Has Anyone Continued to Nurse While Preggy

I nursed pregnant. It was very uncomfortable for the first minute that my son latched on, but it was not unendurable and it subsided pretty quickly. I would encourage you to keep nursing another couple of months, til your baby is at least one! If you do wean, the La Leche League book "How Weaning Happens" was very helpful to me. If you think you may want to continue nursing, some women even nurse both kids. There are tandem nursing books that may help you know what to expect with that, too. If you'd like more input, the Austin Attached Families yahoo group has been a great support system to me.

Good luck,
K.
Mama to Milo (2.75 years old)

You could try feedign in the early morning , pump milk durning day, then let him nurse at night . But NOT in your bed. If you have a rocker , rock and nurse , very calming for both of you. Then put him in his bed. If you don't as he gets oolder he will expect to sleep with you all the time. I nursed all 5 of mine , and one while I was preg., and little umcomfotable; but only for a very short time.
Have you tried mixing a little formale with breast milk . till he gets a likeing for it. Slowly increase the formaler, while decreaseing your milk. Blessing to you all N.

about me : mother of 5 w 13 grands and 3 greats I teach parenting clases.

I know lots of women who nurse while pregnant. At this age he's getting much of his nutrition from the food he eats. Just make sure you take your prenatal vitamins and you and your unborn baby should be fine. Drink lots of water and make sure your body is in the best health you can be prior to and during your pregnancy.

I nurse my 12 month old about 3 times a day except when we are out (she drinks from a straw!) and then she will often just nurse once, in the evening after dinner. IF I was pregnant I wouldn't worry about nursing, but honestly I'm ready to wean her so I wouldn't be upset if she didn't want to nurse anymore. In her cup I give her rice milk because she has milk allergies.

When I got pregnant with her, her sister was still nursing. My toddler was 13 months old. She stopped asking to nurse much and I never offered. By the time she was 15 months old she didn't ask to nurse at all. Some women try to discourage weaning but it seemed a very natural progression- when the baby was born she didn't even ask to nurse although she would sit (still does sometimes) with me to cuddle while I nursed.

I hope you have a great conception/pregnancy/delivery!
S. (mom to four girls ages 1-5)

I haven't read all of the responses, so I don't know if I'm repeating, but if you haven't read, "Mothering Your Nursing Toddler" and "Adventures in Tandem Nursing," you might find them interesting. I haven't read "Adventures in Tandem Nursing," but "Mothering Your Nursing Toddler" gives a nice balanced view of nursing during pregnancy and beyond.

YOu know, as long as you don't stop nursing him a week before the baby comes (whenever that blessed event occurs) I think you're ok to nurse him until you get pregnant again. One thing I would advice you on (and this is just me): If you manage to wean him soon, try to get him into a cup instead of a bottle. I did that with my first kiddie, but not with the second, and believe me, it was a nightmare getting rid of that bottle!!! My third kiddie, 17 years later, only got to be on the bottle as long as he was because my entire family threatened me with banishment if I remeoved him!! I did get him off by 2 1/2, but it was a REALLY bumpy road. Good luck to you and your family. All three of my kids slept with me until they felt like they wanted their own beds. Enjoy those "little cozies" while you can.

Come to a La Leche League meeting! I'm not sure where you live, but there are meetings everywhere. They are free and you can bring your son. There are lots of other moms there who can talk to you about their experiences nursing while pregnant or tandem nursing and let you know the ups and downs. I go because it gives my daughter a great chance to spend time with new friends, and I get to make mom friends for playdates.

I nursed through 3 pregnancies and had no problems. At the beginning of each pregnancy there was some nipple sensitivity but it didn't last too long. You can get preg while nursing and you can nurse through the pregnancy just do what works for you and have fun.

Debra

I tried to continue nursing my daughter while I was pregnant. I wound up miscarrying. Not saying this would happen to you, but my OB doctor discouraged me from doing both. She said that i needed to either commit to nursing and not get pregnant or commit to trying to have another baby and quit nursing. She said it is very difficult on your body to manage both at the same time. I'd discuss it with your doctor. Hope this helps.

I hope that you ask a pediatrician before you put your child on cows milk. I don't think they are suppose to have that so young.

Nutritionally, baby inside gets what it needs first, then nursing baby, then mama. So, you have to make sure you are eating a well balanced diet.

I nursed my son for about 16 weeks when I was pg with my daughter. I became pg when he was 6 months, and my supply took a dive pretty quickly, so we had to supplement and eventually he weaned.

Many women experience a dip in supply, so keep that in mind. If he is not a comfort nurser, he may wean if your milk supply drops.

I am now pg again, and currently nursing my daughter (24 months). She loves nursing, and even though she is hardly getting anything, she hasn't stopped yet. Her nursing frequency has dropped down to 4-5 times a day, where before she was nursing close to 8-10 times a day. I plan to let her self wean.

It can be painful, but I didn't have a terrible experience.

The only time you would have to wean, would be if you are put on pelvic rest.

Maria
Congratulations on feeling confident enough right now to start trying for another baby!

I know many moms who have tandem nursed. Only one mom that I've known had to aggressively wean her first baby (or risk losing the second).
The book I've heard them recommend so many times is
Adventures in Tandem Nursing by Hilary Flower
Also, it is quite likely that your local La Leche League would have this book in it's library.
http://www.lllhouston.org/FindMeeting.html
Looks like the closest meeting to you would be at the Woodlands hospital.

As for giving him cow's milk - I would recommend against it. There are alternatives without introducing a possible allergen. We've used goat, rice, almond, coconut and soy milks with our two. Soy milk only occasionally for my son since there are mixed stories about soy milk and babies under 3yrs.

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 4y - nursed to 2.5y and to 3m pg with #2
Samuel, 15m - nursing lots with no signs of stopping! :-)

I did try for the first couple of months, but my milk dried up. My OB said that was normal. Just too much for my body to handle all at once. She also said it wasn't healthy for the baby I was carrying because my body had to produce too many nutrients for the milk AND the new growing baby simultaneously. She said one or the other would end up not getting enough, which could have been harmful to the new baby.

Good luck! :-)

Hello Maria,
I have four beautiful children. With each pregnancy, I continued to breastfeed five months into each subsequent pregnancy. My children all self weaned. My OB was completely OK with this. I understand that if you have issues such as a history of miscarriage, you need to be cautious...something about uterine contractions....

There are a LOT of old wives tales out there about this issue...misinformation, etc. YOu will NOT starve the in utero baby....the composition of your breastmilk will change with pregnancy (gets salty), so your nursling will likely decide to give it up all by herself when she is ready. Mine did. Try to hang in there until he is at least 12 months old. Good luck!
-D.

Please, please, please check with your doctor today!!! My niece used a breast pump while she was pregnant and lost the baby.

J. P.
www.prepareandsucceed.com

I weaned my son at 18 months and was not pregnant again until a year later. But I had a little advice about weaning.

It sounds like our nursing routine was similar. I nursed at bedtime and in the night for a long time and it, as you said, "got old". To take away the bedtime feeding, I nursed him in the living room with lots going on (lights on, music or tv on, etc)and a bit earlier than bedtime. I made a consistant bedtime routine which included his on-again-off-again lovey and stuff. After a week or two, the nursing tapered off and the bedtime routine continued.

The mid-night feeding was harder, but with lots of crying a lots of comforting (and sometimes a bottle of water), that feeding was gone too.

My friend, Kim, is having her third child in a row (one is two and a half, one is just a year, and she is 20 weeks preg) she said she continued to nurse but that her milk production diminished when she got pregnant again. And the only concern was that she didn't want to start cow's milk until the middle child was 12 months, but her milk was less and less.

Hope that helps.
I am expecting my second in September. I am getting more and more focused on the potty training. Two in diapers sounds like more than I can handle.

You should be able to nurse for a little while if pregnant. You just have to make sure you keep up your calorie intake for pregnancy and nursing (800 extra calories or so) so as not to interfere with milk production. I think you can start him on cows milk as long as it is not his sole source of nutrition until after 12 mo. of age. Sounds like weaning will not be a problem. I weaned the day time ones first and then night time and then morning, since that was the one both of my kids were attached to. I had no problems at all. I also gave both of my kids milk before 12 mo. but not strictly milk.

you can continue, but have to keep in mind that you would be eating for three. Also it can be hard to get pregnant while nursing, as it is your bodies natural birth control, as in it is not recommended to nurse while pregnant, i have known others who have gotten pregnant while nursing and continued nursing long enough to ween their baby as nutrients should be going to your new baby.
I hope i didn't confuse yuo further.

when my daughter was 9 months old, i got pregnant again, only i didn't know it for several months. i continued to nurse my daughter, but she weaned herself pretty quickly. i had no intention to quit nursing her, she just refused. i think my milk wasn't satisfying her because i was also pregnant. she never took a bottle, went straight to a cup. she wouldn't take formula, so i mixed formula in everything i could to make sure she got enough calcium. speaking of calcium, make sure you are taking calcium. i had 3 children very close together, and nursed them all. no one told me that i needed calcium supplements. a few years later my teeth started to fall apart. i have had 4 teeth surgically removed because they literally crumbled and couldn't be pulled.

on another note, none of my business, but you might want to wait a few months before trying again. having children less than 2 years apart can be very trying on the older one. i know people will say they are very close, but it can also cause lifelong compitition, especially if the older one isn't ready to give up being the baby.

the nutrient thing is a non issue. the only time it is a problem for the pregnancy is if your body threatens to miscarry. breastfeeding can trigger minor contractions, which do not affect an normal stable pregnancy. your body will feed the baby first. it is a tough thing to do though. many older children will wean themselves as your milk supply goes down towards the end of the first trimester. the taste of the milk also changes. the first couple of months of pregnancy, your nipples can also be pretty tender which can make nursing hard. I think that if you choose to tandem nurse, it can be a very reassuring thing for the older baby. your milk is still good for him and he still gets health benefits from it. just keep in mind that if you choose not to tandem nurse, it is OK also. be gentle with yourself.
If you decide to wean your son, I would just give him water in a bottle. you shouldn't give him cows milk before he is one as it can raise his risk of developing dairy allergies. you could offer him rice milk or goats milk in a cup. or you could just skip milks altogether for a few months. as long as he have plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and is offered a balanced diet he will be fine.

A.
www.supportingmom.com

I was pg again by that time -- I also dried up. But he was starting to eat babyfood, formula, etc. so it was a gradual transition. If you dry up once you become pg or just cut back on the nursing he will accept it too. And yes you can switch him to cows milk at 1 yr, just make sure it is whole milk--not lowfat. Babies need the fat at this stage. And make sure to do it gradually to give his system time to adjust to the new drink. Milk is harder to digest.

My biggest concern for you would not be the nursing. It would be getting him out of your bed! Having 2 babies close together I can tell you, sleep is a rare thing at that time. You will end up with 2 babies in your bed, a dh who is ready to get his wife back, and you will be exhausted.

I would start by just getting him a junior bed to put in your room and tell him this is where he sleeps now--at his 1 birthday or shortly after that. He does need to be able to stand and walk though so he won't fall when he is trying to get out.

Then once the baby comes he will most likely either try to get in beside her, or just try to get daddy to help him with things. Since we were through nursing mine just went for his daddy when mommy could not help him with something (because I was changing a diaper, feeding the baby, whatever).

You can eventually move him into his own room at some point after he is comfortable with his own bed.

I agree with the ladies here. Nursing while pregnant might be too big of a strain on your body for baby #2. Don't get discouraged though. You're child may reach a year before you have to stop breastfeeding conceive your new baby. Good luck with everything.

I nursed my daughter until I was 4 months pregnant. She was already 14 months and ready to be weaned. My nipples were more tender and it was not as comfortable to nurse with morning sickness but I am really glad I did it.

Best wishes

I would check with Dr. I was told with my first child that expressing milk could cause pre-mature labor, or something like that.

I did it when I was pregnant. It is perfectly okay to nurse while pregnant. The only women who might not choose to nurse while pregnant are those women who have a history of miscarriage. You son will probably wean during your pregnancy when your milk production slows down to make colostrum. I do believe in baby led weaning so enjoy it while it lasts.

There are plenty of moms who nursed while they were pregnant and some who have nursed both a newborn and a toddler. Go with what is comfortable for you.

When I tried nursing while pregnant, everything went well until the third trimester when I started feeling uncomfortable. My toddler picked up that I was uncomfortable (not painful but sore) and eased off on his own. I made sure we still continued time for him to snuggle with me and he was satisfied with that.

You can, after your baby turned 6 months, get pregnant while nursing. Especially if you are having periods. My oldest was about 1 1/2 yrs old when we found out we were pregnant with #2. My oldest was still nursing. Not much, but in the evenings. He continued nursing until about mid-pregnancy. My OB said that after I got pregnant, my supply went down (so he wasn't getting much?) He said I really needed to stop nursing by 3rd trimester, when my body needed to prepare milk for the baby. There was no more pain for nursing after being pregnant. Here's the next issue after baby is born. Although it had been a while since I had nursed Matthew, he was still curious about the baby nursing. I did as "the books" recommended. I offered for him to nurse. He said that yes, he wanted to. As he got near to me, he kind of laughed and then said, nah... I tried not to make him feel uncomfortable for asking. That must be very confusing - that was HIS just a few short months ago....
Good luck!!!
K.

I personally have not done it, but I know someone who got preggy while still nursing and her dr told her to stop nursing right away for the sake of the new baby. Think about it: You use so many nutrients to grow a baby in your belly, and so many nutrients to make your milk. By doing both at the same time you would be depriving one or both babies of what they need for healthy development.

I couln't get prego while nursing. My doc. told me to stop in order to get prego. But, there are plenty of cases where you can.

My 1st daughter was 8 months old when I found out I was a month pregnant with #2. I talked to my doctor and her pediatrician, they both told me to continue to nurse but to drink a little extra milk and maybe eat one more small snack a day. Worked out fine they are both healthy and happy kids. I started the weaning process to milk at about 11 1/2 months with all the kids.
bes of luck

Nursing while pregnant is completely safe. I agree there are tons of old wives tales out there. Even some doctors, too! My suggestion to you would be to attend your local La Leche League meeting and bring your questions/concerns with you. You can find your nearest group at http://www.llli.org//Web/Texas.html

Well I TRIED to continue to nurse while (unknowingly) pregnant.

I too was trying to wean my daughter at that time she was 11/12 months. We had gotten down to two feedings one in the morning and one at night but we were also eating solids at that time. It was not painful but rather abruptly my milk supply diminished (I was about 3 months) and I had no choice but to get up and prepare her cereal (she was not too pleased with cows milk at that time nor did she ever get a bottle)Needless to say I didn't have a choice nor did she :( Aliza didn't start to drink cows milk until she was 14 months although I had tried to introduce it to her since she was 12 months.

When I spoke to her doctor about it he said not to worry but to just be sure that she was getting her calcium which can be found in orange juice, yogurt, cheese and many other sources that she had started to eat. I have not given her pediasure but am sure that is a good source of calcium and other nutrients also.

Enough about me...

I would first consult your doctor about starting cows milk b/c some say wait til the child is at least 12 months due to allergies..if allergies are not a problem you can start to introduce it sooner but since he has been drinking pediasure I'm sure whole milk will work well with him...

By all means if you can continue to breastfeed I would continue to do so!! It was not painful to me, everyone is different. I say at least try try to continue!

GIVE HIM OTHER FOODS/ DISTRACTIONS..a sure sign of a child wanting to wean is an interest in solids. Make sure that he has a full belly at night before bed so that there will not be any questions whether he is nursing for comfort or for hunger. Which mean you may have to work a little harder to get him to sleep. You have to break the association with feeding=sleep/comfort.

I hope this was a little helpful to you!!!

GOOD LUCK!!! By the way it is awesome you can bring your son to work with you. Some mothers have all the luck- :)