I hope I can get some advice here. I'm three months pregnant and I have a 7 month old who is a very wonderful and enthusiastic breastfeeder. I nurse him to sleep for all three of his naps and before bedtime, plus in the middle of the night whenever he wakes up. He does not go to sleep or return to sleep without being nursed (except on very rare occasions when he accepts just the pacifier in the middle of the night, or when he's in the Ergo or stroller for a walk and it's naptime). Also, he has never taken a bottle. We're now (because he's eating foods) trying to get him to drink water out of a sippy cup, which seems to be progressing slowly but....well, not quite surely....it seems to be progressing. I don't want to nurse both babies, because I think that would be way too overwhelming, especially in the middle of the night when they'd probably be waking up at different times, etc. So I decided I'll have to wean him a bit earlier than I had planned. I thought it would be best to have him fully weaned well in advance of the new baby's arrival, which will happen when my son is around 13 months old. I thought I would do this VERY gradually, ie, start now to replace one feeding per day with a bottle feeding, and then gradually increase, leaving nighttime for the final challenge. Has anyone had any experience with this?? Everything I find online, even here, talks about weaning toddlers during a mother's pregnancy, but I have found nothing about this Irish twin situation! It's hard because the little guy loves nursing so much and I have never 'let him cry' about anything! How can I get him to take a bottle of formula?? Is gradual best?? If anyone could share their experience, that would be wonderful. Thanks!
Pregnant with "Irish twin" and still breastfeeding 7 month old
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
I, too, am pregnant and nursing! My DD is 10 months old. I am about 8 weeks pregnant. I am slowly loosing my milk or I would definitely NOT stop breastfeeding. She is still breastfed, just not as often, as she doesn't seem to be getting much. I think it's just a comfort thing. We started supplementing with formula at daycare. Daycare gave her a 4 ounce bottle. 2 ounces was pumped breastmilk and 2 ounces was formula. She sucked it down like it was pure breastmilk. By the end of the first week she was getting straight formula and seemed to be just fine with it. I still pump, but only get about 1 ounce.
![]()
I'm hoping that my milk will come back further into this pregnancy and she can go back to breastfeeding. I know it's so important for her health. I have seen first hand the benefits when she gets a cold or something and after a few days of extra breastmilk, she's good as new! As far as both kids waking in the middle of the night to nurse, I'm hoping that by the time the new one comes, DD will be only waking once in the middle of the night. I think I can handle that. She would probably wake up because I was nursing her brother, so I would be up anyway. When he is done, I'll nurse her and we can all go back to sleep! Maybe it'll happen this way, maybe not.
At first I felt really guilty for getting pregnant and my milk drying up before my dd was ready to quit. I think I have come to terms with this since there is nothing I can do about it. I think the next best thing is to continue to encourage the relationship, even though she may not be getting much, so that when the next one comes along, she can start right back up where she left off.
Best of luck to you!
Congrats on the new bundle coming!
~Rachel
At first I felt really guilty for getting pregnant and my milk drying up before my dd was ready to quit. I think I have come to terms with this since there is nothing I can do about it. I think the next best thing is to continue to encourage the relationship, even though she may not be getting much, so that when the next one comes along, she can start right back up where she left off.
Best of luck to you!
Congrats on the new bundle coming!
~Rachel
Joined
·
3,328 Posts
I had to quit nursing at 7 months. DD went onto formula until she was 12 months.
Have you tried him with a bottle? Some babies take to it no problems (which can feel hurtful!).
That's the first thing i would do, try a bottle. If the bottle is taken fine then have a good think about the latest you possibly want to feed him. Then rewind by as much time as it would take to substitute one feed per day for 5-7 days, (i.e. 4 feeds a day would take 4 weeks to transition) and then just conitnue as you are until then. Once you begin to transition to bottles weaning is sometimes very relentless and fast and you can maximise the milk your little guy does get by waiting until you HAVE to transition.
Lots of women lose their milk in the 2nd trimester anyway, so your body may hasten the weaning for you, or it may not. Watch out for signs that supply is dropping and respond as you see fit at the time (i.e. nurse/rest more to try to boost supply, or substitute a bottle/solids).
You might feel differently about tandem feeding as your birth approaches (and you might not) so give yourself plenty of time to consider it. It would be a terrible shame to wean now and decide that actually you WOULD have liked to try it when he has already forgotten how to nurse.
And a quick (and definitely friendly!) heads-up while i'm here - "irish twins" is considered pretty un-PC by some (the Irish for starters!).
Have you tried him with a bottle? Some babies take to it no problems (which can feel hurtful!).
That's the first thing i would do, try a bottle. If the bottle is taken fine then have a good think about the latest you possibly want to feed him. Then rewind by as much time as it would take to substitute one feed per day for 5-7 days, (i.e. 4 feeds a day would take 4 weeks to transition) and then just conitnue as you are until then. Once you begin to transition to bottles weaning is sometimes very relentless and fast and you can maximise the milk your little guy does get by waiting until you HAVE to transition.
Lots of women lose their milk in the 2nd trimester anyway, so your body may hasten the weaning for you, or it may not. Watch out for signs that supply is dropping and respond as you see fit at the time (i.e. nurse/rest more to try to boost supply, or substitute a bottle/solids).
You might feel differently about tandem feeding as your birth approaches (and you might not) so give yourself plenty of time to consider it. It would be a terrible shame to wean now and decide that actually you WOULD have liked to try it when he has already forgotten how to nurse.
And a quick (and definitely friendly!) heads-up while i'm here - "irish twins" is considered pretty un-PC by some (the Irish for starters!).
Thanks for the insights! GoBecGo, I actually AM Irish, and come from a typically huge family to boot, so I feel pretty comfortable using the jokey term "Irish twins" although I suppose some people might be offended...Irish people tend to be known for their sense of humor though! But I do see your well meaning point! And thanks for the ideas on weaning. That was kindof what I was thinking too about the second trimester...it seemed almost inevitable that something would have to change so I just want to be prepared and do what's best for all of us. I was also thinking that it would take so much longer and have to be really gradual....but maybe not, as you note. That's good to keep in mind. I would like to 1) nurse him as long as possible, but also 2) give him as much time as possible to get used to not nursing before the new baby is here. So that complicates matters since those two things are at odds. You also have a good point about possibly changing my mind. That is ALWAYS a possibility! haha
Joined
·
3,328 Posts
My sad experience of weaning is that DD had actually forgotten how to nurse within 3 weeks of me weaning her. She never wanted to nurse anyway, she was too youn to demand, if you see what i mean. She was used to bottles of EBM and quite happy to take FF from those bottles too. She was far less traumatised that i was by it all!
So i doubt it'd be a huge issue if there was only 1 month between weaning your son and the birth of the baby, and in fact if you establish that he is fed from the breast once a day (which would of course offer huge health benefits even if it less than you might have been feding him if you hadn't fallen pregnant again) at a time of your choosing for the last month or so before the birth, he is unlikely to be able, at 13 months, to demand more or even particularly register that he's missing out because the baby is having it when he isn't.
So i doubt it'd be a huge issue if there was only 1 month between weaning your son and the birth of the baby, and in fact if you establish that he is fed from the breast once a day (which would of course offer huge health benefits even if it less than you might have been feding him if you hadn't fallen pregnant again) at a time of your choosing for the last month or so before the birth, he is unlikely to be able, at 13 months, to demand more or even particularly register that he's missing out because the baby is having it when he isn't.
Thanks so much for sharing that, GoBecGo, and I'm sorry to hear about your sad experience. I know for sure that I will be way more traumatized than my little guy (which of course is what we would want anyway)! Your insight about the timing is so helpful because it makes me think I can wait a bit longer before trying to change anything, although getting him used to a bottle seems to be a huge uphill battle so it probably does not hurt to keep trying now (as I could give him his water in the bottle too, and if my milk totally dries up in a few weeks, we will be ready). I might try one of those adiri bottles I've seen mentioned in other posts. He loves biting the edges of cups, too, and has also taken water from a medicine dropper! Anyway, it sure would be nice to keep nursing him at least once a day up until he's 12 months. That would be great. The new baby is due 6 weeks after his 1 year birthday. Thanks!
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
