Tandem Breastfeeding?

I have heard the milk changes taste so just be prepared for that. The only concern I would have is the you are providing enough nutrition for the baby you are carrying. I would ask you ped or ob what they think
S.

Make sure you keep your calorie intake up. 300-500 more calories a day for just one baby, I would imagine even more for nursing two. Ask a lactation specialist vs your pediatrician. Good for you for breastfeeding! I hope it works out!

Hi T.!
I was still nursing my daughter when I became pregnant with my son, and have successfully tandem nursed them for almost two years now. (My family is very AP, vegan, organic, cloth diapers and all that "granola" stuff. :) )
While I was pregnant nursing did get uncomfortable at times. Sensitive nipples, and a slowed milk supply were two things I noticed. And it became difficult to nurse my daughter on my lap as my belly grew.
My daughter was always a very focused nurser (still is, though we're down to one feeding in the morning now). I really left it more up to her whether we would continue nursing through the pregnancy and the new baby. I talked to her a lot about "sharing" and how the new baby would be nursing a lot, and would need to have first dibs on nursing. She didn't really get it, but it was good to talk about it and at least get her familiar with the concept as much as possible.
Nursing two can be overwhelming at times. I went through a particularly rough patch about six months ago where I just wanted my body back to myself more than anything.
We were also co-sleeping with both kids, and rather than let myself go completely round the bend we decided it was time to give the kids their own room. (They share, because I just couldn't bring myself to make my 4 yr-old sleep on her own after such a long time co-sleeping.)
That made a huge difference in my mood and attitude toward nursing. Having a little space and time to just be in my own skin, without having the kids demanding my personal space, is also a good thing. I also make sure to take at least one night a week (pre-arranged with my spouse) where I go out and spend time either on my own or with adult friends. That really helps.
I wish you luck with this new adventure!
Take care.

-J.

I am 37 weeks pregnant and have been breastfeeding my son throughout the pregnancy. He is 2, so he is nursing less than your son, but it has not been a problem at all. People say that your milk changes, so he may stop nursing on his own, but my son hasn't.

i am 5 months pregnant and am still nursing my 20 month old she will be 2 in August but she has no desire to wean.She is down to only twice a day for naps and bed its mostly a comfort issue she likes to e close to mommy.I personally dont find it difficult breastfeeding while preggo it works out for us.I have heard that your milk dries up when you get preggo and since you have a 7 month old you may want to ask to make sure hes getting enough nutrients.I give you props though for trying to tandem nurse most women cant do it.I love nursing and the bond its brought us.Good luck with everything.

I would just watch your baby. For some it works fine. For me, I did not know I was pregnant until I was for months. I had kept breastfeeding but about the time I realized I was pregnant I also noticed that my son wasn't gaining weight like he used to (he was 5 months). When I found out I was pregnant, I switched him to formula and it was night and day. He put on weight, gained more color in his face and was more active. I really didn't notice it until later because I was with him everyday. The changes as he headed downhill were so subtle. But when I look back at pictures of him when I breastfeed and was pregnant vs. formula, I can really tell the difference. For him, he needed more than my body could offer.

Hi T.,
I have continued to breastfeed my son throughout this second pregnancy (27 weeks now) and it has workded out well. In the beginning it was difficult for me to get enough water intake, since your body is providing liquids for 3 people, but I just had to focus on how much I drank. Don't worry about not having enough nutrition for your growing baby, your body will take all the nutrients your baby needs from you, so in the end if anyone (out of the 3 of you) will be lacking fluids it will be you! I have just recently realized that I am not really producing any milk though, but my son seems happy to occasionaly breastfeed anyways... I guess if your son begins to act as though he is not recieving any milk you should check to see if you are still producing it, I am not sure at what stage your breasts begin getting ready for the new baby and stop producing milk for the older child.
Keep it up!
S.

I asked this question a few months ago and got zero responses. So it was great to read all of yours. I did get a lot of help from an AP group I belonged to on Myspace. I am 22 weeks pregnant and still nursing my 16 month old. At first I was tired and hungry every minute of the day. I started trying to drink one glass of water for every hour I was awake and snacking all day too. I started giving my daughter cows milk to help me get some energy back. Once I figured out how much to eat, drink, and rest we were great. Now I feel like I have my energy back ( or as much as I can have with a big belly and energetic toddler). My daughter nurses just a few times a day and in bed with me at night. I can not hand express any milk on my own so I am not sure how much she is getting but that does not seem to stop her. Our midwife has no concerns about nursing during the pregnancy. Nipple stimulation can cause contractions but she said that would only be a concern if I had a history of preterm labor. I do plan to tandem nurse and have heard some advice on the how to part. Such as letting the new baby go first so he can get the most colostrum and her eat on the same breast after him. (we are having a boy) She will be a great help with engorgement when the milk comes in too. As for positions, it is hard for her to sit on my lap so she just sits on the couch next to me and turns her head towards my breast, easy to do as I am an E cup. Side lying has always been my favorite and is still working great. I love having both my babies so close to me and am looking forward to tandem nursing them. Way to go on your decision to do this! It can be hard. Some of my friends and family think I am a bit crazy. But my daughter has never been on any medication for any illness so I know I am giving her the best thing ever and can not imagine taking it from her. Having the support of my midwife, the lactation consultants, and other moms has been such a big help. Congratulations on your pregnancy. I hope this helped and good luck!

Hi T..
Well first off, I am so glad to see such positive feedback for you! I asked this exact question on MamaSource about 5 months ago, when my son was just over a year old and my husband and I were trying to get pregnant with baby #2...I only had 2 responses and both were negative!
Fast forward though...I am 19 weeks pregnant and just about 3 weeks ago, my son (17 months at the time), who was only nursing twice a day as it was, suddenly refused to nurse for two days!! I tried repeatedly, but he kept biting me (ouch!) so I gave up and let him decided when to try again. Well, when he finally did, it HURT. I'm pretty sure the milk had gone, as we weren't nursing much anyways. And my midwife had warned me that around the 4 month mark of pregnancy that your milk changes and many kids are like, "huh?" and lose interest.
However, it wasn't tramautic for my son, as he pretty much self-weaned, so that was a good thing. I was pretty upset though...I hadn't prepared myself so soon to end my breastfeeding relationship with him and still feel slightly guilty about it.
It looks like since your son is so young though that you guys are still nursing a lot more than my son and I were. So hopefully you won't run into any problems. And I would definitely say to go for it! I really wish it had worked out for my son and I. I would recommend that if you really want to tandem nurse to not purposefully drop any of your son's feedings (I had done this when my son was around 14 months old and am pretty sure that if we had been nursing more when I got pregnant that things would have worked out better).
I also see you're in nursing school, good luck with that! My husband just graduated with his BSN from WSU and we now live across the river from you in Vancouver. I know how tough finishing school while having kids can be!
Good luck with everything!

You should check out the Dr. Sears 'breastfeeding book' it has a whole section on this and even has some diagrams and pictures to help out. good luck and keep it up I do think that I heard you may have to stop for a little while towards the end of you pregnancy because nipple stimulation can trigor labor but other than that you should be fine.

I tandem breastfeed my two little boys, and I assure you it can be done. It took some getting used to at first, but once we were up and going it was really nice. It saves so much time when you feed them at the same time! My boys were the same age, so I'm not sure which positions will work best for you, since yours are different sizes. I used the football hold a great deal when they were small. As they grew, this position became harder for me to use because their feet would touch the back of the chair, which gave them leverage to push off of. I then experimented with other holds and found several that work well for me. I went to the internet and did a search for tandem breastfeeding. I found information on some holds that had never occured to me, but were very useful. I applaud your efforts and wish you luck.

*Also . . . you probably know this already, but make sure you rotate which side each baby nurses on. This will keep the production of milk on each side pretty equal.

I know moms with twins who breastfed both from the beginning. I don't see any problem. Some even figured out how to do both at the same time. Your milk production will go way up! Better eat a lot!