I just found out I'm pregnant and my little one is 5 months old exlysiceu nursing. She won't take a bottle and I was wondering if I can continue exclusively nursing or will not make enough milk? Do I need to supplement ? When does breastmilk supply usually drop if it does?!
The best website for breastfeeding moms - kellymom.com has a section on this. You might want to read it: http://kellymom.com/category/pregnancy/bf-preg/
Good advice below.
The only thing I can add is that it is possible to get babies to take a bottle. I've had friends who thought it was impossible - and I would try (so long as it wasn't mom) and got them to take it. Try having someone else give the bottle if she won't take it from you.
It took me a while to find the perfect bottle and nipple for my babies. There are some that mimic breast shape (every woman is different). That's how I selected mine. Made it easier. Also, warming to right temperature (mine liked it warm - probably warmer than my own milk was) was the key with mine.
Good luck :) Congratulations!
Some women can breast feed while pregnant and some can't.
No one has any idea which it is you are.
You're growing another baby and feeding your older baby - which places a huge burden on you to provide enough nutrition for yourself and your two children.
I hope you are already taking prenatal vitamins.
Talk to your pediatrician and ob/gyn about it.
Start training her to take a bottle now in case you have to start supplementing with formula.
My milk dried up at 5 months - pumping while at work just didn't keep my supply up even though I breast fed at home as much as possible - so I did formula with our son till he was on solid foods at about 1 yr old - and he was/is fine.
Just using logic...200+ years ago you wouldn't have had an option. Even today if you lived in a third world country without access to bottles and formula you wouldn't have an option. Your body will do what it needs to do to nurse your unborn baby as well as your first child. Best of luck with the pregnancy.
As long as you're nursing frequently and on demand, your milk should be fine for awhile. She will be a year old or so when the baby comes and it would have normally tapered somewhat by then, but you'll have a reboot thanks to the baby.
Giving her a bottle preemptively just in case of future dry-up will actually make it more likely that you do. Don't cross that bridge until/unless you're forced to it.
It's really hard on your body to make milk while you are pregnant. It is doable, but at a cost. Why not go ahead and wean, switch to formula, and give your body what it needs to work on this new pregnancy? Your 2nd baby needs your body too...
You will have to teach your baby to take a bottle, regardless. Sometimes it's easier to get a baby to take a bottle if you aren't nursing anymore. Have dad give the bottle.
As B says, some women can and some can't. But that applies to nursing mothers who aren't pregnant - some can, some can't. It is a strain on your body, yes, so you do need to do everything possible to take care of yourself. Also, sometimes the hormones seem to change the taste or consistency of the breast milk, and the nursing baby doesn't like it so much anymore - that happened to a friend of mine and in fact it's how she realized something was "off" (which was that she was pregnant again).
So keep your options open.
Try pumping now and putting breast milk in a bottle, and keep skin-to-skin contact against your chest. One good thing about a bottle is that you can tell exactly how much the baby takes in. You can also mix formula with breast milk - talk to the pediatrician, but you might find they recommend 75% breast milk and 25% formula for a week, then 50/50, and so on. You'll be able to figure out if the baby is hungry, and you can take her for free weight checks at the pediatrician to make sure she's continuing to gain weight. She won't allow herself to starve - she may fuss in the beginning but she will eat if you ease her into the changes. Work with your pediatrician and also with your gynecologist or primary care doctor to make sure you are adequately caring for yourself, your baby and your fetus.
Welcome to mamapedia, T..
You are exclusively breast feeding and want to know if your milk will dry up because you are pregnant? I don't know. I can't answer this. EVERY W. is different. I breast fed my son until he was 2.5 years old. I was pregnant the last 6 months.
You need to talk with your OB/GYN and a lactation consultant. THEY will be the ones who can help you and your body. What happened and worked for me? MIGHT NOT work for you and your body.
my milk was on its way to drying up when i found out i was pregnant. and i had already begun the weaning process. so i let nature take over so i could finish weaning ( child was 12 months old)
i don't know how it is going to be for you. check out the kellymom link that someone posted that site is great information for the breastfeeding mother. make sure your obgyn and childs pedi all know the situation so they can advise you should an issue arrise in the future.
stay hydrated. take your vitamins and eat healthy and you should be able to breast feed a child exclusively while pregnant with another
