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post #41 of 58
4/25/07 at 10:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noah's mom View Post
One thing I read somewhere - can anyone confirm? - is that the usual methods (e.g. oatmeal, fenugreek) of keeping supply going don't work during pg, b/c the milk changes come from pg hormones, not from the usual supply-and-demand." So I'm not planning to try anything special, just hoping for the best over here...
That is a very good question, one I cannot find a helpful answer to!! I've searched online many a time for clues about that & never found a thing. I read a few chapters in Adventures in Tandem Nursing today. The author says that about 70% of women have some sort of decrease during pregnancy, from minor to complete, & the other 30% notice no difference or actually have an increase. She says that there hasn't been proof that using galactogogues (substances that increase bmilk production) during pg helps with supply at all, BUT, she only mentions the prescription galactogogues, the ones that are designed to increase your prolactin levels, then warns against fenugreek, & cautions us to question using herbs at all because they haven't been proven to be safe (including the Mothers Milk Two supplement!).

She says "galactogogues may well not improve supplies during pregnancy, since gal. are usually based on enhancing prolactin levels, & during pregnancy, high progesterone may be more the problem than low prolactin levels." She's saying that we probably have plenty of prolactin, but our increased progesterone is what decreases our supply (usually women who are not pg but have low supply have trouble with low prolactin levels).

But I wonder what galactogues she's referring to? Only the prescription ones?? And do the herbal ones & oatmeal & red raspberry leaf tea, etc. (which she doesn't even mention) , also work by helping increase our prolactin, or by some other means??? Because if they work by some other means, then perhaps they will be even more helpful to us than the prescription ones that aim only to increase prolactin.

This is a complex topic that hasn't had a whole lot of studies done on it!

I do think that our hormones play the biggest part in to what extent our supply changes, but I can't help but feel that adding some helpful herbs, etc. into my diet can only help. Or at least, I hope that it will be helpful to my system & give it that little boost!
post #42 of 58
4/26/07 at 1:21am
This is my first post in the due in forum.... I kinda wanted to wait a bit to make sure all is well with the bean.

Thought I'd jump in this thread because I am also nursing while pregnant, in fact I am tandem nursing my 4 1/2 yr old and 2 1/2 yr old. My first sign of pregnancy was very tender nips, I actually looked up info on thrush cuz I thought that might be the cause. Nope, it's pregnancy! Right now it just hurts right as they latch on and my supply seems to be okay so far.

DS 1 was 15 months old when I got pg with DS 2 and there was no way he was ready to wean. I had difficulty with nipple pain/feeling touched out/low supply/BH cntrx when I was pg that time, so I know what to expect this time. I'm actually hoping DS 1 will wean before the baby is due. Right now, he nurses 2-3x a day and DS 2 nurses 6-8x a day. While I have really liked tandem nursing and letting my boys follow their own path to weaning, I am also relishing the thought of nursing just one baby again. I'm just playing it day-by-day, I guess.
post #43 of 58
4/26/07 at 3:00am
MySunflowerBoys, welcome to the DDC. You're quite the experienced tandeming mama!

So, if progesterone is the culprit, and the other remedies are prolactin boosters, then it really might just be out of our hands. I'll poke around and see if I can find anything enlightening on this bit of physiology. If I do, I'll post it here.
post #44 of 58
4/26/07 at 2:09pm
I think that my DS is self weaning. My already low supply tanked or the taste changed maybe. He hasn't nursed the last 2 nights at all and I don't feel full or anything. I'm fine with that though since he is 2.5 years old and eats really well. Plus he is a cuddly guy so we do plenty of hugs and cuddles to make up for that bond. I guess we will see where it goes from here.
post #45 of 58
4/26/07 at 9:12pm
Nice to see I'm not the only tandeming pg mama here! I'm nursing my 6 yo and my 2.5 yo. So far my supply has dropped but not gone away completely yet - it did that fairly early on when I was pg with DS, so I'm wondering if the calcium/magnesium I'm taking is helping keep it around? I had been taking it while ttc to keep my cycle from wreaking havoc on my supply and have been taking it since pg, too. So far, so good, at least.

On the nipple soreness, I found that I was mildly sore at the beginning of the pg last time, and by the end it was really painful. I don't know if the cal/mag will help that, too (or if its effect is all in my head, lol), or if it's just too early to know. I plan to try using Lansinoh this time, as I have friends who swore by it when pg and nursing, so that may help some of you, too.
post #46 of 58
4/28/07 at 2:20pm
Still bfing my 14 month old and 5 weeks pregnant. My breasts are tender, but is still bearable, but when he plays with the other nipple, THAT is drivig me just bonkers...uuurrrggghhh:
post #47 of 58
4/28/07 at 2:22pm
OOOOO the twiddling, yes the twiddling is killing me too!!
post #48 of 58
4/28/07 at 2:59pm
OMG yes!! When he twiddles the other one..... ARGhhh it drives me crazy, too!:
post #49 of 58
4/28/07 at 8:21pm
Yup, big twiddler here too. Ug.

So far I haven't noticed a change in his nursing habits. I was wondering if something was going on with my milk because his stools had been loose (TMI!), but then I just noticed this afternoon that he'd gotten a new tooth. So I think everything's fine.



Glad to know tht Lansinoh may help down the road. I'll dig out my old tube & have it on standby.
post #50 of 58
4/29/07 at 4:51pm
Hi there! to all the tandem mamas!!! I'm about five weeks pg, and currently tandem-ing my 2.5yo DD1 and newly-turned 1yo DD2. I will probably encourage my older to wean over the next months. She is down to once a day, before bed, but sometimes asks at other times. She seems to be okay with redirecting then, but I have no idea how to nix the nighttime one.

Oh yeah, I just wanted to mention that I thought it was funny that I got my the day after I gave a mini-talk on breastfeeding and fertility. Got my AF at 4 months after both girls, even with constant nursing on demand and tandeming the second time. At least this time my littlest will be a little older when my supply drops--or maybe it won't this time! Here's hoping!!
post #51 of 58
4/29/07 at 11:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by susanrc View Post
If you don't mind me asking. What's with the avocado?? Is it suppose to help w/ less frequent night wakings or is it just a snack b-4 bedtime? I think I have tried just about everything, but my DD still wakes up ALOT It will be hard if she is still not sleeping through the night when the new baby comes.
Well it seems to help my dd to sleep longer, I don't know what it is about the avacado. Maybe because its fatty?
post #52 of 58
4/29/07 at 11:03pm
oh yes the twiddling is bad. I can hardly put my shirt on without wincing, let alone being pinched and poked!
post #53 of 58
4/30/07 at 12:12am
Still nursing my 16mo old here too, and 9 weeks pg w/ #2. No soreness yet, and I think my supply is still on track. I'm really trying to keep up with my fluid and food intake...some days it's a chore. DS is down to "breakfast" and bedtime, with the occasional naptime thrown in. I've been spotting on and off, and as much as I know DS needs to nurse, I can't help but wonder if there is a connection in my case between BF'ing and spotting. (I didn't spot at all when I was PG with him.) I won't wean DS, but I am losing sleep! I just need to keep faith in my body!
post #54 of 58
4/30/07 at 2:52am
nursing my 1 yr, 2wk old and expecting number2 xmas '07 I cannot STAND the twiddling/acrobatic nursing!! LOL,but I love nursing.
post #55 of 58
4/30/07 at 8:19pm
I found just a little more info on galactogogues. Cross posted:

A little information about galactogogues:
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/c...ctogogues.html

And this one: http://www.alive.com/428a2a2.php?sub...read_cramb=288
which states "Herbs that boost breast milk production are termed galactogogues and they work in one of three ways. Some have a direct hormonal action on the pituitary gland in the brain that is responsible for the secretion of prolactin, the hormone that initiates and maintains the flow of breast milk during lactation. Other herbs work directly on the breast tissue, stimulating the glands of the breast. The third mode of action is via the nervous system."

But I wonder WHICH herbs work in which ways?? It sure is an area with very little study done on it. No surprise there though, who's going to pay for such a study?? BigPharma would prefer no one ever used herbs, that's money out of their pockets.
post #56 of 58
5/1/07 at 7:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zjande View Post
I found just a little more info on galactogogues. Cross posted:

A little information about galactogogues:
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/c...ctogogues.html

And this one: http://www.alive.com/428a2a2.php?sub...read_cramb=288
which states "Herbs that boost breast milk production are termed galactogogues and they work in one of three ways. Some have a direct hormonal action on the pituitary gland in the brain that is responsible for the secretion of prolactin, the hormone that initiates and maintains the flow of breast milk during lactation. Other herbs work directly on the breast tissue, stimulating the glands of the breast. The third mode of action is via the nervous system."

But I wonder WHICH herbs work in which ways?? It sure is an area with very little study done on it. No surprise there though, who's going to pay for such a study?? BigPharma would prefer no one ever used herbs, that's money out of their pockets.

Just keep in mind that many galactagogues (fenugreek, for example) are not recommended during pg - there's more info here:

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milks...html#pregnancy

You can search by herbal name on Kellymom and see what other info is out there.
post #57 of 58
5/1/07 at 11:59am
twiddling...ugh!

we got her a 'ninny monkey'. it's a stuffed monkey that she gets when she nurses and she twiddles it's ears. soooooo much better than twiddling mommy's tender nipples!
post #58 of 58
5/1/07 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lechepatito View Post
Just keep in mind that many galactagogues (fenugreek, for example) are not recommended during pg - there's more info here:

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milks...html#pregnancy

You can search by herbal name on Kellymom and see what other info is out there.
Yep, that's been discussed. Check post #37.
Here's my link (read post #11) that lists galactogogues not contraindicated in pregnancy: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=491529
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