Who is nursing?

[chocomoto]

My youngest is 21 months and still nursing very often. I've been lactating for 4 years now! With my last pregnancy ds#1 was also 21 months when I got pregnant and my milk started to change at around 12 weeks.

This was a very difficult time for him! I'm hoping that ds #2 is not going to have such a rough time.

What are your experiences?

[Pam_and_Abigail]

My dd is 20 months, and I'm due Jan 17, so we have that in common. This'll be # 2 for us, so I have no idea what to expect with my milk. I just worry about morning sickness? What if I'm vomiting up all my food? How does that affect my nursling?

[chocomoto]

Did you get sick last time? If you did you should plan on pretty much the same thing this time around.
I think that if you are not underweight now you should be fine. I remember reading somewhere that if your caloric intake drops below 1500 calories then you will have small reduction in milk production, but your milk production is going to be changing anyway!

In general I found it much easier to continue nursing. At least if you are tired or sick you can lie down and nurse and have a quiet moment. The only problem is that when the milk changes they notice! My ds was "difficult" for a few months and I didn't realize why until later. Up until then, we were really in synch with each other and then all of a sudden he was acting kindof nutty. It could have just been the age, but I think not.

I'm just hoping I won't have the same thing happen this time with ds#2.

[3_opihi]

My ds is 14 months and I'm still nursing him. I've been nursing for four and a half years straight now.

Its funny that you mention that your son acted nutty when your milk changed. My ds has been acting really clingy and whiny and nursing all the time (especially at night). And my milk supply is so low. I haven't had the super sensitivity like I did with my second pregnancy-but maybe its still too early?

Anyway it'll be interestinng to see how nursing with this pregnancy goes because with my last one the nurser was 2 1/2 instead of one year.

[lovebugmama]

Hi everyone, I'm nursing too. My ds will be 16 mos. soon. This is my 2nd so I don't know what to expect with the nursing/pregnancy thing. I feel pretty sad that I may lose my milk and ds may wean. I love nursing him and really want to be able to tandem. Do any of you have experience with tandeming?

[chocomoto]

I tandem nursed my 1st and 2nd and it worked out great for us. My son was never jealous of his brother and I feel that nursing was a big factor in that.

During my second trimester, nursing was difficult. My supply dropped and at times I felt extremely annoyed and uncomfortable when he nursed. But this passed and we continued. After his brother was born, he was happy that there was lots of milk again! I always let the baby nurse first.

When the baby was born, my 1st seemed so big to me compared to the baby. I can understand how some people think " oh, he's big enough now....it's ok to wean" but he was only 28 months and still really needed me. I'm happy that he could continue nursing until one day at 3 1/2 he said to be "mommy, I'm big now, I don't need boobies anymore". That was one of the sweetest things he has ever said to me!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

1500 calories, eh? I'm not sure how much food that is, but with my last pg, my morning sickness wasn't that severe. I threw up about once every 2 weeks for the first part of it, but it continued through most of the pg. The last time I threw up was at 7.5 months. DD hasn't been eating well off and on for a couple months. I think it's been teething. She got 3 molars at once, and then there was a break for a couple weeks, but now three eye teeth are coming in almost simultaneously. It just seems like she's relying on bm quite a bit right now. She eats about one bit of each meal or food we offer, with only a few exceptions. I really hope my milk stays as constant as possible for her.

[Marysmama]

So far, I'm nursing my 16 mos dd. Nurses to go down for a nap, and once during the night. And then maybe 2 other times during the day. However, she eats solids really well. At least three meals a day plus snacks.

Let's hope we all have easy transitions.

[Artemisia]

you know I never thought I would tandem nurse but I don't see my 27 month old quiting any time soon. Don't know much about tandem nursing...so far (a little over 4 weeks pregnant) it has not been difficult though I have lost a few pounds. Are they any additional nutritional requirement for pregnant women who are still nursing?

[hollyhobbie]

oh boy, maybe i should feel guilty saying this...well, scratch that, i do. i am hoping that my dd weans when i get to my second trimester. i love nursing but i cant stand the all night nursing anymore and am exhausted. the daytime stuff is fine and i think i could work through it but the thought of them both nursing (taking turns!!!!) all freakin night makes me want to cry. i dont expect to sleep all night but loo woke 8-10 times per night until recently. now 3X is a good night but the last bit it has been more frequently again. she is nursing tons during the day too right now as if she suspects something is up. i tried not nursing her last night and just comforting her but she screamed blue murder so i will have to rethink and regroup if i really want to try and nightwean. i feel almost resigned to the fact that she will not stop nursing anytime soon night or day but i am not sure how i will cope. at times i figure it will probably make it easier the whole sibling thing if i do. anyways, adventures in tandem nursing is being shipped right now from amazon to my door step so maybe it will encourage me. i am soooooo crossing my fingers that the next one sleeps and is maybe just a tad more mellow. BUT since allergies probably play a role i dunno.

[kkelleyw]

Meghan's still nursing at 20 months, and I've noticed that she's preferring to nurse while on her boppy pillow again. Also, she's nursing a lot more often than before I realized I was pregnant--and she's gained 2.5 lbs in the past 2 weeks! Growth spurt? Supply decrease? I have no idea. She's also been a little nutty--not wanting to play with younger kids anymore.....age? phase?

I have to admit, I'm baffled. This is my second pregnancy, so I don't really know what to expect. Glad others are sticking it out too! We can learn together!

Kelley

[pixiexto]

My daughter will be 22 months next week & we're still going strong! She has shown some disapproval with my milk, but whether it's taste or quantity I'm not sure - - sometimes she'll just pop off, frown at them, give them a poke or two, then resume nursing (can't be that bad, I guess... ;))

I am really interested to see what happens with this pregnancy. I know of some women who say that 12 weeks is the cut off when supply dries up, but others say their toddlers nurse happily throughout. I guess we'll see!

[hollyhobbie]

ok, i am reading adventures in tandem nursing and it IS very inspiring. i am no longer hoping that boo weans. if she does then that is ok but i am feeling better about getting through the tough stuff and carrying on. also just taking it one day at a time rather than worrying about what will happen when the next one is born!!

[Kerrie]

DS is 13 months and going strong - I'm fully expecting to tandem. DD weaned at 20 months - I was about 6 months PG with DS and just couldn't take the night nursing anymore(she was nursing 6-8x/night for 45+ minutes and it hurt so I coudn't sleep through it) so I tried to nightwean her and she decided to go all of the way. We'll see what happens this time.

[Nelybel]

Wow - I'm so glad you guys are here and going through this too. My only negative thought about being pregnant is worry about how this will affect ds and nursing. I'm planning to tandem (having no idea how that really works) and I'm very concerned about losing my milk. I've not been pumping for about a year but am considering starting up again so I can have a little supply of milk for the low months. Is that crazy? Anyone else ever done that?

DS is almost 16 months and going strong with night and nap nursing. When out around people he isn't very interested though.

J

[hollyhobbie]

nelybel, if you can get a hold of a copy of adventures in tandem nursing i highly recommend it because it talks about all different ways of things happening. including older babies stopping for a bit then starting up again. my success story is that i talked to boo about nursing at night and we counted to 3 together and i told her she could have noo-noos 3X when we were in bed. this was about 4-5 nights ago and she has slept like a dream since the most she has done is 3 X but mostly 1-2 times. dunno if it is b/c of a cold she has, less milk or just compassion on her part (or all 3) but it is heaven. the only strange part is i am MORE tired now that i am getting more sleep. i guess i am so used to no sleep!! or sumthin?? anyways, i am so glad that things are working out for us.

[Tuckersmom]

My DS is 19 mo and still nurses like a 3 mo old...seriously, ever 2-3 hours. I don't mind and plan on tandem nursing. Are my breasts supposed to hurt already. I thought that I read somewhere that it was in the 2nd trimester...I could just be making that up? I'm just worried that I might have thrush and not know it. Why suffer if I could do something about it YKWIM? Anybody else sore?

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I've been sore for a week and a half, mostly when she first latches on. My dd is 20 months.

[Tuckersmom]

Phew, that makes me feel a bit better!

[pixiexto]

My nipples are quite sore too. It's not unbearable or anything, but definitely a little uncomfortable!

[Tuckersmom]

When Tucker latches on at night, I jump if I'm not ready for it. Ouch! Its bearable, but definitely painful!

[hollyhobbie]

lucky me! i am not sore yet but i thought i would be by now. not much milk sometimes i think. loo has started eating like crazy and it is funny. it is hard to keep up b/c i am so used to her nursing lots and just picking at food. she ate inari sushi (tofu/rice) the other day and i was shocked. usually she avoids anything she has to chew!!! she has been chewing other stuff too. its kinda sad b/c it seems like she is growing up all of a sudden. i am relieved but also do see the whole rite of passage thing happening!

i feel for the mommas who are sore. my hats are off to you. it would and will get me down when that happens.

[mama-mukti]

I am 8 weeks pregnant and DD is 28 months and nurses 3 x in a 24-hour period: Early morning, naptime, and evening/bedtime. We recently night-weaned just because no-one was getting any sleep and I discovered that the night nursing was actually keeping her up. Anyway, I have noticed a huge decrease in supply but I think it is a combination of the cutting back on nursing to begin with and then the pregnancy on top of that. I have no soreness at all. In fact, we struggled for the past 9 months with eczema and that hurt more than anything - now it actually feels pretty good to nurse! We are gently encouraging her that she won't need to nurse much longer because she is a big girl. I would probably be okay with nursing two - but I think it is just time.

[milk4two]

I'm nursing my toddler and my preschooler.

[hollyhobbie]

mama-mukti, did you have excema? or the baby? what did you do to treat it if you dont mind me askin? baby-loo has pretty extreme excema (although when we took her to children's hospital, they didnt think so and said she would outgrow it!) she has allergies to eggs and cats. but it definitely seems to be cyclical and foods in the end dont appear to affect it as much as who knows what. sunshine helps. it's a toss up b/c protopic works but it scares us and definitely depresses her immune system as in she gets sick everytime we use it. we also had some special cortisone with water made up and it works but i worry about that too!! anyway, sorry to hijack the nursing thread.

[Worldshakerz]

I am nursing my 15 month old ds. And he has really started to nurse so much more and has also been fussier/clingier than his normal easy going self. I just got the positive news yesterday, but this started a few weeks ago about when I would have conceived. And a few weeks back, a couple of times I would be nursing ds back to sleep but he would stop nursing and give the food sign. So maybe my supply is already going down some? Or maybe it's just tasting different...I can still squirt milk out with my fingers (ds thinks that's hilarious) so there's got to be at least a moderate supply still going. My sore nipples are what clued me in to being pregant as I haven't had a period since just before I conceived ds1! I do hope the nipple soreness diminishes. I've heard it does for some, but not for others.