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pumping while pregnant, pumping for two  

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 
cross posting from working mothers since no response there:

DS is currently 11 mo. I'm neither pregnant nor TTC....but just wondering, has anyone continued to pump while pregnant? How did that affect your supply?
Were you able to sufficiently pump for two?
post #2 of 6
I'm 16 wks pregnant and have an almost 8 month old who was nursing until about a month ago (since then it's been a steady decline until now he won't nurse AT ALL). I can't answer your pumping question, exactly, because I don't respond well to a pump, but as far as just breastfeeding and milk production I think it really varies. I've heard some women can BF & I'm sure could pump throughout their pregnancy (until your milk turns to colostrum in preparation for the new baby), and some cannot. Many women's nipples become too sensitive during pregnancy to nurse or pump, but I didn't have that problem. That's all the help I can give!!
post #3 of 6
I haven't tried to pump at all since I got pregnant... but, that said, many moms lose their milk supply or have a very large decrease, and it doesn't matter how much you pump or how often your child nurses. The hormones of pregnancy override your lactation hormones. However, some moms don't see a change, see a very small change or even get an increase in milk. There is no way to know ahead of time what will happen to you... in my case, my supply was just about gone and I've had colostrum now for the past few weeks. I'm 21 weeks.
post #4 of 6
I stopped pumping for my now 5 year old right around when I got pregnant (getting pregnant and stopping pump were not related - he just wasn't drinking what I left for him anymore). Since you are not yet pregnant, and not yet TTCing, there's a good chance that by the time you are, your baby won't be very interested in pumped milk. DS was still nursing a lot when I was home, but eating solids and drinking water when I was at work. You might find, however, that your supply plummets when you get pregnant (some women do maintain a full supply throughout pregnancy, but they seem to be in the minority.) In my case, I noticed a supply drop almost immediately and I had no milk at all by around the 5th month. Ds continued to nurse through the pregnancy and picked up a lot when I started making colostrum and again after birth when my milk came in.

My experience with pumping when I was nursing two was GREAT. I was able to pump about twice the milk that my dd drank while I was away. Ds nursed a lot when I was home, but wouldn't drink the milk I pumped, so my body was producing for two when I pumped even though I only needed milk for one. I was able to get 14 - 16 oz just in my first pump of the day, and generally 10-12 in the second. Dd only drank 8-16 oz while I was gone. I was able to donate tons to a mom with supply problems. I'm sure it doesn't work out that well for everyone, but I was happy it did.
post #5 of 6
When I became pregnant with my 4th child I was nursing ds who at the time was 14 months. I worked out of the home (12 hour shifts 2 a week) an pumped twice while I was at work. I noticed right away that my output when pumping dropped by at least 25% after I hit about 12 weeks pg I could only pump out an ounce or so from both breasts together, and so I stopped pumping. My ds went on to nurse until I was 24 weeks pg. But there was no milk and he was constantly agitated about it so we stopped nursing.
post #6 of 6
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies! I kinda was thinking twould be like so...sounds like I should get DS's permission first...
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