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

hello ladies,

hope you are all doing well.

knockedupmel you have my full sympathy. I could not have coped in first trimester if DH hadn't taken over nights for 6 weeks. He works from home so we were able to move things about so he could do it. I was emotional enough from the hormones and pregnancy tiredness without sleepless nights.

If it makes you feel better, there is light at the end of the tunnel - I really started to feel better at about 11 weeks this time and it was like waking up from a long hibernation. I had literally bags of energy again and was bouncing off the walls. I think second time round I really value this stage of pregnancy - last time I was constantly thinking why don't I look pregnant, why can't I feel the baby, why don't I feel pregnant. This time I'm like "just enjoy this stage, its going to get hard later on!"

congrats on your scan truthsweet. Its so nice to pass that stage and get on with making plans.

I'm about 18 weeks now and breastfeeding is still going well - DD is 8.5 months old, and only feeds 3-4 times a day but she still seems to be getting a decent feed from me. I'm so pleased. I feel like her demand is dropping naturally. The less she feeds the less guilty I will feel if I have to stop before she is ready.

Have night weaned her, at least for the time being until the next cold/illness, and she has slept from 7-6 for the past 3 nights which is really exciting. Its been a long time coming - her sleep has been disturbed pretty much since the 4 month sleep regression.

Welcome to the newcomers too.

My DS sleep has miraculously improved thanks to a combination of ncss techniques and partial night weaning! We've gone from waking every 1-2 hours (I.e an average of 10 wakings per night and needing either boob or sleeping on my chest to go back to sleep) to a maximum of 3 night wakings, of which only 1 is a bf!! I'm so thrilled!!!!! On a downer though nausea is my dark cloud that follows me everywhere. The anti sickness pills dull it slightly but it's ever present. And I've had a recurrence of that strange metallic taste in my mouth. Disgusting. Took me till 17w to get rid of it last time. Hoping it'll go sooner this time. Can't wait for second trimester!

hi ladies, how's it going?

I'm 30 weeks today (yay! only 10-12 more weeks of hell this to go!) and DS (30 months yesterday) is still adamant that he will continue feeding :o DH has given up asking me when he'll stop, and my family keep asking and getting nowhere with me.

can't believe how exhausting this pg has been so far - and no sign of it letting up any time soon. I suspect that bfing whilst pg has made bugger all difference to exhaustion levels, but my mum is sure that bfing is waht's causing the insomnia

DS has started playing with a doll and was doing some role play at nursery - with bottles. So I have photos of him bottle feeding a doll (which nursery took) which everyone (CM, nursery, DH) are saying is 'SOOOO cute!' and I'm trying to agree whilst saying he won't be bottle feeding his sister if I get my way. DH cannot understand why I won't plan to express bottles for DS to feed the baby with [sigh] despite the fact that DS only had about 10 bottles in the 1st 6 months as I just could not be arsed with expressing and all the sterilising and so on that was necessary.

sorry, bit of a long winded rant there...

hope you are all well, and nausea is dying down for all you 1st trimester ladies! (mine is still on and off, and just to make me feel even better, I now have raging heartburn and developing SPD, yay! I am so not doing this again...)

Kveta - you could try telling your DH if it was natural for children to feed their siblings then they would make milk from a very young age - boy or girl.

Mind you DD1 did try to bf DD2 once as I was on the loo when DD2 wanted a feed. I walked into the front room to find DD1 with her top up trying to get DD2 to feed. DD2 was NOT impressed with the tiny toddler nipples

Surely tandem nursing with his sister for DS would be more bonding then DS bottle feeding his sister? Would show they are equals to mummy.

Hope the next 10-12 weeks go well (and very quickly!)

I'm 15w now and have had SPD since before I found out I was pg! I just though it was ovulation/period SPD pain not pg SPD pain . No sickness at all this pg just nausea and now just an obsession with apple squash - the only thing I can drink

Apart from the tiredness this has been my easiest pg yet though the SPD pain pinging away is peeing me off.

Hooray on the sleep, Mell. :)

I doubt the SPD pain is likely to let up, Truth?

My supply is definitely dropping (I'm about 9 weeks). DS (2.3 y.o.) has suddenly increased the quantity he's eating (though sadly not the variety of food). I think he's struggling to understand his appetite as he'll say he's had enough dinner, and then 5-10 mins later ask for more food.

There does seem to be milk there still though. He is generally refusing some of his usual feeds e.g. after waking from his nap, but is just as keen on night feeds and before sleep times. He still asks at random points but now he sucks for about 1-5 seconds rather than for 5 mins. I feel a bit sad. :(

On the positive side, it's much easier to get up & going after sleeps. :) I thought he'd want to cuddle for an equivalent time, but clearly not.

He's been hard work for the last few weeks, although he's been under the weather and tired. When I've not been around to offer much milk before, we've always noticed a cumulative deterioration in his behaviour. Is it likely that the falling supply and waning interest in bf is contributing to the increase in stroppiness?

Anyone else around? Can I have a little moan please, as there's no-one else to whinge to but DH and he's had enough of it.

I was dead chuffed when my nipple pain disappeared, but it's come back again, especially at night. DS is feeding 1-3 times a night, which I'm finding wearing due to the discomfort.

He's still having some difficulty regulating his appetite - 'hungry' is his most frequently-used word on waking. I'm sure it's not helping the night waking.

I'm contemplating night weaning, but I know I can't do it on my own (we co-sleep) - my breast will be in his mouth before I realise I'm not supposed to be feeding him. DH is still really busy and basically won't have the capacity to help at night till about July. :(

Do you think limiting the length of night feeds might work? I sometimes have to do that on the really sore side. My dread is that DS will then be properly awake - which means up for at least 1.5 hours, which I definitely can't take at the moment. I'm pretty shattered at the moment.

I'm also reluctant to remove any of his feeds as I'm sure the oppositional behaviour we've had is partly to do with not having much milk nowadays (though that's improved as he's had more sleep recently).

My mum is also retiring in the summer 'so she can help out with the grandchildren more'. Unfortunately while that's very kind, them coming here to 'help' is actually more work for me than it is help. Once they find out I'm pg, there'll be even more pressure for them to come down and help.

DH's parents are both retiring in the summer too (DS is their only grandson) so we're likely to get pressure for more visits from them too. It's relaxing them coming, but it's me 'entertaining' rather than them 'helping'.

On the more cheerful side, my nausea hasn't been been half as bad this pg as my last two. My dating scan is in the next week or two. I'm looking forward to it.

Hi Angeldog, that sounds difficult. In our case night weaning has helped a lot, but it involved my DH settling him. I think the first couple of times there were some longer wakings (tho I was hiding in the spare room so missed it) although I think by about night three he could settle DS faster than I could with a feed so he didn't lose too much sleep. However, you know your family situation best, and if DH being involved isn't possible. If that's the case, I've seen other people on here having great success with Jay Gordon's method? It'd help with the nipple pain, but of course no guarantees it'd bring more sleep (but hopefully it would). Of course you'll be second trimester soon, so hopefully less pain and less tired without having to do anything.

On GPs visiting, could you send them on trips out with DS (even just short ones to the park or something) so you can get a little rest? Wouldn't solve all the surrounding entertaining but would give you a little break.

Here lots of feeds have been dropped- I thought DS was just down to the bedtime feed and losing interest in that, but he asked for a feed first thing today, so we'll see. I'm pretty sure my supply is down, but I think he's still swallowing something.

Thanks, RedKites.

I'm feeling more cheerful now. Had my scan today - only one baby and I'm further on than I had expected (nearly 14 weeks) so hopefully I'll get the second trimester 'bloom' before too long (I felt fab last time).

DH had a good idea re GPs - at the moment they arrive late morning, over-exciting DS before naptime, preventing me from napping and leaving just before tea while I frantically try to prepare dinner while clearing up after them. We'll ask them to come after naptime, bring dinner with them and then they can clear up after themselves while I put DS to bed. Sounds like a good plan. :)

The nipple pain is really variable - it disappears for a while and then comes back again. It's not too bad at the moment.

I think he's getting better at regulating his appetite - and I'm getting better at stuffing him full of wholemeal carbs before bed.

DS has been waking lots, but mainly due to sore eczema on his face, which means he doesn't want bf when he wakes. It means he often now asks for cuddles instead of milk (in the day) - it'll be interesting to see if that continues once his face improves again. I think there's about 0% probability of him weaning completely though.

Angeldog that's great news on the scan, and I think your DH sounds very sensible :).

Here, DS hasn't fed at all today (well he latched onto one side for about half a second this evening). DH got up with him this morning, so no wake up feed and he only really wanted cuddles this evening. He did hurt his lip in a fall this afternoon, and as DH pointed out, he also refused strawberries (his favourite food in the world) at dinner. But am still feeling :( in case this is it.

Good news on the scan angeldog. I had mine last week and am 13w at the moment.

DS is dropping feeds too redkites and I'm a lot sadder about it than I thought i would be. The only feed he will reliably take is nighttime ones (1-2/ night). He has started crying after latching during his bedtime feed, and needs some convincing before he'll take it. Im guessing the taste is starting to change, because theres certainly still milk there.

angeldog Night weaning isn't an option for us as I work 4 days a week so can't feed him during the day. But we did go from waking every hour for comfort feeding to waking 1-2 times/ night for full feeds by following a combination of ncss techniques and spacing out feeds. That may be something to consider if the night feeds are getting you down. I tended to unlatch him and offer the other boob if it was particularly sore, and fortunately the soreness seems to be passing.

I'm still in denial about this pg though... The bump is starting to appear, but unlike DS, where I thought about the pg every second I was awake, this time round, I often forget I am pg, and don't really believe there is a baby there, despite the scans! It just doesn't feel real... Also I'm a lot more conscious about weight gain this time round- I had put on 2.5 stone AFTER giving birth last time round! Had just managed to lose most of it and then fell pg again!

That wasn't it, but this might be now. Since I last posted, his only feed, at bedtime, has got shorter and shorter, and the last three days, I have continued to offer it, but he hasn't fed. At some point soon I suspect I will stop offering it, and just see if he asks. I am glad it hasn't been at all traumatic for him, but a little sad, as I was expecting to be more in control of when he stopped! However, I had my 20 week scan yesterday, and everything is looking well with the baby, so hopefully will be doing this all again soon :)

Assuming DS doesn't start feeding again, I may not be around on the thread for a little while, so I hope those DCs who weren't sleeping great are doing a bit better, and best wishes for all your pregnancies...

Hi there. I could use some advice. I am working my way through this thread but it's going to take a while so i hope you don't mind me asking some questions that have probably already been answered (rl help hasn't been very forthcoming). I have one ds (20 months) who is still bf 5/6 times a day. Dp and i have decided to try for dc2, but i've got myself worked up into a bit of a state about bf while pg, and would like to be clearer on a few things before i get to the point of no return:

Will/might my milk dry up during pg?
Is feeding going to really hurt (my boobs were very painful last pg)?
Will ds reject my milk when it changes?

My main worry is that having another baby will mean not meeting ds's needs - he isn't showing any signs of self-weaning yet, and i don't want him to until he is ready. I'm probably being ridiculously emotional about this but am seriously contemplating not having another child because i'm so desperate to keep bfing ds - am i a nutter? I'm already past 40, so waiting till ds self-weans isn't really an option. Help!

Anyone? I think i need some encouragement more than anything.

RedMolly I'd really recommend the Adventures in Tandem Nursing book- it'll answer your questions in more detail (usually cheapest from the LLL site or if you have a local group they might have a copy you can borrow).

This isn't very helpful, but I think the answer to all three of your questions is that it might- but also might not. Personally, I did experience a reduction in supply, but almost no pain (sometimes a little twinge like when DS's latch was slightly off when teething). My DS did wean when I was around 20w pg but this had been with some gentle encouragement from me to drop feeds. He'd also never really been a comfort nurser. I think AITN quotes a couple of studies which suggest around 25% of DCs will purely child led wean during a mother's pregnancy - so it's by no means a certainty and there are a number of women on here who have fed through pregnancy and then tandem nursed.

I hope that helps a bit and you're able to decide what's best for your family whatever that is.

Thanks RedKites. I think the lack of certainty about the outcome is the worry, but you'd think by now i'd know that is just being a parent! I will get the book, and will carry on reading through this thread. I was so happy we'd finally decided to have another baby and then this hit me and i had a massive wobble. Ds has a dairy allergy so i think i'll hold off until he is 2, and after that i guess it will be see how it goes. I do rely on bf to get him to have a nap, and usually i need to bf him to sleep at night, but mostly i'm just sad at the thought of him having to stop bf before he is ready to wean, and sad that i might lose that bond. Don't think i realised how much i had invested in bf emotionally. Good to know it won't be the end of the world.

redmolly i think its positive that you are thinking about it before TTC. I didn't and went through lots of the emotions you are feeling now, but with the 'benefit' of pregnancy hormones added into the mix!

DD was only 5 months old when we conceived, and as you have probably picked up from this thread, everyone's experience of the impact of pregnancy on milk supply/boob soreness/baby's reaction is different.

For me, I did have sore nipples during the first trimester - worst from 4-8 weeks from memory, but it was completely bearable and didn't last. It did make me feel slightly nauseous at times too... My supply held up fine, although she was gradually weaning through that period anyway so maybe there was a slight drop off - I will never know.

I weaned her onto formula gradually for other reasons starting at about 6 months, and she had her last breast feed on her first birthday. She took to solids very enthusiastically so this wasn't an issue for us. For me I wanted a clean break to give her the chance to forget feeding before DD2 arrived - she is 13 months old so I think this is possible.

Happy to answer other questions, and I'm sure if this thread stays active there will be other much more experienced pregnant bf-ers along with their experience too.

Hi Crochet. I guess it is better to have a bit of a meltdown now rather than when pg! I'm starting to hope that we may get through it, and also beginning to accept that we may not. I'm beginning to wonder if it may be easier all round if ds does wean before a sibling comes along, but in my heart i don't feel ready for him to stop, and he shows no sign of losing interest, though of course that may change. Apart from dreading losing that connection with him i worry about practically managing sleep/teething/comfort/all the things you can solve so easily with a boob! Did you do anything in particular to try to keep your supply up or is it just luck?

Hi redmolly

I didn't do anything to keep my supply up, apart from continue feeding on demand. We did night wean her too, as apart from anything else I was knackered and needed a good nights sleep. That won't feel right for everyone I guess, but just sharing.

Good luck with your decision.

just pulling this thread back up so I can keep up with it. Like a madwoman I'm considering TTC when DD1 reaches 9mo, for a lot of different reasons. I think it'll be hell, quite frankly, I EFFING HATE being pregnant, but hopefully a short-lived one - I'll just spend a couple of years being nauseous, crying and lactating in a darkened room but then I'll be done forever and will have my much wanted 2

my thought is that even if my milk completely dries up as soon as I get pg, it'll just be 3mo on formula and she can have cow's milk if needs be. I'm easy with bfing now and think it's the best thing of course but 9mo is fine and not the end of the world if I have to/want to wean....