I am 20 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding my 18 month old son. Today I realized that my milk is transparent. I believe it is colostrum. Isn't it too early? int hat case shall I immediately wean my son? I was planning to do it slowly. He used to nurse 10 times a day until I was 3 months pregnant. Then we reduced to 4-5 and now 3-4 at 20 weeks. He has eating problems because of food allergies and reflux. He is off of reflux medicine for a month. He didn't gain wait between 10-16 months. That's why I couldn't wean him off sooner. Recently, he started showing interest in some food but it is stillv ery limited. Some days he will eat, some days he just does not.
On the other hand, I started having Braxton hicks contractions 4-5 days ago. Now I feel like I need to wean him very soon. Seeing colostrum confused me. Shall I really do it immediately? I will appreciate your feedback.
Thanks for all the quick responses. I really appreciate. Below are my answers:
- I know milk will change to colostrum closer to delivery. But mine already changed. Some of you said colostrum is not transparent. Neither is milk. I have been breastfeeding for 18 months, most of it was exclusively breastfeeding. So I know different colors/consistencies of my milk. It was never fully transparent like it is right now. Besides that, my colostrum (before and after delivery) was exactly like it is right now. It wasn't too thick, it wasn't golden. That is why I believe that my milk turned into colostrum at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
- Some of you said there is no need to wean. Wasn't it the rule of tandem nursing or nursing while pregnant, that you CAN unless there is a risk/unless you have contractions? I would love to have a doctor who could give me advice on this, but all of them were against bf while pregnant. I convinced my primary ob-gyn after telling him couple facts. He left it up to me. But now, they think it is enough and I shall quit. And I am not sure.
My two oldest are 15 months apart. I stopped breastfeeding when my oldest was 10 months... so that would make me 4 months pregnant (I would have fed her longer if I wasn't pregnant). I stopped gradually, not suddenly. I think it would be fine to stop gradually.
Please listen to Pamela.
Colostrum is thick and yellow and very opaque. There is nothing see through about it.
Normal breastmilk is watery white.
I would not stress about having him wean.
I had BH's for a long time w/ my son (and I was not nursing).
Your milk still has nutrients in it (no matter what it looks like).
Here are the Le Leche League leaders in your area: http://civic.bev.net/lllblacksburg/
I would urge you to contact them.
I strongly suggest getting plenty of support and encouragement through La Leche League (llli.org or a local group). I tandem nursed through 3 pregnancies. Only 1 of the 3 older children weaned himself during the pregnancy, although I've read that the majority of toddlers will wean themselves during their mother's pregnancy, whether due to a change in the taste, texture, or volume of milk their mother produces. If your toddler has reflux and allergies, it is probably important to continue to nurse him. Colostrum won't hurt him, if in fact that's what it is. Like your son, my daughters were very slow to rely on solid food, and it gave me peace to know that they were still receiving excellent nutrition by continuing to breastfeed. If your Braxton Hicks contractions aren't too frequent or intense and there aren't other signs of premature labor, you're probably fine to continue nursing. You should check with your care provider just in case, but be aware that s/he probably has little to no experience or education regarding tandem nursing, although that is the norm in many other cultures (hence my suggestion to get info from LLL). Best of luck, and congratulations on your resolve to do what's best for both of your children!
You can nurse both your toddler and your baby together you know. I do not think you should worry about it so much. You can keep on nursing your son and when the baby comes your body will produce colostrum for him/her.
I would ween him soon if you are already having contractions. I was told nursing causes contractions. That is why after you have your baby they try to get you to nurse as soon as possible to help your uterus contract. Plus if you are pregnant your baby needs all the nutrience that you are taking in and if you are nursing you are loosing some of those. Plus if your milk is thin and clear your todler may not be getting the nutrience that he needs either.
Good luck and God Bless!
Hello,
Unless your doctor/midwife recommends that you shouldn't tandem nurse, it is perfectly safe to do so. Your body knows what it is doing so as long as you are still producing, your son should be fine. There is no reason to wean unless you want to or there is some other medical reason. Is your body switching from milk to colostrum, probably. It is normal for that to happen around months 4-6 or so...
I would highly recommend that you read up on tandem nursing on kellymom.com. Here is the link: http://www.kellymom.com/nursingtwo/faq/16milkchanges.html
If you aren't already in contact with LLL in your area, I would recommend that you get in contact as they can be super helpful with tandem nursing! I have a link to them in Bburg but I moved in 2001 so it might be out of date:
http://civic.bev.net/lllblacksburg/
Hello to Bburg and VT - miss you so much! C.
colostrum is very thick, viscous and deep golden in color.
Somehow our bodies are able to differentiate between a toddler and newborn - your newborn will not go without. Look into tandem nursing - www.kellymom.com and www.llli.org are 2 great resources for that!
Although nipple stimulation helps with contractions WHEN THE BABY IS READY - there is very little to no evidence that it will cause pre-term labor. Don't wean him until you look farther into everything. Braxton Hicks are not real contractions anyways, but a test run type of thing.
Again, I would NOT wean him from the information you provided - it would be unwarranted.
I suggest that you need to know more about the milk if it continues to look watery. It doesn't sound like colostrum. It could be normal.
You should be able to nurse both babies. Mother's do all the time.
Contact the La Leche League for more info.
