Can Breastfeeding Cause a Miscarriage

I haven't heard that one. All I know is I got pregnant with my daughter when my son was 9 months old. We nursed until he was almost 1, but if I remember correctly my milk seemed to dry up before we were done.(body working hard creating life couldn't keep up with nursing I guess) I think your uterus does most of it's contracting right after giving birth, so you are probably in the clear now! Good Luck!!! Having them close together was soooo much fun!

And how exactly does this Pediatrician explain pregnant women who have orgasms all the way through pregnancy.There may be other issues with nursing and being pregnant - but I don't see how the human race could continue if this really was the case . . .

I've also noticed that for some in the medical profession truly supporting breast feeding out of certain parameters is a real push.

I'd call La Leche League.

Also don't ever think that a Dr's personal views don't influence their advice - I once had a new young Pediatrician tell me that I could slap my 6 month old's thigh to stop him from biting my nipple when he was teething because he was old enough now 'to know
better' . . . Scary no ? I changed Dr's asap.

I have had 2 doctors tell me to stop nursing immediately when I became pregnant with my 2nd and 3rd child. I did not take there advice and had no problems. I am now pregnant with my 4th and am still nursing my one year old. No problems so far and I am almost 19 weeks along. I guess the best advice would be to do what you're comfortable with. I would definitely check out what the la leche league has to say about it!
Good luck!

You've gotten some great advice here! It is perfectly safe to breastfeed while pregnant, I know several Moms who breastfed all through their pregnancies and went on to nurse their toddlers and newborns at the same time (no pun intended). I would suggest purchasing The Baby Book, by Dr. Sears and The Nursing Mother's Companion by Huggins... they were my Bibles :)

Rebekah, I always love your advice! I switched Doctors when mine told me infants need to cry to exercise their lungs... LOL... what a MORON!

I had a six week old when I got pregnant again. I safely (and at the advisement) of my doctor nursed the whole pregnancy. I believe that stimulation of the breasts can cause uteran contractions, but will not induce labor unless your baby and body are ready for it anyway. I never had any doctor tell me it was unsafe. LOTS of hard work (very tiring) and you are ALWAYS hungry:) Good luck.

I got great information on this subject from "The Breastfeeding Book" by Dr. Sears. It explains the process of returning to fertility after giving birth and while still breastfeeding. One thing to remember is that everyone’s body is different. Hormones react one way in one woman, and don't even affect the next, etc.
So learn about the process.
It's absolutely true that nursing causes your uterus to contract. Do you remember the labor like pains when nursing your baby for the first week of her life? If you didn't get those pains, it just reiterates the fact that every woman's body is different! Ask around, some mothers feel them, others don't. Anyway, those were the contractions that help to shrink your uterus back down to normal after pregnancy. Maybe contractions alone will cause miscarriage, but I'm not convinced.
My experience was, I could not maintain a pregnancy while nursing. I had a miscarriage very early in my second pregnancy. I think my miscarriage had more to do with the low level of the hormone progesterone rather than uterine contractions. I weaned my son (at 15 months) and was able to get pregnant after that resulting in a healthy baby girl.
Do some fertility research. You may be able to supplement certain hormones so that you can still nurse your baby and maintain a pregnancy too. (I chose not to do this because I was already ready to wean my son) The hormones don't affect your nursling and you only take them long enough for the embryo to implant.

I have read the same, related to low estrogen & progesterone levels but I don't think this should stop you from trying. It also depends how much breastfeeding your doing, your daughter I'm sure is doing solids also and is not full time nursing. I would not wean my baby for that reason alone, unless the timing is right for both of you. My son went until 14 months, kudos for you even being ready for another yet! I wanted a little boob freedom before I was ready for my hubby to get near em, i.e. to get prego again! It could be 3 months plus before you get prego anyway, by then you might be done or at least down to a couple of feedings. My girlfriend at 33 nursed up to the end of her pregnancy and planned to tandem nurse but it didn't work for them. I think it is easier the younger you are, but I would not worry about it, our bodies are smarter than we are, go for it! You also might get the La Leche leagues opinion on the issue, I bet they would have another take on it.
K.
35, 6 months prego with a great 2 yr old boy