nursing while pregnant

[Mammo2Sammo]

I thought I would start a separate thread on nuring while pregnant. I expect we will be having lots of experiences that we will want to share.

We are still nursing (DS 2.4), but I am expecting that we will mostly be weaned when the new baby arrives, but am open to the idea of him continued nursing (at least a small amount)

He certainly loves his na-nas. He has been quite obsessed for most of his life. Some issues have been popping up that are making be think that he is ready to partially wean. (We just started going-to-nighttime-sleep weaning.)

so we will see.

One of the reasons why we waited until DS was this age was because of how important nursing has been to him, and I just didn't want a pregnancy (and my inability to not nurse while pregnant) to cause him to stop nursing so soon.

[merrick]

We are still nursing here too. My nipples are so sore, but it is worth it! DS loves his milkies. I'm not sure if he will wean or not, but if not I am prepared to tandem nurse. Ds will be three next month.

[dharmama]

Great idea!!

I'm nursing my DD (14 mos) and open to whatever the coming months bring in terms of her nursing. I am really drawn to the idea of tandem nursing so I hope she keeps up her nursing through my pregnancy...or if she weans towards the end that she picks up nursing again when the new baby comes.

It will be sad for me if she weans completely but we really want our children to be close in age so this felt like the right time for pregnancy.

Only very slight nipple discomfort at this point. :o

~Erin
:love

[minimunklemama]

well my nipples feel as though they are going to fall off right now :LOL so we'll see what's left of them :nut but DS can wean when he wants as long as everything goes fine :thumb

[Naughty Dingo]

:hola: My 17 month old is nursing quite a bit as well. She is also extremely attached to nursing and don't think she is keen on backing off. I am fine with it, but it will be new territory.

How much does the milk supply drop? When? Does nursing in pregnancy add a lot to your fatigue?

i am really curious to see how it is all going to work out. I can't wait to learn from the other Mamas in this thread.

[maybebaby]

Also nursing :p but haven't had any soreness or anything yet. Of course, he's had strep throat for the last few days :( so hasn't been nursing much at all.

Like I mentioned in the other thread, Maddie weaned before the middle of my pg with Mace iirc. I'm not sure what to expect this time, though he loves his nurnies. The last few days he's just been laying his head on them and hasn't seemed to miss them much otherwise. I guess when he gets to feeling better we'll see if he goes right back to nursing or not.

[busybusymomma]

Well, I *think* I'm pregnant. The tests have been very faint (the + and - tests from Dollar General and an e.p.t.). AF is late so I guess this is it, just really hopign and praying it's not a chemical pregnancy or something.

Anyway, I'm nursing ds who is 28 months and I'd be surprised if we don't end up tandem nursing. Luckily, I just got Adventures in Tandem Nursing a week ago on the TP. :thumb

I nursed dd while I was preggers wtih ds, but she weaned when I was 2 months pregnant. She was more independent than ds and ready to wean I guess!

[Mammo2Sammo]

I'm 5 weeks today, and the nipple pain isn't too bad. It feels as if he has been nursing for hours at a time(although only 10 minutes) - that kind of tenderness. I keep on telling myself "as long as it doesn't get any worse, we will be ok" ha ha I think I can safely assume that it will get worse, but hopefully not terrible.

We changed our night time routine so that nursing is at the very beginning (before quiet play, stories, songs and cuddle). Nursing used to be at the very end to get him to sleep. THat really hasn't worked for the past couple of months. THe struggles we were experiencing were creating an unhealthy nursing relationship. What we are now doing is really helping lighten up the bedtime routine and making a healthier nursing relationship.

I am hoping that once we get both bedtime and naptime to go smoothly without nursing, I will feel comfortable nursing the handful of other times during the day he asks to nurse, and feel that we can continue nursing as my pregnancy progresses.

[busybusymomma]

Poor dh, he was hinting at needing to get one off the boob so I had to tell him that's why I have two. :wink

I'm surprised but I haven't had any soreness or pain at all... and I did with PMS. I'm hoping it stays that way :fingersx: I did have a bit of that fingernails on a chalkboard feeling when dd was still nursing in early pregnancy with ds, but she was in that climbing around all over the place stage and that just doesn't work!

I'm reading Adventures in Tandem Nursing and it has some good hints for nursing during pregnancy...

[Mamabeakley]

My guy is 18 mos is very attached to his boobahs. I am nak right now, actually.

He nursed WAY more than normal for a few days b/f I got my bfp. He's kind of evened out again, but mind you, that means he's back to an average of 10 - 12x in 24 hours!

I want to nurse him at least until he's 2, so I am going to be REALLY unhappy if my milk dries up/he decides it tastes yucky/etc. Not to mention how he would feel!

So I guess this is one of the few worries I have right now about this pg. But other than nursing on demand (within reason) and keeping my fluids & eating up, I think I just need to stay aware of what's happening with our nursing and keep a positive attitude.

This is also a little emotional for me b/c my mom weaned me @ 9 mos b/c she was pg w/my brother. I'd like to not do the same.

But he is going to have to learn to sleep w/out the boob in his mouth by May!

[Ksenia]

Hi to all you gestating mamas!

Just got a :+ so I'm pretty excited! Hoping it's sticky.

Somehow I feel so "unprepared" for this PG. TTC was really dragging on and now I'm almost surprised to be PG now! I'm trying to remind myself of what you're supposed to do when PG.

Early symptom: extreme tiredness some nights. Actually, I'm pretty worried about that. I don't want to give up what little "me" time I have in the evenings.

Even more important, I'm hoping that PG won't interfere with ds' nursing. He is 22 mo and breastmilk is a pretty important part of his diet and daily routine at this point. Whatever happens I hope that it's a peaceful transition for all of us. I don't know about you but I've read horror stories about nursing while PG.

[merrick]

Ksenia- Congratulations!

What kind of horror stories have you heard?

[busybusymomma]

:wave Ksenia! I too was wondering what horror stories you've heard? My dd weaned when I was 2 months pregnant with ds and I'm nursing my 28mo now. If you need some encouragement, definitely read Adventures in Tandem Nursing!

[Ksenia]

I too was wondering what horror stories you've heard?

Mamas writing about nursing while PG feeling like their nipples were being pierced with glass - that kind of thing. Also weanings due to painful nursing in spite of the wishes of mama and child. Toddlers nursing for incredibly long periods because of reduced milk supply, etc.

[busybusymomma]

Yes, but there's lots of good stories too! My impression is that the book I mentioned has all kinds of stories, both weaning and tandem nursing. I need to pick it back up and get back to reading. :love

[dharmama]

i ordered a copy as soon as i got my :+ but it's back-ordered until mid-september. :irked:

[Naughty Dingo]

I'll have to put that one on reserve at the library. Thanks for the suggestion.

[merrick]

Well I definitely know what they mean with the nipples pierced by glass thing. I feel that way sometimes when ds latches on. But after that it's better as long as he doesn't wiggle around so much. As long as it stays the way it is, we should be fine. DS loves his milkies, but if he does wean I think it'll be ok because he's almost three. I haven't decided what I want to do if he does wean and then want to nurse again after the baby comes. I'll probably let him, but I'm not sure.

I'm ordering Adventures in Tandem nursing tonight. THey didn't have it at my library. :irked:

[busybusymomma]

My Library didn't have it either :irked: but I found a copy on the TP for something like $5 or $7ppd. :thumb

She talks about the initial pain of latch-on in the intro or chapter one and mentions how it helps to teach active nursers to sit or lay still while nursing. Most of our kiddos are old enough now to be able to make it more of a two-way relationship, unlike those newborn and infant days. :wink Ds has done pretty well so far, although sometimes I have to keep him from climbing on my head! :LOL

[Mammo2Sammo]

My milk production has significantly decreased already.

I didn't think it would bother ds, but I still wondered if he would be interested in weaning due to lack of milk. I asked him several times today "is there any milk" he unlatched, smiled "no mama no milk" and relatched and kept on nursing.

[Naughty Dingo]

Now that sounds challenging. My DD is Ms. switchy pants. On and off every 30 seconds for the entire nursing. Oy. I am starting to feel a bit of soreness but nothing too bad. I am hoping it won't be too uncomfortable. I always have terrible soreness and discomfort in the first few newborn months, I wonder if that is because the pregnancy hormones are still around in the body a bit? I hope it doesn't mean I will have soreness during PG......

[mamacatsbaby]

I'm not nursing while pregnant but I've posted in just about every thread here in the May Mama's forum so, :wave , hope things are well! :thumb

[starlein26]

so far things are ok for us. i felt a lot of nipple soreness around the time i was ovulating and for a few days after and now things have mellowed out a bit. my breasts are pretty sore though, which i don't remember being that bad with ds? anyway, if things stay like this i can handle it...i'm worried about having a big, uncomfortable belly and have him paw all over me. :nut

[gabry]

Here too, nursing my 24 month old ds. Don't know if we'll be tandem nursing, but certainly open to the idea. Ds' sitter just had a baby that she's nursing, and I think it's cool he sees that, and who knows, maybe later on it'll help him prepare for the fact that his baby sibling will be drinking from his 'mammies' too. Not too many other women around here who nurse, and definitely not in public.
Looking forward to getting to know all of you.
And hey, Merrick, Dharmama and Ksenia, nice to see you again here!

[Ksenia]

Well, I am definitely starting to feel sore. Some times are worse than others, but I am feeling pretty tender, and that typically hasn't been a problem before. Also, the twiddling is much more uncomfortable as my nipples are more sensitive. I encourage ds to use "flat hands" when touching my breasts, but I have to remind him a lot. I think they are just hardwired to twiddle <sigh>. I'll be OK if it doesn't get worse. I really hope it doesn't get worse.

Nice to see you mamas from the TTC while nursing thread! I remember the horrible expecting group (not on mothering) that I used to lurk on when I was last PG - I feel so much more comfortable here...

[busybusymomma]

Noticing a little bit of soreness now, it's bearable. It's just when he first latches on! :fingersx: Hopefully that's all we'll have to deal with!

How is everyone else doing?

[starlein26]

a little more nipple soreness and feeling a little more annoyed when ds nurses...i feel *so* empty too?

[Loki]

Well, add me to the list of May-2006 mama's nursing. I got a ++ test yesterday morning (due 5/16/06), and am still nursing my 26 month old. Slight nipple soreness now, and I acutally got engorged (!?) for the first time in forever last week after going most of the day w/out nursing - is that weird?

I'm hoping he'll wean over the course of the pregnancy, but he's still very attached, so we'll see what happens.

[busybusymomma]

Congrats Loki and :w! :)

[Ksenia]

Latch-on is getting pretty painful now :( . I've never had pain during nursing issues before so I'm not sure how to deal with it. Plus ds has bit me a couple of times in the last few days - that's bizarre because he's not a biter. I'm wondering if it's teething (the first of his 2-year molars has almost completely emerged) or if it's related to my PG?? I am trying to hide the pain I feel while nursing for the time being - ds gets really upset when he hurts me during nursing.

Otherwise I'm feeling good. At 5 wks though, I'm wondering whether I will have the horrible nausea that dogged me from weeks 6-14 last time. I'm sleeping more which is mixed - more rested, but less personal time.

Strangely, ds has started playing "baby" very often in the last few weeks! Pretending to crawl, etc. He knows an 11 mo and suddenly seems to be preoccupied with being just like him. When he's with other kids he involves them in his game and usually I then have two "babies" competing for my attention, my hugs, my lap, etc. So I participate by saying "I have enough hugs for two babies, I have a big enough lap for two babies", etc. I find the timing of this game fascinating. It's almost like he is subconsciously preparing himself for the new baby, coming to terms with it through play.

[strawberryprincess]

i haven't had any nipple/breast pain yet...hoping that lasts.

but i've noticed my breasts feel very empty...even my bra cups are fitting more loosely. even when she goes a long time without nursing, they still don't have the fullness they used to just two weeks ago. hmmm...i was under the impression taht milk supply doesn't diminish until around the end of first trimester/second trimester. so i'm surprised. maybe it depends on how much dc are nursing before pregnancy?...dd is only nursing 2/3 times a day. she's also nursing a lot longer at a time, and yesterday she said "na-na all gone. other side?" so i'm wondering if it has decreased. i'm okay with her weaning soon. i'm okay with tadem nursing. whatever happens.

[Willzmama]

Still nursing my 29 mo. old ds here...and experiencing painful latch-ons! :crap I can bear it, if this is the worst it will be. However, if nausea comes like my last pregnancy - :sick I just don't know!

I will be okay with ds weaning during this preg. I kind of hope he will. But na-nas are still very important to him. So we shall see!

[Mammo2Sammo]

My milk is gone. THis is the fifth day it's been gone, and i am only 6 weeks today. Nursing is quite painful. It mostly does not put him to sleep, which is a problem for naptime.

If it doesn't get much worse than this, I can imagine doing limited nursing throughout the pregnancy.

[starlein26]

Loki--

:D :D c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s ! ! :D :D

i wish you the very best!

[starlein26]

My milk is gone. THis is the fifth day it's been gone, and i am only 6 weeks today.


how do you know that? just wondering because i feel like mine is gone too...i'm constantly 'empty' feeling. did you try to pump?

[busybusymomma]

how do you know that? just wondering because i feel like mine is gone too...i'm constantly 'empty' feeling. did you try to pump?
I wondered too.. I tried to pump a few months ago for a friend's baby and just couldn't get but an ounce or so but ds is over 2. I know he still gets milk though because he'll do that milky grin as he slides off my lap and goes running off.... at least he was last week. :scratch

[gabry]

Strawberryprincess, I remember reading too that milk supply usually starts dropping between 12-18 weeks, but I guess there is a wide variation and everyone is different of course. I definitely still have milk (can see a drop now and then after he unlatches), but he has been nursing more frequently and longer, so maybe it is going down a little. Nipples starting to get sore too. This happened in last pregnancy too, but didn't notice a thing the first time around. Of course, I wasn't nursing a toddler that time... :D

[Mammo2Sammo]

There are a few ways that I noticed there was no longer any milk.

1. I could no longer see any swallows.
2. When I asked if there was any more, he said no.
3. When I unlatch him, there is no milky residue on my nipples.
4. When I try to express milk with my hands, I don't get anything. For a while, I was able to get a tiny drop out of one milk duct, and now even that is gone.
5. The feeling of nursing has changed. I also feel empty when he sucks. ALthough, he rarely does deep sucking, he is more interested in lazy, comfort sucks.

[susannella]

I don't have any discomfort at all- yet, but I'm not yet 5 weeks.

During my first pregnancy, my breasts became very tender,and I had to wear a bra 24/7. i don't remember nipples being sore, though. Hoping for the same this time.

My daughter is only a year old, so I am very concerned with her continuing to nurse, for lots of reasons. I will be reading Adventures (I can borrow it from lll) and look forward to others' thoughts.

I plan to start oatmeal for breakfast, and will ask my midwife for other galactagogue recommendations. I've heard that fenugreek isn't good during pregnancy, so I'm holding off on using that. I will also try to pump twice a day or so to stimulate more production. Is this a waste of time when I'll just lose my milk eventually anyway?

[strawberryprincess]

susannella, i read that kale helps increase milk supply, and since it's a leafy green, it must have folic acid, so it has to be good for pregnancy :)

tonight my breasts are feeling much fuller...the other day they felt empty, but i was still able to express. dd has increased her nursings (5x's yesterday) so maybe that has increased my milk supply. pregnancy and nursing are such mysterious things sometimes...

[dharmama]

Strawberry ~ Good to know about the kale. I have a bunch on my counter right now that I've been trying to figure out what the heck to do with. Guess I'll have to pull out that issue of Mothering with all the good greens recipes! :thumb

Susan ~ I'm also doing daily oatmeal. DD and I had it for lunch today (because we both love our eggs for breakfast!! We have chickens so we get nice fresh eggs! :yum ) And I also made oatmeal cookies this week!

Mammo2Sammo ~ How are you doing? A couple of days ago I experienced many of the things you listed.

No swallowing noises.
Short, fluttery nursing.
Tried to self-express when she finished and nothing came out.

But then later in the day I heard her swallowing and I self-expressed when she pulled off and hit her in the face with milk! :LOL :shrug

I am trying to be more aware of what DD is eating/drinking. Up 'til now I've really just been letting her play/experiment with eating food. I have not paid any attention to how much she eats/drinks etc. because she's been nursing so much. But the last few days I've been more aware of making sure she eats decent meals...healthy snacks. I even tried introducing a bit of cow's milk in a sippy cup. You should have seen her face when she got some in her mouth (up to now she's only had water in her sippy). She wouldn't swallow it.

Anyway...DH needs me now. Gotta run...

~Erin
:love

[provocativa]

Introducing here. . . . faint positive this am but have felt preggo since before last short AF. DD (27 months tomorrow) noticed a dip in supply after conception, and oatmeal has helped. More later. . . .

[busybusymomma]

Hi provocativa! :wave

I noticed some fullness this afternoon after a long day of running errands and a park trip... dh only nursed once from about 5am this morning until 2pm. I was glad to notice a bit of fullness, means there's milk still there! :banana

[starlein26]

Introducing here. . . . faint positive this am but have felt preggo since before last short AF. DD (27 months tomorrow) noticed a dip in supply after conception, and oatmeal has helped. More later. . . .

:D :D c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s ! ! :D :D

i wish you the very best! that's so funny that she noticed a 'dip', how did she let you know?

[Mammo2Sammo]

still no milk :(
I'm not terribly surprise. I never had an abundant milk supply.
We are doing ok. I'm not thrilled with the feeling of nursing while empty. I have shortened nursing sessions a lot, but I feel comfortable with that and DS seems to be doing ok.
I am becoming more aware of what DS is eating, since I no longer have the security of him getting nutrition through breastmilk.
One negative side effect is that DS morning breath is stinky!!!!
I think the breastmilk would wash away some morning germs (and possibly fight them?).

[radish]

hey mamas
nursing 28mo old DD, no signs of a dip in supply (yippee!) but i have been eating oatmeal like crazy too.

dharmamom - how lovely to have fesh eggs :)

regina

[cicerosum]

I have a question!!!

I nursed my son while pregnant with my third, and I HAD to stop at 3 months, the pain was so excruciating, I cried everytime he latched on.

Anyway, is it possible that this pregnancy might be different? I would love to keep nursing Plum throughout.
TIA!

[busybusymomma]

I have a question!!!

I nursed my son while pregnant with my third, and I HAD to stop at 3 months, the pain was so excruciating, I cried everytime he latched on.

Anyway, is it possible that this pregnancy might be different? I would love to keep nursing Plum throughout.
TIA!
I think it could vary from pg to pg. So far :fingersx: I've had no problems at all... dd weaned when I was 2mo or around 8 weeks pg with ds and I'm almost 6 weeks along now and ds shows no signs of stopping.

Regina, glad to hear things are going well. Oatmeal is a good idea! I have a five grain oatmeal in the fridge from Bob's Red Mill that's supposed to be pretty tasty if soaked overnight in milk. :yum Gotta try that.

[provocativa]

Well, my daughter was miss switchypants from the moment of conception- before implantation! She said things like 'milk not come out'. We started eating steel cut oatmeal for breakfast every day, and my supply has come back up. I've also read, thanks to another mdc mama, that a pregnancy tea with nettles, red rasberry, dandelion, and alfalfa can help milk production (www.homemakingcottage.com/mother/takeherbs.html). I feel like it's a little early on to start that tea- but will try it when the bean gets bigger. I had one of those days yesterday when I didn't feel pregnant and so got paranoid that my re-adequate milk supply was a sign of a not so adequate baby.

[busybusymomma]

Well, my daughter was miss switchypants from the moment of conception- before implantation! She said things like 'milk not come out'. We started eating steel cut oatmeal for breakfast every day, and my supply has come back up. I've also read, thanks to another mdc mama, that a pregnancy tea with nettles, red rasberry, dandelion, and alfalfa can help milk production (www.homemakingcottage.com/mother/takeherbs.html). I feel like it's a little early on to start that tea- but will try it when the bean gets bigger. I had one of those days yesterday when I didn't feel pregnant and so got paranoid that my re-adequate milk supply was a sign of a not so adequate baby.
Oh, that's cool. I have everything but the dandelion on my pg tea already. :thumb

I'm paranoid too... yesterday we went swimming in a friend's pool and I was freaking out afterwards about being in the chlorine. :o

[Mammo2Sammo]

This afternoon while nursing ds to sleep, I heard a little gulp. We unlatched and there was milk on my nipple! I think there is only a very little milk, but that is fine. I haven't checked if there is milk in my other breast.
Last night before going to bed (hadn't nursed DS in many hours). I was feeling sharp shooting pains in my breast - starting from inside and traveling, what felt like, up my ducts. I wonder if that was when my milk was coming back.

[nitareality]

Just saying hi as a fellow nursing prenant mama. We aren't really having noticeable supply issues, but the taste must have changed, because his nursing pattern has. I really hoped to continue to nurse past two so I'm hoping that this is a temporary thing and that we keep on trucking. :D