Curious About Breastfeeding While Possibly Pregnant

Totally fine and healthy for both you, baby and unborn baby.

I tandem nurse and did through the 2nd pregnancy too and asked about it to make sure but no problem. SOmetimes at the end of the preg. it gets hard cause your nipples are sore and contractions happen but it makes the labor WAY quicker and easier because your uterus is so toned from it all the way through. Enjoy your baby and kudos to you for not giving up!

Hi,

It happened to me. Same symptoms and the decrease in breastmilk. Turned out I was PG. Get a test done.

Blessings,
L.

You could very well be pregnant since it is possible to be even without starting your period yet. But the discharge you are talking about could just be normal cervial fluid (that you may have never noticed in the past) meaning your body may be getting ready to ovulate.

If you think you are pregnant, take a test, you may be. If you aren't then everything you have mentioned could be related to other things. How do you know your milk has decreased? Do you pump daily? If you read about natural family planning (or nfp) you will learn tons about your body and what all the mucus changes mean. I have been reading Taking Charge of your Fertility and it is awesome.

You will hear differing advice most likely, but you can TOTALLY continue breastfeeding (and I hope for your sake and your 8 month old that you do!). I just gave birth in May and nursed through the whole pregnancy. Nipples were sore at first, my milk supply dropped, the taste changes, colostrum starts showing up around at 6 months pregnant, but can leak out towards the end of the pregnancy. Unless you're at risk for preterm labor, there's no reason not to nurse. Just stay hydrated and eat well! Good luck!

M., I breastfed my second child until she was 15 months and I was 6 months pregnant. I did need more nutrition and more rest but, stopped breastfeeding because the girls thought it great fun to "poke" each other while I nursed.Not the most comfortable with Mamma in the middle. My children are all close in age (20, 17, 15, 13, 11) and emotionally. They are each other's best friends. Nutritionally, be sure to take your vitamins and eat very well. No empty calories. Looking back those tired times of little ones all about are very precious. I know it sounds trite but, they will only be little once ~ enjoy them to the fullest!
P. ~ wife to one great man, mom to five awesome kids and busier than when they were little!

PLease be careful...MY ex-husband told me that I probably would not get pregnant and I had 2 boys 15 months apart...I stopped nursing the first at 6 months when I became preg. with the 2nd...Good for the 2nd but the first ended up having asthma...Use condoms and be careful...this is hard on your body to be preg so close together...
Eat healthfully..no empty calories ...Lots of dairy and fresh fruits and veggies..fish twice a week and nothing fried..Stay away from tuna since mercury in it it might be a contributor to autism....Feed your little girls well...they should have similar diets and little or no pop but fish every wek to build their growing brains...
I am so proud of you breats feeding..keep up the good work MOM!

I am five months PG with number two. My kids will be a little less then 19 months apart. I still nurse my daughter. She basically slowed down on the nursing herself. I wanted her to self wean as opposed to me stopping her. We nurse about 2x a day....AM and PM. When she doesn't ask for it, I don't offer it. The dr office did a prolactin test and said that my levels are closer to "normal" so I am not producing much milk anymore. Besides cutting back on nursing, my daughter doesn't mind at all if my milk has changed.

Sounds like your estrogen is peaking and you are getting the increase cervical mucous and breast tenderness associated with ovulation. Some women experience a dip in supply around ovulation which will rebound as you continue nursing through it. It is perfectly safe to nurse while pregnant. I became PG with twins when my DD was 9 months and nursed through the pregnancy. Some doctors tell moms to wean -but it's outdated and mis-information unless mom has a signifigant history of cervical complciations, and preterm loss. A good book is Adventures in Tandem Nursing - if you are indeed pregnant.

both are possible. it is possible to get pregnant on the first ovulation that would then if you don't get pregnant lead to your first menstration. I have several friends who have experienced this while nursing. Doc's will tell you that generally nursing more than once or twice a day will generally repress ovulation but it is an individual thing. easiest way to find out is to go get a first response kit. First response was found by consumer reports a few years ago to be the most accurate pregnancy test on the market. good luck.

You probably know by now whether you are pregnant or not.

In case you're interested, it is possible to have a healthy pregnancy while still breastfeeding a previous baby. If you want more info about that, here are some resources...

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBpregnancy.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/pr2.asp

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/tandem/survey/q1.html

Best wishes,
J.

Honestly, I would say take a HPT if you think there is even the slightest chance that you may be pregnant(ie: you've had sex in the last two weeks or so). This will get you into the doctor sooner for prenatal care sooner if you are pregnant. If it comes out negative, wait a week and test again.

My personal opinion on the discharge is that it may be fertile cervical mucus. This means that you will be ovulating very soon and then in about two weeks (10-16 days) you would get your period (or if you timed sex correctly, you'd be pregnant). Is it watery or looks like egg whites? That type of discharge means you are fertile. Go to www.fertilityfriend.com and read thier online turtorials. It will help you to understand your cycle.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the decreased supply. Is your daughter nursing for longer? Does she seem hungry even after feeding on both sides? Are you pumping and this is how you know? She is older and now starting to eat more table food. This may be the cause for the decrease.

The fullness of your breasts, if you are about to get your first pp period is caused by your pre-period hormones which are very, very similar to what you feel once implantation happens (7-10 days after you concieve). There is no way to tell if that is a pregnancy symptom or not. Only an HPT will know (or a blood test by your doctor).

Good luck!

You could be pregnant. You don't need to get your period again after baby to get pregnant. You could be ovulating.

Also, why do you think you have less milk?

It's totally fine to nurse while pregnant. I did it to 5 months in my second pregnancy... ds was 19 months when I stopped due to contractions. I really didn't need to.. but I had a c-section with #1 so I was nervous.

Take a pregnancy test, otherwise, don't worry.