wean during this pregnancy, but she has not. I bought "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" early in this pregnancy in preparation for this, and I think it will be a valuable resourse. I have tried to prepare dd for sharing the "guk" as she calls it. She often insists I nurse her bears and dolls, so maybe it won't be a jeolousy thing. She also says things like "Baby needs to come OUT and wear pretty diapers and drink lots of GUK!"

[timneh_mom]

Sonja, my milk is salty too! It's so weird. DS doesn't seem to care though... I'm 14 weeks now and just this morning he unlatched and had milky drool on his face! I didn't think I was making much of anything (especially on that one side) but apparently he can get more out than I can.

[the_lissa]

I'm kinda tandem nursing my week old and 29 month old. My 29 month old will only nurse every couple days for a few minutes though.

I am trying to encourage her to nurse more. I am really sad at the prospect of her weaning.