Nursing through pregnancy -- tips?

Congratulations! I can totally relate, my dd was 11 months old when I became pregnant for ds! I will say it was uncomfortable nursing after I was about 4 months pregnant I think and sometimes even painful! However, I just tried to relax as much as I could, and it did get easier. I have heard good things about Adventures in Tandem nursing, I have not read it but plan to order it from LLL! I can say nursing did not affect ds however, he was 9 lbs, 7 ounces and only 8 days before my due date! I thought dd weaned when she was 17 months but then we went on to tandem nurse and we still are, she only took a little break. Anyway, just wanted to give you some support and encouragement! I think tandem nursing takes committment, just like extended breastfeeding does in general! Good luck to you!

i'm about 30 weeks pg and nursing my 2.5 yr old now. the first trimester was the toughest so far for me. my nipples were more sensitive then. my milk pretty much dried up early on, but my dd, the nursaholic, doesn't care. she still asks for milk-milk throughout the day. i think i do have a little colostrum now. i would have been surprised if dd weaned because she has always been such an avid and dedicated nurser. you know, i hear these accounts of kids who are easily distractable when nursing and mom has to go in a quiet room to get the baby to pay attention to the breast and quit pulling off to see what's going on. my dd is the exact opposite. she would stay on for hours in the busiest environment and not be distracted in the least. i almost always have had to pop her off before she would let go herself. so i think a lot of it depends on your child's personality and temperment about nursing. i have a friend who's ds weaned within a few months of her pregnancy because he didn't like the changes. you can do the regular things to keep up your milk supply -- oatmeal, plenty of water, there's a special herbal tincture available at health food stores and online for pregnant and nursing moms to keep up supply, but i think it's all really up to your little one. good luck with it.

hth

p.s. you might look in the "i'm pregnant" forum. there was a thread about nursing and being pg there a few months ago. don't know if it's still there or if it got pruned, but it might be helpful.

DEFINATELY get a copy of Hilary Flower's new book ADVENTURES IN TANDEM NURSING that came out this summer. It's a really great book - lots of mother's stories AND lots of the latest medical research related to this subject. I wish this book had been around the first time I nursed through a pregnancy. I corresponded with Hilary for a long time and my family is mentioned several times in the book. I can't say enough good things about it...this book was a long time coming and I think it's going to help so many moms!

For me, the hardest part was probably in the mid/late 2nd trimester when I had little or no milk both times. My DS nursed right through no problem and tandem nursed with DD1 for 16 mos. DD1 nursed through my "dry" period while I was expecting DD2...but she didn't like the colostrum when it came in and weaned during my 3rd trimester.

A supply dip in the middle of PG is pretty normal...the hormones that maintain the PG are what cause it. The best thing that you can do to minimize this problem is to stay well-hydrated, eat as well as you can and to nurse frequently.

Thanks for the tips. Things seem to be fine so far -- I'm a little more sensitive and annoyed by all the pinching and fiddling that ds likes to do while nursing, so I'm trying to limit that.

I will seek out the new book -- i seem to be hearing about it everywhere