[amyable]

I'm currently 6 months pregnant, and my just turned 2yo still nurses a few times a day (in the morning, before/during nap, before bed, and maybe one or two other times if she asks).

The problem is, right now it is totally making my skin crawl - I feel like I *have* to make her stop or I'll go nuts! I have heard this is not uncommon when pregnant. Honestly, I've never LOVED nursing but do it for my kids and deal with the emotions myself.

Other than nursing during a nap (if I lie down and want to sleep myself, I'll let her stay latched on usually) her nursing sessions are usually short - a few minutes. I can do that for her. I'm worried that I will *continue* to feel this way after the new baby is born and I'm tandem nursing.

Has anyone had trouble (emotionally) nursing while pregnant but it got better once the baby was born and you were tandeming?

Thanks for any advice/stories.

 

[ChinaDoll]

nursing while pregnant is HARD.

That feeling went away IMMEDIATELY upon delivery; I was tandeming for the first time within the hour, and it was heavenly after all those months of creepy-crawlies. Hang in there!

 

[Collinsky]

Nursing Dd1 during the last part of my pregnancy was the hardest thing I've ever done. It did get better after the baby was born, and there was a "honeymoon" period where it was great. After a few months, that wore off and I got some aversion back, but I tn'ed for 10 months and it was a good experience. Nursing during pg was not a good experience, but tandem nursing made up for it.

My Dd2 weaned when I was pregnant, as soon as my supply changed and I started setting some limits due to the aversion, she lost interest. Ds will probably nurse no matter what, so I'm planning to TN again.

My advice is to find ways to distract yourself when she nurses - reading, tv, crossword puzzles, talking on the phone, ANYTHING that takes your focus away from the nursing. I loved the book Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, there is a chapter in there on nursing during pg, and I found it really helpful to refer to it again and again.

 

[Meredith&Alexander]

Yes, it was immediately and dramatically better immediately after Ford was born. Ditto the distraction thing- while I was nursing Alexander to sleep, I would listen to really annoying talk radio, just so there would be something more irritating than him nursing.

 

[ChinaDoll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meredith&Alexander Ditto the distraction thing- while I was nursing Alexander to sleep, I would listen to really annoying talk radio, just so there would be something more irritating than him nursing.

That's funny! I remember singing the 12 Days of Christmas while nursing her; it was my goal to get all 12 verses before asking her to unlatch!

 

[Juvysen]

I'm at 36 1/2 weeks... it's gotten worse. I can't wait til it's better again! Come soon, baby!

 

[icxcnika]

I went through something similar when I was pregnant and nursing my toddler. I remember distracting myself while nursing too, because of that "jump out of your skin and run away" feeling.

I think the drop in supply that often comes sometime during pregnancy has a role in making it less comfortable, and also that toddlers nurse differently than little ones.

Something that worked well for us was to limit the nursing times (I think this may even be in the "Mothering Your Nursing Toddler" (?) book). I would let my toddler know that we would be nursing until the count of ten or fifteen or whatever, then count slowly out loud and gently unlatch.

When my second babe was born and we began to nurse, I remembered how very different nursing a newborn was compared with nursing a toddler. Their tiny mouths and vacuum-suction is so different from the bigger, toothy, lazier latch of a toddler. Between that and my milk coming in, there was no uncomfortable sensation at all with nursing the new babe. I did tandem for awhile, which has its challenges and rewards....

Hope this helps!