Breastfeeding and Pregnant

Many women find tandem nursing to be a great experience. There's no medical reason why you can't continue to nurse during a pregnancy. You may want to consider talking to a LLL leader or a nutritionist to be sure your diet will support nursing & pregnancy without compromising your health.

I say keep nursing you daughter! My dr. also encouraged me to wean (my DD was 8 month when I found out I was pregnant) and to me it didn't seem right to wean. Toward the end (after she was a year)I did cut back but have regretted it ever since. I wish I never cut back on nursing my first and tried tandem nursing. After my son was born my daughter asked to nurse a couple times and I let her but she never did it regularly again. Another thing that was great about nursing #1 is that when #2 was born there was no engorgement or pain and the milk was there and we nursed effortlessly! Congrats and good luck!

I was still nursing my 16 month old when I became pregnant again. It was only at bedtime by this age. However, she did self wean about 2 months into the pregnancy. I'm told this often happens due to pregnancy hormones changing the taste of the milk.

At the time, everything I read indicated that it was safe to keep nursing while pregnant. Some people nurse the older child through their entire pregnancy and then nurse them both once the little one is born. I think you can take it as it comes. Nurse for as long as you feel comfortable. You've done better than most nursing this long and given your baby a nice healthy start. My girls are 1.5 and 3.5 now.

mother of three breast fed them all
1st 19mo
2nd 23 mo
3rd 2.5yrs
i breast fed two at a time
so no rush
the earliest i would stop is your 9th mo
so your daughter will be a year and four mo.
or if you want stop when the baby turns a year
some times babies wean themselves
point dont worry

Nurse as long as you can, It won't affect anything. Ive seen plenty of moms with a small baby and actually a 2 year old nursing! I wouldnt go that far, but u see what I mean. Itll be easier if u do wean a few months before the new baby, just so your daughter doesnt get jealous of the new baby when hes nursing. Good luck!

No need to stop nursing just because you will have another! The La Leche League has a lot to say about tandem nursing! I cannot believe that the nurse suggested this to you, that seems really overstepping the boundaries of her job! The consideration that you will want to make is that if you are wanting to wean around the time baby number two is born, the chances of that are slim, as she will likely want to nurse more when number two comes.

Hi! I breastfed my daughter through my pregnancy with my son and after. It was fine, though a bit exhausting. You just have to make sure you are eating REALLY well. Everything you put in your mouth is important. It must be healthy or the pregnancy will deplete your body of essential nutrients. Make sure you're taking your prenatal vitamins too. Maybe talk to La Leche about your situation. They'll give you some good advice, I'm sure. Good luck!

Alison
When I got pregnant with my youngest (now 11 months) I was still breastfeeding her sister (then 12 months). I checked it out and realized that if I wanted to breastfeed, there was no reason not to. It was an important bond between my oldest and I and we both still wanted to do it- so we did. Your nurse, while trying to be helpful, was giving you old-fashioned advice. You need to do what is best for all 3 of you. Read up on it, talk with people who have done it and most importantly do what feels right to you!
Good luck!
K.

This happened to me but my daughter was a little older, about 11 months. At my first OB visit they said to start weaning immediately (I was planning on starting weaning at a year anyway) but I wasn't really happy with that advice-I have read many times that it's possible to nurse while pregnant. I did continue to nurse till 14 months (began weaning at 12 months) but I had to eat a LOT and was pretty tired. Although that could have just been the pregnancy...
Anyway, I would say continue nursing if you want to but take care of yourself too! Eat a lot, rest when you can, etc and you should be fine! Good luck!

Gee A., YOU are the Mama, NOT the doctor.Maybe you should do what feels right for YOU! Why on earth would she say "think about weaning her soon"? I think you should stick to your year! And get a midwife instead.

Hi A., I have 3 kids ages 3, 6 and 9 and have been nursing continuously for the past 9 years. I nursed through both the second and third pregnancies (and beyond) and didn't have any trouble with supply. Like others have said it's all about supply and demand. My nipples did get sore during parts of the pregnancies but it was like the soreness they get now when I'm ovulating. Latch on is the painful time and as they suck it lessens. The first thing my 3 yr. old wants to do when I get home from work is to nurse. This routine works for us. So you really need to do what's best for you and not what the nurses say is best for you. They don't know you. I got ( and still get) a lot of flack from members of my family for nursing so long but it's not their body or their kids.

I had a 6mo old when I got pregnant with my third child and I breastfed until I was about 6 months pregnant. My doctor never said anything about it and my pediatrician was glad that I continued to nurse him. I breastfed all three of my boys the oldest for 5months and then just at night as I had to go back to work. The middle one for a year and the youngest for 9 months when he decided he wasnt interested in it any longer, much to my saddness. I say do what you want to do and enjoy your daughter and the new baby, they dont stay little for long.

Hi A.,
I am a breastfeeding mom as well, and fully believe that it is important to continue doing so for as long as possible. There is just no comparison to the nutrition that a child gets from nursing, let alone the nurturing. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding be continued until at least two, while the World Health Organization reccommends even beyond that. It's a shame that our society is so stigmatized by it. I guess I would say that you should go with what you feel is right for you, and of course if you feel it is just too draining to do so while pregnant then certainly start to ween. I get Mothering Magazine (Highly Reccommended!)and I always see pictures in there of moms nursing siblings at the same time...so it is definately possible and healthy to continue for as long as you feel up to it.

you can breastfed while pregnant. There are some great wedsites to check out. (it's called tantum feeding i believe) http://www.kellymom.com/ http://www.llli.org// http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/ http://www.motherfriendly.org/Downloads/breastfeeding.pdf these are the ones I used and refer my friends and co-workers with if they have questions or need information. Breastfeed for as long as you want, you and your baby benefit greatly from it. I breastfeed my son until age 3. He's healthy and smart, never sick.

You may find that you don't have much of a choice in the matter. I have an 8 month old son, and I got pregnant when he was about 4 months old. After about 6 weeks of being pregnant, I found that over the course of about 2 weeks, my milk supply just lessened, even when I nursed as much or more as usual, so that now I'm only able to bf first thing in the morning. I don't know how common that is, but that's what happened to me. He's not weaned -- he still does formula (he did both nursing and formula before, as my supply was never enough to rely on completely).

Hi A.,
It's fine to continue to breastfeed your 7 month old as long as it is comfortable to you. At some point if your nipples get sore during the pregnancy you may want to stop because this will cause stress during the feedings and anticipatory stress leading up to the feedings and the baby will pick up on it. Do it as long as it's comfortable for you, then when or if you have to switch, make the new routine with the bottle or sippy cup, a very close and bonding time too. Don't put the baby with a bottle or cup in another place, but hold her and make that a special time too. After the new baby is born, make sure that you keep up the special holding times with the older baby, and if she has been weaned by the birth of the new arrival, she may want to try to nurse again. Let her try it, most likely if she's already been weaned she'll forget what to do and not care about it, but don't push her away. If you are still nursing the older one through the end of your pregnancy, you can certainly nurse both if you choose to. Remember that milk production works on supply and demand, the older child will not deplete your supply for the infant. The more nursing that is done by one or both, the production goes up not down. If need more info, or personal help, contact La Leche league in your area, they will help you and work with you on any issue. I successfully nursed 4 children with their help, including one during the next pregnancy. Wishing you all, good health and success in your mothering. J.

A.,

Contact your local La Leche League Leader (look online to find one in your area or they might even be listed in your phone book). It is not necessary at all to wean and your local Leader can give you some help and advice on this topic.

I am pregnant with #3 and still nursing my 17 month old once or twice a day. I say keep up the nursing as long as you are feeling okay about it. It can be exhausting.It's more demanding on your body but as long as you are getting enough sleep and drinking enough water everybody will be fine.

Hi A.,
It's been many years since I was in your position, but I was still nursing my oldest daughter when I got pregnant with my oldest son. She nursed all the way through my pregnancy, even as the milk disappeared. Some children will naturally wean themselves because the milk changes flavor, then begins to disappear as your pregnancy progresses. But not my girl! I chose not to wean her, but to let her wean herself - she didn't. So we entered the world of 'tandem nursing'. That's the proper term for 2 sibs nursing at the same time. She was delighted (and grateful to her baby brother) when I came home from the hospital with her brother and discovered that he had made the milk come back! There's a lot to consider in tandem nursing: it can be exhausting, you may be 'touched out' by the time your husband gets home & night (you begin to feel occasionally that if you were to suddenly need a mastectomy, your entire family would fall apart!), and it becomes difficult to nurse discreetly. But the benefits are enormous - you'll see your children bond nicely (my daughter used to stroke her brother when they were both nursing together), sibling rivalry is lessened because your older child doesn't feel so displaced - you'll still have an extra arm to hug and nurture her while caring for your baby. She won't need to fight for your attention because it will be easier to attend to both at the same time. It's not for everyone, for sure, but it worked well for my family. My daughter did finally wean - 9 months after her brother was born. But she tapered off slowly at her own pace, until one day I realized it had been weeks since she nursed.

My son, on the other hand, weaned when I was pregnant with his younger brother - he didn't like the changing taste of the milk, and tapered off as the milk supply dwindled. He was completely weaned when I was 8 months pregnant.

Good luck with this very personal decision - certainly one you should make yourself, not based on doctor opinion. There is good information on tandem nursing available through LaLeche League and in the book "The Motherly Art of Breastfeeding".

i breastfed my oldest for 18 months . when i stopped i was 6 months pregnant with my second.my doctor told me by my third trimester i should stop so i can dry out and then the ,( and i dont know the word for it you can look it up), but the stuff that comes before the milk. this stuff is healthiest for the baby and if you continue to nurse until babys born youll never get it.

Breastfeed as long as you can! Your baby will be happier, healthier and smarter.
In other countries, many woman breastfeed both the younger and
older babies at the same time.
The only issue would be if your breasts hurt while pregnant.
Do your best to keep going and enjoy this sacred time.

Hi I am H. I breastfed 3 children. Although I never did it while pregnant with another child. I will tell you that if you pay attention to your childs behavior closely you will notice at certain times of the day you may not have to breast feed. you offer bottles or the new cups that do not spill. Some have a straw like for sucking until they get use to holding and swallowing larger amounts of liquid faster. If you do this at certain times of day everyday eventually you will notice that they will ween themselves off you , the feeling will be mutual. Two off my boys stopped by 10 months. hope this was help

There is no reason for you to stop breastfeeding! Around 3-4 months the taste of your milk might change and she may protest a bit, but she is young enough that I don't think it will be too big of a deal. Every baby is different. Many mothers tandem feed if the babies are that close. There are many good resources for more info. I would contact your local La Leche League or find a lactation consultant. They will at least give you plenty of resources to show you that you, your older baby, and your new baby will be completely fine as you continue to breastfeed!

Hi,
When I was pregnany with my third pregnancy my second child was still an infant. (They were eleven months apart ) and I nursed my son for a full 10 months, stopping because I thought it would make more difficulty to nurse my new arrival. But after talking to women of other countries I discovered some actually continued to nurse and nursed both babies, with the youngest being fed first.
I was told it actually kept the milk supply going anf there was no " waiting time " for the new milk sipply for the new babay.

There is no reason you should have to wean, especially if you and your little one aren't ready! There's a great book, called The Nursing Mother's Companion that I have found to be an excellent resource. It even has a chapter on what's called "tandem nursing"--nursing two children at once. Whether or not that interests you is an entirely personal decision--but the point is there is no medical reason you would need to wean (assuming normal, healthy conditions). In fact, I am surprised a medical professional would give you such advice. My son is 15 months old and still nurses in the morning and evening. I am also 3 months pregnant with #2! At my first prenatal visit, my midwife told me that eventually the body goes back to producing colostrum in preparation for the newborn, and the change in taste often causes children to self-wean. Personally, I will probably stop breastfeeding before the new baby arrives b/c I'm concerned seeing me nurse another baby will make the transition to life with a sibling too difficult for my son. But for now, we both very much enjoy the close snuggle time.

hi A...i was in a similar situation my first go goround..i am the mother of 4 kids under the age of 4 and 1/2..when i was pregnant with my second my first was also just 7 months...you may find as i did she may not want to breast feed anymore on her own as my little boy did...supposedly the taste of your breast milk changes when you are pregnant and some babies dont mid this and others do....will see what happens with yours..otherwise if you are interested in weaning just skip one feeding per day for several days till that feeding no longer produces and then skip another and so forth..a much gentler weaning process and less painful:):):..
good luck and congrats!!!