Nursing While Pregnant - Oak Park, IL

Hi M..
I got pregnant when my still nursing son was 16 mos. I nursed him through the pregnancy, but had to night wean him when he was around 18 mos because I just couldn't get enough sleep and was a total zombie. I kept nursing him during the day, but did cut him down to just a few sessions a day. As my milk supply got lower, he wanted to nurse more often and for longer periods of time. I stayed hydrated and ate well, but pretty much lost my milk at around 5 mos pregnant. This did not deter my son, who still wanted to nurse constantly. Unfortunately, my nipples became so sensitive that it was very painful for him to nurse. I ended up cutting him down to one nursing session/day (in the morning) for the 7th and 8th month of my pregnancy and then tried to wean him before the baby came. That was not my original plan -- I had wanted to nurse through the pregnancy and tandem nurse afterward.

So, now my new baby is 8 weeks old, my son is 27 mos old and I'm trying to tandem nurse. My son didn't take to weaning -- everything I read said the child will eventually stop asking to nurse. My son didn't. He asked me several times a day every day. And then he started asking any large breasted woman he saw which lead to some embarrassing moments at restaurants or in the grocery store. It also broke my heart, since I had intended to keep nursing and felt bad for trying to wean. After my 2nd baby was born and my milk came back in (and waaaay more milk than I ever had the first time) I started letting my toddler nurse again. Now I'm just trying to balance the 2 of them because my son still wants to marathon nurse -- he won't let go until I make him and then throws a tantrum. He will nurse for over an hour and still want more. Some days my breasts are pretty much in constant use!

Good luck! I hope everything works out for you the way you want. Oh -- I forgot to say -- my Dr. recommended that I wean by 20 wks because nipple stimulation causes contractions for some people (she actually said "It is recommended that you wean by 20 weeks, but do what you feel comfortable doing"). The nursing did cause me to have some strong braxton hicks type contractions in the 3rd trimester, but nothing that felt like "real" contractions.

WAY TO GO!!! I rarely hear from other women who realize how important tandem nursing is and are interested in the hard work it takes. I will tell you that I am pregnant 4 month now and milk like crazy still. It doesn't have to dwindle if you keep up supply/demand. Also you have to stay hydrated and eat nutritiously not necessarily more. Just lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Eat oatmeal if you like it and there are teas which are good for you during pregnancy and nursing too. Do not worry abou it cause the stress completely kills the milk supply. You will also lose weight quicker after baby with tandem nursing. So there are perks! In terms of your baby now - supplement with solids but NEVER with formula if you want your supply to keep up. Also, if you want the milk to come steadily you may have to nurse more often than you are now to keep your milk moving. I will warn you though, it is painful nursing during pregnancy because you do get way more tender in the 3rd or fourth month. But hang in there - its worth it and you'll be so happy you stuck with it. I am impressed and keep up the good work!!!

I second the recommendation to mothering.com, tons of good nursing info there.

It is totally fine to tandem nurse. I would guess that if your DD is not getting enough milk she will make it clear that she is hungry. I wouldn't plan to supplement until you are sure that your supply has dropped.

I also recommend that you find a local la leche league www.laleche.org. You can attend meetings or call for support and they are very helpful. Good luck!

Hi M.
I have a 20 month old and a 6 week old. I nursed until my daughter was 15 months (I was 4 month preggers). Because I've always produced LOTS of milk, I was quite surprised when my supply decreased. When I weaned her, I did not even have an engorgment issue. While nursing, I only gained 1 pound. However, once I stopped breast feeding, I suddenly started gaining (guess I didn't realize how much breast feeding allowed me to eat! LOL). Good luck!

At 14 months old a child should get about 2.5 cups worth. Cows milk provides needed calcium--though I would expect a toddler who eats other dairy items would get this calcium through that too. The biggest thing is protien. Rice milk doesn't really have protien, so that's why cows milk ultimately better than the others.

We use organic cows milk. Also, at your toddler's age, she would be getting full fat milk--the fat content is necessary for brain development.

Congrats on your pregnancy!

Hi M.- I was nursing my 10 month old when I was preg with my second. I continued until she was 13 months. I had no problem with production. My Dr. did tell me to make sure I was getting enough fluids and calcium because your bady will take care of the baby before it takes care of your bones.

Also you should think about future sibling issues related to your daughter feeling the baby has "taken" her nursing when it is born. I might think about weaning at least 2 monthes before baby number 2 arrives. I have 4 children but transitioning to a mother of two was the toughest and if you feel guilty about "taking" the nursing from your daughter she will definitely pick up on these feelings!
Just something to think about!
Good Luck!
B.

I feel like I have been recommending this site to everyone lately, but it really is awesome! Try posting your question here in the breastfeeding section: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php
They have Mama's who tandem 2,3, even 4 kids! And they are very nice and have TONS of information. You can also join a due-date club under the pregnancy section and moan about how you are feeling! :)

Congrats!!!
-Amanda

PS- I personally would not wean her, but if you want to supplement, find out about Rice milk, it's supposed to be much easier on the digestive system than cow's milk. I had my daughter on Soy milk, but now I've heard that the estrogen-like substances in it can cause problems.

Have you read any books by Dr. Sears? I think his wife, Martha, has a book called The Breastfeeding book. I don't know specifically if it has information on Tandem nursing/nursing while pregnant, but I would check it out since they're HUGE Supporters of BFing.

I got pregnant while nursing my 10 mo old. Although I tried to keep up with my fluid intake, which is essential, my milk production diminished and I had to give it up. My daughter, who I weaned, did great, and remained very healthy. It actually worked out great as I soon learned having two little ones is a lot of work and it was a bit of a relief that I was not the sole source of nurishment for both children. Daddy could help!! Best of luck!

I'm five months and still nursing my 18 month old. You will know if your supply goes down because baby will lose weight, especially if you are not feeding a lot of solids yet.

I did not introduce cow's milk until just recently. He has a little bit each day. I have also just now started introducing a vitamin. I know my supply is down just recently because my breasts do not get full when I go for several hours (or just recently, all night) without nursing. You will be able to tell.

I HIGHLY recommend the book, Adventures in Tandem Nursing, if you plan to keep nursing through pregnancy, as I do, and hope to tandem nurse. It is hugely helpful and supportive,k even if you decide it's just too much. I have come close to that lately because it JUST started to hurt.

I have also not gained much weight, I just started to because he's not nursing as much. I even LOST weight in the beginning and my doctor was not worried about it. As long as the baby is growing, it's fine to lose some weight. Just make sure you are getting enough water and vitamins and PROTEIN. I noticed this helps me.

Good luck and congratulations on doing what is best for BOTH babies. :)

Also wanted to add that cow's milk is great for BABY COWS. Babies do not really need that much, if any of it. You can do rice milk or soy milk, too. Dr. Sears has some info on Cow's milk in his Baby Book. Also, Dr. Jay Gordon has a great book on nutrition that I love. Don't sweat the cow's milk thing as long as she is getting enough nutrition and fat from other good sources like avocados and salmon, cheese or butter are good fat sources that babies usually love, too.