[vanessab23]

Please don't laugh, I genuinely am concerned, especially b/c I am lately getting into the idea of getting pg again! (am I crazy, I dont know)

So, I am scared for a couple reasons, and I hope some of you BTDT mamas can calm my fears! FYI-- we DTD here and there but are not using protection (AF has not returned, DS is 8 mos) and I would be happy to have another baby somewhat close in age, BUT....

1. ok, some mamas have only slightly sore breasts/nipples and some not at all. But my nipples were INCREDIBLY sore in my 1st trimester with DS. The fan blew my way and I thought I was gonna die

: so what if I got pregnant and had to sob my way through every feeding? I am lucky that DS is a quick nurser, but will my nipples be that sensitive/painful again? Perhaps they won't be?

and....

2. what if my nipples are SO sore that I can't breastfeed without taking some morphine or something and i need to wean DS b/c it's too painful. Abruptly taking his best friends away would be so traumatic!

I'm sure one or two (or ten) of you are thinking, "if you don't want this to happen, use some protection!"

:

I am hoping someone will tell me not to worry, that if my body is strong enough to get pregnant already, then it would also be strong enough to deal with a nursing baby at the same time. Women do it all the time, right?

Mamas??????

 

[alegna]

I was not willing to risk getting pregnant before Savannah was two. I feel very strongly that all children have a birthright to at least 2 years of breastmilk and I wasn't willing to risk her losing that.

-Angela

 

[mommy65]

i kind of think it's a good idea to wait a year at least because i've heard it takes about that long for your body to recover. i have two sons two years apart and nursed all the way through pregnancy with no problems. i also kept making milk, though less than before. everyone was fine. that said, i know lots of moms who did have soreness and nausea enough to nesessitate weaning. it's your call, of course, you never know how your body will react. not much help, but that's my input!

 

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I am like alegna I didnt risk a pg until dd was done nursing to me it was most important to give the child I had 100% of the bm I could then move on to the next child. I know that for some this isnt a option for various reasons but for me it was the only way.

 

[ndunn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alegna I was not willing to risk getting pregnant before Savannah was two. I feel very strongly that all children have a birthright to at least 2 years of breastmilk and I wasn't willing to risk her losing that. -Angela

I've been saying this exact thing lately! But its amazing how many people don't know that there are risks involved to the breastfeeding relationship if pregnancy occurs.

 

[Emilie]

I am beggingin to look into Family Planning and tracking your own fertility. It is supposed to work very good. ( the pull out method does not- btw)
You chart your temp , cervical mucas and other stuff.
That would be a way if you arent' into condoms and not liking to take a pill.

Oh and I nursed thru a pg- I kept making milk- but I did not did not did not did not like it. I would do it again- depending on the childs age.... but I wish I had not before. I would NOT plan on getting pg till you want to be done nursing.

 

[kati6110]

Yes, your nipples might be sore again. You mentioned ds is a quick nurser so you might just be able to grit your teeth and bear it. You could have a ritual where he nurses while you count to ten and then he pops off. And yes, some mamas wean their little ones during pregnancy because it is just too uncomfortable. I got pg when ds1 was 11 months old, and he gradually lost interest in nursing because there wasn't much milk. He weaned when I was 7 months pg.

But really, have you stopped to think what it would be like to have two kids 17, 18, or 19 months apart? It is so hard. Esp, I think, for parents who are into AP. Because it is just impossible to give each of them what they need when you have two babies that need 100% of you. My kids were 20 months apart and the first year was just impossible. I had both of them crying, wanting me, all the time. I would get the baby to sleep, run and put the toddler to sleep, and then the baby would wake up and need me again. It never ended. And to this day, my older child is so jealous of his brother.

Other people might say differently, but that is my $.02.

 

[Peony]

I did not want to get pg before dd was 2 years, she needed my milk until then. Of course things don't always work out as planned, we had issues TTC, so dd will be almost 4 by the time this one is born, but I'm not regretting it in anyway. I got pg shortly after dd turned 3, she was still a very avid nurser (she was nursing about every hour then), my milk went away instantly, and the pain, OMG. I was doing my relaxation that I learned for labor, and the funny thing was I had never used it while I was in labor.

I had limit dd's nursing, and she decreased quite a bit on her own because of no milk. I'm 29 weeks pg, dd is down to nursing every few days, I still hate it, I loved to bf dd and it makes me sad that I dread it so much now. I will not wean her, but her and I would not of handled this very well had she been a baby.

 

[~Megan~]

I figured I'd be one for tandem nursing but found it difficult. I didn't have sore nipples with my first pregnancy but still found nursing while pregnant very difficult to deal with. Its not painful so much as incredibly uncomfortable for me.

At 8 months old I would not consider getting pregnant again. The milk is too important for the first 2 years for your child. At minimum wait 4 more months so you he can have the first year at least.

 

[AesSedai]

.

 

[zak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamao'two At 8 months old I would not consider getting pregnant again. The milk is too important for the first 2 years for your child. At minimum wait 4 more months so you he can have the first year at least.

Ditto. I still want to try to maintain milk for my babe until age 2... but at 12 months I felt some relief that IF I did get preggo he got 12 months of breastmilk.

 

[schatz]

I had quite a bit of soreness with both pregnancies. I did not get pregnant with ds until dd was 20 months. I was still nursing her at bedtime and in the morning when I got pregnant. I ended up needing to chart and take some supplements in order to get pregnant with ds (due to nursing). I nursed dd until I was 16 weeks pg with ds. I couldn't stand it any longer than that. It was painful at times and just about made my skin crawl. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to nurse through a pg with a younger child (my dd nursed a lot until about 18 months). Breastmilk is so very optimal for the child's health that I wouldn't want to wean (or really decrease nursing) before a year for sure and ideally not until later than that.

 

[risen_joy]

Wow - I'd follow your gut on this one. Ds will be 18 mo when #2 is born and so far nursing hasn't changed at all for me...but that's just me. I didn't have nipple soreness at all during his pregnancy - if you did, you might for nursing too.

Hope that helps!! Good luck mama!!

 

[vanessab23]

That all give me food for thought. I'm not saying I'm gonna go get pregnant right now, and I'm not against condoms or pills (well, yes, I am against the pill for ME) so I am simply using NFP, which worked well to get pregnant the first time

SO, I will keep doing that until I make an actual decision.

like a PP, I also thought I would just tandem nurse (aaahh, how beautiful would that be) and that way DS would get all he needs. BUT i do know that supply and the realationship can be affected. So, I need to think about how importnat that is to me (2 yrs BF)-- which is "VERY". I dunno, thanks for letting me ramble

P.S. Angela, the original quote
"I'm sure one or two (or ten) of you are thinking, "if you don't want this to happen, use some protection!" "
was for you in particular-- your replies to posts are always very predictable, and since I know how you feel about this, I knew you would say that!
I'm not looking for family planning advice (sorry if I didn't make that clear) but wanted to know from BTDT mamas if 1st pregnancy sore nipples = 2nd pregnancy sore nipples.

I appreciate all the thoughts, opinions, and I think I will have to just steer clear of pregnancy until I am sure about how I feel about all this. And honestly, your replies DO give me pause. and yes, 2 babies WILL be hard!

gotta run, Miles needs me.....

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanessab23 P.S. Angela, the original quote "I'm sure one or two (or ten) of you are thinking, "if you don't want this to happen, use some protection!" " was for you in particular-- your replies to posts are always very predictable, and since I know how you feel about this, I knew you would say that! I'm not looking for family planning advice (sorry if I didn't make that clear) but wanted to know from BTDT mamas if 1st pregnancy sore nipples = 2nd pregnancy sore nipples.

Well, fwiw all I've ever used was paying attention to symptoms. No pill pusher here

I just made sure to pay attention and look for fertile symptoms in that time before I started cycles back up.

-Angela

 

[vanessab23]

yea....
and I haven't had any signs yet of AF or ovulation returning.....it might just sneak up on me, too

yikes!

 

[vanessab23]

oh, and I am on antidepressant meds now so my sex drive is EVEN LOWER.

whatever, all the benefits are worth all the risks, for me.
but thats a whole other topic!

 

[alegna]

FWIW mine didn't sneak up at all. I had plenty of signs- mucous, a short "warning" period, then by two months later it was regular and predictable again.

-Angela