Nursing While Pregnant/tandem Nursing

I have friends who LOVED tandem nursing! Check out the book called "Adventures in Tandem Nursing"... by Hilary Flowers (I think) to read more about Moms' experiences.

Hi B.,

I breasfed only for a while while I was pregnant with my second child, but I planned on weaning and was getting there gradually. It might get tougher on you later on, on the other hand - it will be brilliant when your newborn comes - your breasts will be ready! Imagine - no sore nipples, no engorgement! I almost envy you, lol! I recommend the book "Womanly art of breastfeeding" written by the founders and member of La Leche League. You might also want to get in touch with your local La Leche League representative.
(Also next time you will know - breastfeeding is in no way a contraceptive :-)
Good luck!

hi B., i never nursed through a pregnancy, my 1st weaned right before we got preggo, and i got pregnant with my 3rd while i was nursing my 2nd, but my gyn wanted me to wean her then, so i did. he is just very conservative like that, plus he knows i dont have the greatest eating habits, plus chasing around a then 3 year old and 1 year old while pregnant, plus i was 38 at the time, never slept, etc etc, he felt it was just too much. the way he explained it, the baby in your belly will take what they need first, then the nursing child, and lastly, you. so my advice to you is to treat yourself well. eat drink and sleep as good as you can, tons of water, take your vitamins, get some pampering and enjoy! and congrats! best of luck to you :)

Hi B., Congratulations!!!!!

I have not been pregnant while nursing, nor have I tandem nursed. I would like to some day! I hear from many Moms that their milk supply dwindles during pregnancy and their nipples are so sore at times nursing is unbearable. They work though it, and of course everyone is different. Its common to lose a bit of your supply in the first trimester, then have it even out, then have it drop again as it changes to colostrum for the new bambino. Many babies dont like the taste and will appear to "wean", but many resume nursing when the new baby comes, especially when your milk comes in and its sweet and fatty again!

My advice? Make it available to him, even if he gets uninterested either due to a drop in supply or a change in taste. Some babies will just comfort nurse because the supply is so low, but they still try! Many babies nurse more frequently too, which is fine too because it may help to boost your supply a bit IF it dwindles. Some Mom's have no issue with supply at all, and they are lucky! This is all based on what other Moms tell me and what I've learned of course, as I have no real life experience with it.

One thing I hear from a Mom was when she envisioned tandem nursing, she envisioned this peaceful moment with both babies nuzzled up at her breast drinking in her warmth...she states it was the furthest thing from the truth! Toddler began grabbing at bambino and poking her eyes, which made bambino cry. She tried again a few months later only to find bambino reaching over to poke toddlers eyes out and pull her hair,lol. She rarely, if ever, nursed them together.

I think its a beautiful thing you are willing to do and I hope it works out for you and brings you all the joy you imagined it would! Here are some links to help you on your way, in case you havent bookmarked them yet!

http://kellymom.com/bf/tandem/index.html
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/...
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBtandem.html

And here are some communities I frequent that can offer advice/support/encouragement!

http://community.livejournal.com/breastfeeding/profile
http://community.livejournal.com/tandemnursing/

Hope that helps! I think the communities may be "locked" to members only so weirdo's dont come in. Many Moms post nursing pics, so you may have to join to read the posts. They are awesome and a wealth of info though!

Good luck to you, if you have any questions or want to chat, send me a message. I am doing my internship for Breastfeeding Counseling, so I have a bit of a background in lactation. Yay Momma!

I got pregnant with my son when my 2nd daughter was only 9 months old. Of course, I didn't wean her, althouigh I was half-hoping she would wean on her own. She turned out to be one tenacious nurser. She nursed through pregnancy, when I had DS and all that new milk rushed in, she served as a human breast pump (I usually suffer from engorgement the first few months).
But I am not saying it was easy. It was definitely worth it. I am weaning her right now (she is 3.5), and still nursing DS (21 months old), while being pregnant with #4. So, it is doable.
Good luck!

Chances are that he may wean himself because the milk will change taste a little bit(like it does when you have your period) and some babies will self wean because of it. And after you have the new baby your milk will turn back into colostrum so your little guy may not like that at all. My mother nursed my sister while she was pregnant with me and everything went just fine, just make sure you are eating VERY well(which is hard when you are taking care of a toddler) and take your prenatal vitamins religiously!! My 17 month old still nurses and my husband and I are starting to think of number 2 so I am sure I will be in the same spot. Good luck and congrats on the baby!

I nursed my son until he was two months shy of turning two (22 mths) and I was almost three months pregnant with my daughter at the time. I felt like you, didn't want to wean him unless he was ready. Turned out it just happened that he was and it worked out fine. I was also worried that he'd want to do it again once he saw me nursing the baby but he wasn't interested at all. He just says 'remember when I was a little baby and nursed?' Good luck to you.

I had the understanding that it was risky to nurse while pregnant and that you can't properly nourish a newborn with the same milk as an older child. I would like to know where there is information other than this. I don't want to be miseducated! Good Luck with this.