If your toddler gave up bf when you were pregnant, how far into the pregnancy were you when they stopped?

[Caz10]

VERY newly pregnant and still feeding DD aged 2.8 - quite hoping this will be the end of her feeding as I've had enough and would really like a break before it starts all over again!

I've read on here that some people's dc stopped during pregnancy as the taste changed etc - when does this happen?

My only doubt is that I've heard that tandem feeding is very good for easing sibling jealousy etc - any experiences of that?

Thank you!!

Can anyone help a tired pregant lady before I go to bed?!

We cut out the night time feeds for DD (who was then a month away from her 2nd birthday) when I was 12 weeks as we co-slept and my nipples were too painful to sustain on/off feeding all night. We had to get her sleeping in her own bed too but she did it within a couple of weeks and not too traumatic for any of us

I was dreading weaning her from her day feeds but she gradually weaned herself. It was as though once the night feeds stopped, her dependence during the day waned also and she had stopped altogether, all by herself, by the time I was 5 months pregnant.

I have no idea if the taste of my milk changed (they say it does during 2nd trimester) but I was just glad I didn't have to end the daytime feeds and upset her. She really was the most boob-addicted child I have ever met so was more than surprised that it was so easy to wean her.

Now, when I am breastfeeding her baby brother she looks increduously at me when I say she used to have booby milk too - and she only stopped 7 months ago but it is all a distant memory! No jealousy there at all thankfully.

Congratulations by the way

mine did, but he was 16 months so a lot younger which i think is why he weaned. i couldn't tell him it would come back, so once the milk went he lost interest

am still about it

Oh so does the milk supply lessen when you are pg? I must try and read up on all of this stuff!

Thank you both for posting. DD is down to morning and night feeds now anyway, 9 times out of 10 she sleeps through and I will feed her when she occasionally does wake, just out of pure laziness and to get her back to sleep quickly. But that is quite rare.

thisisyesterday it is v to think about. Although i'm saying I've had enough I know I'll be a bit gutted when it happens.

My milk went when I was only 7/8 weeks, I'm currently 12 weeks. DS is 26 months and he still asks if he can have 'mik-mok'. I've tried explaining that it will come back and he can have it again, but I think he will probably have lost his latch by then. I've not let him keep latching on, partly because it was just so so so painful.

I'm a bit :( about it, but then I think well he was past his 2nd birthday so we've done pretty well.

My milk seemed to disappear at about 14 -16 weeks, DD was only 13 months.

DD1 stopped when I was 28 weeks - she went to feed one morning and said 'oh no, It's empty, can I have a cuppa milk.' she was 18ish months. She then asked to feed once DD2 was born and said 'yuck, it's disgusting'

With ds1 he bf all through pg and I tandem fed for 2 months. I found this VERY hard. Now 22 weeks pg and decided to do 'don't offer, don't refuse' with ds2. He hasn't asked for 3 days now so thinking that may be it...we'll see! Part of me hopes so as I was finding it vey hard agin (mainly due to soreness). But I still feel hugely guilty, and did 1st time around.

Ds1 was 17months old when he stopped, ds2 is 15 months old.

DS cut way down when I was pregnant, so that by the end he was only nursing once every few days, and then never did it again after DD was born. When she was about two weeks old and I was feeding her he said "I used to do that when I was a baby".

Adventures in Tandem Breastfeeding (in spite of its title) has some good stuff on weaning during pregnancy (self-weaning or mother-led weaning).

DS was 13 months old, and I was 4 months pregnantt - we were just down to the the morning feed. He didn't choose to stop - I did, as I wanted a break before DD came along.

Congratulations OP! My DS stopped wanting to be BFed at nightime when I was about 3 months into my pregnancy. I'm sure the taste changed or something because he simply refused one night and has had no interest in my boobs since. He is only fascinated with my growing belly (I'm now 34 weeks and he's 18 months). We only had the bedtime feed though since he was fully weaned by then, so my supply was only very small.

One thing we did do however was after a couple of nights him refusing me we gave him his own 'special' bedtime cup for his 'moo juice' whereas my milk was called 'mama-juice'. This seemed to help with his bedtime routine.
Good luck!

Very newly pg, I didn't know I was anyway. She was 13m

My dd stopped bf when I was about 3 months pg, and this time around I expected ds to do the same, but hes carried on. Am 40+ weeks pg now, and he still feeds in the evening (he's 18 months old). The hardest thing has been that it is quite painful, and you feel irrationally irritated by it, but have read the adventures in tandem nursing book mentioned above, and am willing to just go with the flow. Am kind of hoping he'll stop, but if he doesn't, we'll see how we go once baby is here... Good luck with your pg!

Can't quite remember, ds after few month, dd after 6 months or so. BOth on their own accord.

Congratulations on your new pregnancy :)

For what I have read and experienced, changes in milk supply and nursing behaviour of existing children varies from mother to mother and pregnancy to pregnancy.

My 4 year old DD has nursed through two pregnancies (second and third) and despite doing 'don't offer, don't refuse' form of weaning shows no sign of stopping. I had managed to get her down to once a day but with a new baby in the house and starting school has increased her needs to twice a day.

My 2 year old nursed through my third pregnancy and he is also still nursing.

They both adore their little baby sister. DS will kindly press on the breast DD2 is feeding on to increase the flow for her Both DD1 and DS tell me when DD2 needs milk. So DD1 says things like 'Mummy, her mouth is open . She needs milk' DS points out 'diss[this] side' to indicate which side his sister can have and which he wants !

I really believe that tandem/trandem nursing helps the older child/ren to cope with the new arrival and allowing them to nurse helps them feel secure at a time when they need it a lot.

I highly recommend the Hilary Flowers book referred to earlier, whatever you and your daughter decide there will be a relevant chapter.

Good luck :)

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. I have been doing "don't offer, don't refuse" for almost 9mths now, ha! That has not been the slope to weaning I thought it would be!

babieseverywhere I really admire you managing to feed all your dcs, had actually never occurred to me that more than 1 older sibling could be in that situation but now I see that of course it could happen. Your older dcs sound really sweet!

Well i guess I will just have to wait and see and let DD dictate what happens - i didn't suffer from sore nipples during pregnancy 1st time round, so hopefully that won't become an issue. Still early days so I feel nervous talking about it at all!

Congratulations caz.

I was similar to babieseverywhere (congrats btw - I hadn't seen that you'd had your number 3 yet, and had wondered now and then if your eldest was still going), but my dd, who fed throughout my pregnancy with ds1, weaned when I was about 4 or 5 months pregnant with ds2. She was 4 by then though, and we talked about it and agreed that she should stop, though left just to her I'm sure that she would have carried on. Ds1 continued to feed throughout my pregnancy with ds2, and I now tandem feed them (23 months and 10 weeks).

i was 6 months pg and toddler was 15 months

i thought at the time it was due to the taste and i was quite relieved, as it was getting painful ( hormones). later i regretted it as he was so young, i felt guilty i fed him for such a short time. i suspect it was just a nursing strike - maybe if i had persevered he woudl have continued

DD fed till 2.3 and I was then 6 months pregnant. I weaned her myself she showed no signs of stopping, I had read about the change in taste and less supply but it made no difference. Afraid it became too painful my nipples were too sensitive during pregnancy and I found myself dreading the feed at night, we were on 1 feed only. The night I decided to stop my husband put her to bed. She was fine about it. I was not cried my eyes out. Was thankful of the 3 month break though. Breast fed DS for 16 months which I do feel guilty about but wanted to have abit of adult life back as did not express. Good luck