Is there a breastfeeding while pregnant thread already?

[MummyBerryJuice]

If not would anyone like to join me?

Experienced and first time feeding while pregnant mums welcome. I'm almost 11 weeks with DC2 and am still feeding DS (15 months). We are currently working at night weaning him (although he is incredibly persistent) and he still feeds 3/4/5 time per day, although he is starting to eat more solids.

I don't know anyone in RL who has fed whilst pregnant or tandemed and it would be great to be able to share frustrations etc with others.

So please come and join me, or point me in the direction of the right thread

oh...so that's what happened to the post i started writting.

Kd, maybe your dd will lose interest if your supply drops...? I remember that story in adventures too.

Hi, may I join you? it's great to find others in the same situation: IRL I do not know any other breastfeeding toddlers, let alone some with pregnant mothers.

DS is 19 months and I am about 7 weeks pregnant with no. 2. DS is now only having 2 feeds a day (three if I am at home) but he seems to get more and more annoyed with the evening one- I wonder if the milk is decreasing. He is also quite keen on a pre-nap feed if I am at home, but now that I am pregnant and need to take daily mini-aspirin I cannot really feed him if, like today, he wants to go to sleep at 12.30. Cue big tantrums and broken-hearted mother...
Have you had something similar?

hi sui, congratulations and welcome

I think all of us on this thread can relate to needing or wanting to restrict our toddlers feeding at some point. Personally i haven't weaned at all, but ds was 10m when i fell pg and so i felt he needed to nurse. Others have dropped feeds though and may be able to offer advice.

What is it that you have to take sorry...is it not compatible with bf? Would he fall asleep in a buggy?

It may well be that your supply has dropped, this is common though not universal. It's also possible that it tastes different. Neither of these things has put my ds off, but some older dc's do self wean.
The required text for this thread is "adventures in tandem nursing"...only joking but it does contain lots of info re bf while pg.

How are you feeling in general?

Welcome Sui and congratulations.

I really recommend either 'adventures' or 'Mothering your nursing toddler'

Aspirin is contraindicated in bf as it passes into BM and can put your Childe at risk of Reyes Syndrome it might be worthnyour while ringing Wendy at the Breastfeeding Network' Drug helpline she might be able to help suggest alternatives if you do not want to wean. Are you needing to take the asprin as an anti-platelet agent?

Will pop back in a little while.

Need to have a nap.

Hi, only just found this group. I'm 31 weeks and breastfeeding my 21-month-old. I've read the 'adventures in tandem nursing' book, but I'm thrilled to have found other people that are in the same boat as me!
My supply seemed to reduce drastically from about 18 weeks, when it also started to become painful as hell. We have good days and bad days pain-wise, and on the bad days I tend to limit my toddler on how much time I give him at the breast - it's the only way to keep us both happy.
I never set out to breastfeed for this long, let alone tandem feed, but it's still an important part of my toddler's life so I'm not going to take it away from him just yet.
Anyway, just thought I'd say hello...

Just popping on to say hi

Better night last night - DD was settling down with milk, crawled up, kissed me and said "thanks so much mummy" and went back to feeding. I felt awful, it's obviously so important to her. I chilled out & feeding was less painful.

I am going away for a few days at short notice so am going any minute but I'm taking Hilary Flower with me

I can't MN while away but will post properly when I'm back.

Hello everybody. Welcome tiger and Sui

Just a quickie as DD is rampaging around the house. Just a thirty min nap all day so she's not on the best of forms. Her naps have just gone out the window this past week. Thankfully her nights are still good.

Welcome tiger

We're doing ok here. I'm struggling to sleep, insomnia. Really can't switch off. Am using yoga techniques and they seem to work but when I eventually manage to fall asleep, DS wakes up and needs resettling/miving to our bed. dH's snoring is also really load atm.

quick pop it to say scan was all clear.

Welcome tiger.

Have a great time kelly.

So does that mean you'll get your home birth moon ?
I think I'll be c section with this baby. Despite being teeny tiny 3 lb DD managed to get stuck and they couldn't even pull her out with foreceps. I need to have a chat with my current doc, but the obstetrician in charge of me when I had DD said then that any future baby would be c section.

I had planned a water birth, breathing my baby out type thing

Sui if you look on the bfn website there's a button to press to email them if you prefer. I did that about my anti sickness drugs and they were v helpful and certainly appeared incredibly well informed (as you would expect!)

Hi guys
I'm now 8+4 preg and DS (only 11m) has dropped down to one feed at bedtime :(
I know he'll wean when he's ready, but it seems so early compared to the amount of feeds some of you are giving older babies at later pregnancy...
Did any of your DCs drop feeds in early pregnancy then pick them up again later? Or do you think this the beginning of the end for DS? :(

Yay Moon!!!

Welcome and congratulations Beyond I self-weaned (according to my mum) at 11 months when she was around 10 weeks pregnant with my brother. Personally, I think it was a nursing strike due to decrease in supply/change in taste but it is normal for babies to do this if they are getting less milk/don't like the taste.

If you want to continue to feed him, you could always try some of the tactics suggested for dealing with a nursing strike or you could just let him lead the way and use it as a good oppertunity to wean. Whichever you feel is best for you.

We're here to listen

It must be a change in taste rather than lack of milk, my boobs are full to bursting!!
I'm undecided at the mo, I didnt want to purposely wean him for aaages yet (if at all even), but one feed a day will be a hell of a lot easier, without completely weaning him... Unless that leads to sooner weaning??

One feed a day is likely to decrease your milk supply faster and make it more salty (weaning milk) so could lead to faster weaning.

As moon said earlier the required reading for this thread is 'Adventures in Tandem Nursing' ( It's a joke - I haven't read it) but it is excellent and is packed full of information not just about the practical issues but the emotional and societal too.

welcome beyond, congratulations.

Ds was 10m when i fell pg and has fluctuated in his feeds, increasing of late. You may find your ds goes mad for it when your colostrum comes in (normally around 20 something weeks).

Yes kd, as of friday i will be able to birth at home (touch wood). Dh and i are celebrating with a meal at a wonderfull gujurati restaurant with out ds!
Hopefully i'll get to deliver at home this time. But even if i did have to transfer again i'd prefer to labour at home. And get some use out of the heated pool i'm hiring.

Would you go for a vbac if it was an option kd? I saw a book somewhere about making c/s's less clinical, and a better experience. We have a long way to in that respect. Do you have any idea what caused your dd's prematurity and weather it could reoccur? Sorry if this is a stupid/tactless question...do feel free not to answer it.

How are you mbj? Did you speak to your friend about being emergency labour support? I would secretly sulk if dh went away now. Luckily his work doesn't call for it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes, MBJ, the aspirin is used as an anti-platelet agent because I have factor V Leyden. Have cleared it with a specialist who said the dose is so low (75mg) that it's fine to bf, just take it after the morning feed so it has a long time to go through before I feed again ( usually at night). That's why I try not to feed him to sleep if the nap is within four hours of the aspirin- I think I read somewhere most of the absorption is done by then. GReat thing is the specialist also said well-done for feeding this long. Was v chuffed and now parents ( who are both doctors but nit obs/gyn) are onboard on continuing to feed while pregnant, which is great.
Reactions from other HCPs less than great: on Monday I was in tears ( v v unlike me) after bloody insensitive gyn ( whom I was seeing in relation to issues left over from the first pregnancy) said, without even looking at me " you must stop now". I asked why, he looked annoyed and muttered something about a theoretical risk to the pregnancy. Dropped the subject but when I got to the next appointment of the day with the physio all I could do was cry ( same guy also said he advises vaginal birth, if necessary with instruments, which I just cannot bear the thought of after first traumatic birth). Fortunately have been referred somewhere else for antenatal care, so will just ignore the man (and write a thank you note to the lovely and supportive physio).
Have started reading the thread from the beginning and, having seen ythere are at least two doctors on the thread, am wondering whether in part it is because you need to be quite sure of yourself to depart from common practice and continue to feed long- term. Any thoughts? For full disclosure, I'm a a lawyer who would have liked to do medicine ( but was dissuaded by family of doctors) so am used to researching, questioning and sometimes arguing, which is proving useful!
DS is now calling, must be off

sui i'm so sorry about the rubbish hcp's. I'm glad though that you called the gyn's bluff, she is talking crap. Can you complain? Glad you have been transfered, hope you recieve more sensative care now.

I'm not a doctor. But my training in the arts has encouraged critical thinking and a healthy questioning of recieved wisdom/authority.
I am interested in bf and so have informed myself. I now realise how poor most hcp's knowledge of bf is. Tbh it terrifies me, as in other areas of healthcare i am ignorant and completly at their mercy.

Yes Sui it is very unfortunate that most HCPs knowledge of bf is so minimal. I am trained as a doctor (got part of the way through my registrar training in Acute Medicine in South Africa before moving here with DH and worked a bit as a junior here before having DS and taking a career break) but am not currently practising.

Unfortunately breastfeeding and lactation is not really covered at medical school and only the specialities that are likely to encounter bf (General Practise and paediatrics and occasionally Ob/Gyn) will get any sort of training on it and then most of the time the training is offered to them for free by formula companies. It is a massive pity. And is unfortunately not unique to Britain.

Anyway, I am sure that the Haematologist who is in charge of your Factor V Leiden care is much more knowledgeable about aspirin than anyone else AND good for you for standing up to the OB.

Saw my MW yesterday, not sure whether baby is breech or not so may need to go for a scan at 37 weeks. I did speak to my friend and she is delighted to have been asked. She's also an extended breastfeeder and has given birth to her 2nd in the car on the way to hospital and her 3rd at home.

The MW started talking to me about feeding choices, but as I am an active member of the bf support group and she is not renowned for her bf knowledge (very supportive but not clued up) she sort of mumbled through the information, then she tagged on at the end 'and your DS will probably be jealous when he sees the baby feeding but he'll get over it'

I didn't mention that I'd probably be tandem feeding as I think it might blow her mind, just said something along the lines of, 'yes, well I'm sure all toddlers get jealous'

Anyhoo, need to get on with some more MN housework while DS naps.

Hello everybody. welcome beyond

I think DD may be on the way to weaning. I didn't have time to give her her morning feed today and then I offered her her 2pm feed and she didn't want it. So it will be just one feed today again. I do have mixed feelings but in reality I suspect if I can get her down to one at bedtime that is probably best. I'll also offer her if she wakes in the night which thankfully is seldom now.

I'm a lawyer too Sui though out of practice. I guessed your profession from your username

kd i can understand from your post why you would be worried about vbac. Would the positioning issue be likely to reoccur...it must have been a really unlucky arrangement to cause such problems for such a littley. Poor you two.

One of my pet hates is people commenting on bumps/babies, about size and getting stuck etc. It's such nonsense...as your dd demonstrates it is position, not size, that is the issue.

Hope your dd keeps that last feed for you (if that's what you'd like).

Glad your friend would be able to help mbj...she certainly has experience!
I would not have been able to resist mentioning tandem. Hope your baby is not breech...i believe they are often wrong about this.

I have something to confess. My BFF is coming to visit this weekend and she is a very opinionated, out spoken woman (which is why I love her) but with very traditional views on childrearing and not at all 'pro' breastfeeding. She's not anti at all, just South African (dismal bf rates amongst whites), formula fed (ain't nothing wrong with me type) and childless . And I'm petrified.

MBJ I think we all have times when we get a bit 'shy' about BFing. If she's a good friend then of course you value her opinion. (btw does BFF mean best friend forever??)

Yes moon I would like her to keep that one feed a day. She was quite enthusiastic tonight for it. But maybe only because there was a decent supply because of the missed feeds. I feel that if she keeps one feed she can always increase if she wants, and it's still there as a tool on the rare occasions she wakes in the night or silly o'clock in the am.

Yes, it is best friend forever (which is a ridiculously silly preteen term, but we've been friends for almost 15 years). Ag, I'm not shy, just don't really want to get Into a position of trying to justify my parenting choices and I know she'll push the issue.

Anyway, had last session of pregnancy yoga tonight and as DH is away for work, DS was at granny's but she did not even attempt to put him to bed, rather hoped he would fall asleep watching recorded Peppa Pig. So he was still wide awake at 9:30pm when I got to theirs topic him up. Perhaps he'll sleep later tomorrow

We are up again. We're up more than we're not now. It's begining to shake my confidence that he'll just snap out of it again.

I felt shy about bf ds at a family gathering a few months ago. A few members of the extended family had made comments when i was pg about bf toddlers (i didn't know enough to question it at the time and nodded along). In the end he trapped his fingers in the door of the busy restaurant and there was no way i was going to not nurse him. No one said anything and i'm sure they were glad it shut him up!

Hope you have fun with your bff mbj, and that there isn't any bf awkwardness.

I seem to have explained about the oxytocin receptor thing on twelve million threads lately. People will think i'm obsessed (if they think anything at all)

Morning. Awake at 4:44 but managed to get him to settle back down until 6ish.
Am watching a magnificent sunrise.