breastfeeding and pregnant

[annalaura]

hey everyone!
i just took 2 pregnancy tests today and they both came out positive...im going to take another in the morning...i cant believe it! i am so nervous and excited and scared that i could possibly be pregnant again. my son is 17 months old and nurses all the time. i am really worried about my milk supply dropping during pregnancy,i know he's not ready to wean yet. i reeeeealllly want to nurse through this pregnancy and after so is there anything that i need to do to keep my milk supply good while being pregnant? any special herbs? tips? pointers? any info will be greatly appreciated! thank you so much!

[shellwalsh1]

I am in the same boat. 17 weeks pregnant with an 18 month old who nurses all the time. She only began eating solid foods last month. She ONLY BF'd before that. Before I knew I as preggo I noticed that she was nursing A LOT more frequently. I thought it was a growth spurt. I think it was a drop in my milk due to hormones. So expect that. But she continues to nurse very happily and I can hear her swallowing away so I know I am still making milk. I know my milk will change here soon to colostrum and I hear that many toddlers will wean themselves at this point because they don't like the change in taste. I also know that many will just keep on trucking! (I know I have kid B!) I don't think you really need to worry about a depleted source unless you may have had trouble all along. But, just like in the beginning if you continue to nurse on demand your body should supply. Although I have heard of some women who do dry up?? I don't know how common that is. Be careful with herbs and supplements, many are not okay while pregnant. Good luck!

[2shy2post]

DS was barely 11 mo when I learned I was pg with DD. He nursed throughout the entire preg and then we went on to tandem nurse for another 2 years. He CLW at 3.5 and she is still nursing.

Sometimes I had to "cut-short" a nursing session early in the pg b/c my nipples were WAY sore. Other than that... no real problems.

I would highly recommend "Adventures in Tandem Nursing". It covers nursing during pregnancy pretty well.

I'm not sure that there is anything you can do specifically to keep up supply during pregnancy. I agree with shellwalsh1, be very careful about herbs & supplements.

[andi2284]

I am 7 weeks pregnant and still nursing my 21 month old. There hasn't been a change in my supply yet, that I've noticed. My boobs are very sore though. Luckily, it only lasts the first minute, the subsides. I'm also nervous to see what will happen, I don't think she's ready to wean, but if she does, it will be her choice.

[pbjmama]

I just finished nursing my 23 month old through pregnancy (I'm now tandem with a 3 week old). It seems everyones experience differs. I only "lost" all my milk for a week or two and then around 22 weeks colostrum came in. I think alot of women are alarmed when their toddlers start to nurse more during pregnancy and they think they have no milk but really they do, just not as much. My DS was fine and nurse about the same as he always has, a minimum of 6 times a day. I didn't notice that he ever uped his solids much but he already ate alot. You can't do much to up your milk supply during pregnancy because it is hormone based now. Get your rest, eat and drink.