For those who nursed during pregnancy (to the end)...

[AllyRae]

Did you go into labor before or after your due date? How did that compare to your first?

Everyone seems to like to tell me that because DS1 is still nursing 4-8 times a day that he'll make me go into labor before my EDD...but DS1 would have been much later than that if he weren't induced. Are people just full of it, or should I actually be prepared for an early bird? :LOL

[Lula's Mom]

My second child was 2 days past EDD, with dd nursing several times a day. :) I don't think nursing will affect the baby's arrival time at all; it's like other natural methods of induction (sex, manual nipple stim, etc.) If your body's not ready, it won't work. There are oxytocin receptors on your uterus that don't become active (to accept the oxytocin produced when you nurse) until the baby's done cookin'.

[HelloKitty]

My youngest was a week late and I was nursing his brother through to the end several times a day. :)

[Kleine Hexe]

I nursed my entire pg and even nursed during labor. I went into labor during the 40th week. Nursing is not going to make you go into labor early.

[AllyRae]

All right...it's official then. Other people are crazy... :LOL

[stafl]

yup, they're nuts! :nut

nursing, if you do it the entire pregnancy, does not kick labor in any sooner than labor would start anyway. No method of induction, medical or natural, will make labor start if your body is not ready.

DD1 nursed through my pregnancy (and still nurses occassionally) and the only time it ever made me have contractions was the night before baby was born, and even then, it was more of a false labor and just petered out a few hours after they started.

oh, to answer your question, she was born 1 hour shy of her EDD (at 11pm the night before she was due).

[AllyRae]

Wow...she was prompt! :LOL

[anonymommy]

First baby active labor 41+3
Second baby 41+1 after nursing through whole preg.

[Patchfire]

My first was born at 39w4d.

My second was born at 40w2d, nursing through the pregnancy. I sure WISHED the nursing would do something, at the time. :LOL

[Mallory]

My first was born on his due date- I wasn't nursing :wink

My second was born a year and a half later-- with a toddler who nursed day and night throughout my pregnancy-- and he was born the day after his due date.

[Rach]

Wow!
Thanks for the thread, it's good to know because I was wondering the same thing. :)

[eilonwy]

My son nursed through my pregnancy with BooBah. I never went into labor with her at all-- she was born at 39w1d by emergency c-section (she turned herself breech at 38w6d and prolapsed her cord; then she stood on it. :eyesroll :LOL).

I never had so much as a contraction, and he nursed *constantly*, especially toward the end. :LOL

[ctdoula]

My dd was born at 40w5d (spontaneous labor started 40w4d)

She nursed through my whole pregnancy. At the end, every night I would let her nurse as long as she wanted, praying it would start contractions. Many times it would, but they'd fizzle out as soon as she stopped.

My ds was born after inducing labor at 41w2d.

[stafl]

Wow...she was prompt! :LOL

and we had driven into the next time zone to have her, so if she had been born here instead, it would have been exactly midnight. :LOL

[Lousli]

Not to be the dissenting voice here...but my second was 7 weeks premature, as compared to number 1, who was 4 weeks early. But, I honestly think nursing had nothing to do with it. I did have lots and lots of contractions from very early on (like 17 weeks) but they didn't seem particularly tied to nursing. I didn't talk to my OB about nursing because I was afraid he'd tell me to stop. I do wish there was better research on this issue, because if I could have done something to keep dd#2 in a little longer, I would have. I just don't think weaning would have helped the contractions, and I know it would have been hard on my older. Still, it would have been nice to know for certain that the nursing wasn't a problem.

[kavamamakava]

In my experience and based on anecdotal evidence, nursing through a pregnancy causes babies to be born later. I think the stimulus from nursing gets the body used to it.

[crunchymomof2]

I nursed ds through my last pregnancy and my dd was exactly a week late. It didnt even cause contractions for me.

[Selissa]

ds1- 2 weeks late exactly
ds2- 1 week late exactly

ds1 nursed several times a day througout preg

[shelley4]

i went into labour 9 days after my due date for my firstborn.. .nursed him thru out the next pregnancy, and DD was born 6 days before her due date, then we tandem nursed together for 6 months :throb

[mom2threenurslings]

*There is absolutely no evidence that nursing during pregnancy causes preterm labor or that babies come any earlier when nursing during pregnancy.*

My experience:
My first was born at 41 w 2 days weighing 7 lbs 2 oz (I actually think I was 40 w and the OBs were wrong about my dates!).
I nursed him through pregnancy (9-18 months old) and my second was born at 41 w 1 d weighing 9.5 lbs. (I was in labor with him for three days and nursing my 18 month old 12+ times a day didn't help labor along at all!!!)
I then tandem nursed through pregnancy and dd was born, depending on which EDD you go by, at 40w 4d or 40w weighing 8 lbs 4 oz.
I'm currently tandem nursing through pregnancy again (I'm 31w 2d) - I'll let you know when this one decides to arrive! :)

[because]

In my experience and based on anecdotal evidence, nursing through a pregnancy causes babies to be born later. I think the stimulus from nursing gets the body used to it.

OK, I'm pretending I didn't just read this... :LOL DD was 12 days "late" (and I'm positive of my dates from charting.) How much later could DC #2 go?!

[AllyRae]

In my experience and based on anecdotal evidence, nursing through a pregnancy causes babies to be born later. I think the stimulus from nursing gets the body used to it.

LALALA...now I didn't want to hear *that* one.... :LOL I think I want the little guy to come out kind of on time and enjoy the nice yummy milk with his big brother...not hide in there extra!

(Um, yes...it's very hot out and I've been told a zillion times this week that I must be due sometime soon because I apparently look 9 months pregnant Except I'm only 34 weeks so these people just suck. :LOL )

Then again, it probably is easier to be pregnant with number 2 and have a 20 month old, than have a 20 month old and newborn when it's 98 degrees and humid and the toddler wants to live outside... :LOL

[applejuice]

I nursed #1 while pregnant with #2.

#1 was born at 39.5 weeks at 6# 2 oz.

#2 was born at 38 weeks at 6#.

I had mild polyhydramnios and the placenta was very loose and messy...two weeks before he was born, I seemed to be unable to get enough food to eat...I drank loads of raw milk with raw eggs and brewers yeast and granulated kelp to be sure I had enough nutrients in my system to nurse and gestate.

I did not nurse again during my two pregnancies that followed.

[MamaTaraX]

I've heard it can make babies come later. I think babies come when they're ready though, nursing or not :)

Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (6), Butterfly (2 next week!), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)

[applejuice]

:yeah:

ITA

[attachedmama2one]

With my 2nd I was 2 days past my edd (was charting so pretty accurate) and I nursed ds several times a day. In fact, I nursed him down for his nap, came downstairs and contx started within 30 min. Ate lunch and she was born a few hrs later. This time, I am currently 6 days past my edd, nursing (though not as much as last time - her choice) and my water just broke this am, no contx yet.

[Butterflymom]

I went into labor at 39 weeks and 5 days, after having my first 6 weeks early. I nursed everyday until the end. :)

[Sagesgirl]

My first was born...well, no one really knows when. It was either 1 day after her EDD or 16 days early. :LOL But she was induced due to bad pre-E.

My second was born at 35w 4d or so. That's what was written on my paperwork, anyway. She was born exactly one month before her EDD.

I have read, but don't know how true it is, that one preterm/premature birth predisposes you to others. I think it depends on what caused the prematurity.

[Mom2baldie]

With my 1st vaginal birth I was about 9 days early.

Then with my 2nd pregnancy I was nursing my 2.5 year old daughter MANY times a day and throughout the night during the whole pregnancy and I ended up giving birth 7 days past my due date. This baby was also bigger at 9 lbs 10 oz than my other children, which was something else I wondered about since I was still breastfeeding.

[mama de dos]

another 'late' 2nd baby here-

My first was born at 39 wks 1 day (absolutely sure of dates, since we had infertility tx to conceive). He was 7 lbs even. My water had been broken more than 60 hrs, so it actually broke on 38 wks 5 days. If I hadn't been so scared and had such a difficult hospital experience, I'm sure he would have been born a little sooner after rupture, with a much easier and less traumatic labor and birth for both of us. :(

During pg #2, I nursed ds1 VERY frequently throughout the pg and during labor (fun!!) :irked:

Ds 2 was born at home at almost 42 wks and weighed 8 lbs 4 oz.

What a difference! And what a wonderful comeback to those who told me that nursing during pg would make the baby come early and be small. HA! :LOL

Do whatever seems right for you and your babies. Best wishes! :)

[wasabi]

I was still nursing though very infrequently (her choice) through the end of my pg. DD#2 was the longest of any of my pgs at 40w4d. All my babies have been within a day or two of their EDDs so I don't think nursing really had any effect on it at all. I have a friend who went 4 weeks early with her #1 and then nursed him frequently throughout her second pg which lasted just shy of 42 weeks! So it seems I hear more stories like that than the nursing pg being shorter.