what happens when dc2 is born if still BF dc1?

[poppy283]

DD will be 23 months when DS is born, she is breastfed at bedtime only (and very occasionally during the night if I'm feeling lazy!)

MW tells me that I'll still get colostrum/newborn friendly milk etc, so I'm just a little worried about how that will affect DD - I'd love to hear some first hand accounts.

Also, as I'm having an elcs I'll be away from DD for at least 2 nights, would I be inadvertantly making her wean cold turkey as we BF every day at the moment?

Thanks in advance!

I have a tiny bit of experience in bfing while pg (am pg with DD4 and I am bfing DD2 & DD3, I bf DD1 through DD2's pg and DD1 and DD2 through DD3's pg though DD1 did self wean at 3.6y when I was 8m pg with DD3) so hopefully I can give you some on the ground info!

You will get colostrum regardless of bfing status as the switch over happens due to pg hormones, usually this happens around in the 24th week (though there may be some variation between individual mothers), some women notice a drop in supply before then, some women don't (again - individual variation). No/low milk supply doesn't have to mean that you must wean, my 3 have been happy to 'dry nurse' even when I have had little to no milk, but you may find your DD different so be prepared that she may decide not to continue to nurse.

Colostrum usually has a laxative effect on toddlers as one of it's functions in a newborn is to clear the meconium from the gut but it works just well on cheese and bread sticks too You may have a few days or so of runny poos before things settle down or if she picks up extra feeds for any reason that may trigger more pooing (e.g. if she is teething and wants a few extra sessions to comfort her). However colostrum is also packed with IgA (an immunoglobulin that protects the guts and any mucosal surfaces) and other anti-bodies so it won't do her any harm to have a little immune system boost before the baby is born.

While you are in hospital she may decide not to carry on bfing or she may decide to continue, 2 days isn't that long to be apart without nursing (she could nurse when she visits you and baby if you wish) so it's not likely she will forget in that short space of time especially if she is doing something different like staying at grandparents or with friends.

HTH

Hi i was wondering the exact same thing, my dd will be 15m when the lo is born and just wanted to say thanks for the info truthsweet thats cleared a lot of questions up (though my dd might be more relient being younger?).

The only thing id been told by someone with experience is that her older dd had really gorgous hair and nails around the time the new baby arrived!!

Thanks Truthsweet for all the info, I had no idea re runny poos - if that happens I'll know why!

I'm 31wks now and DD hasn't let on if she's noticed a difference! I never know how much she's getting anyway, didn't know dry nursing existed, makes sense though ...

Ideally I'd love DD to self wean before DS arrives, but I want it to be her decision so not going to pressure either way.

poppy - Glad it helped! Some children don't mention the taste/amount changes and other seem to comment on every little variation so she may notice the change but not have said anything. At 31w you are well past the point of dry nursing - this usually happens (if at all) in the first/second trimester so if it did drop then DD obviously didn't mind much!

DD1 only self-weaned as she was unable to latch any more. This was because her jaw had pretty suddenly grown/changed shape to accommodate her 1st adult molars, she had them around a year later when she was 4y but tbh this was about 2-3 years early! The dentist couldn't believe she was 4y and initially thought she must be 6y (even then she thought it was a bit early). DD1 now has 11 adult teeth at 6.3y so she is an early teether (her main accomplishment in life tbh a mother's got to have something to be proud of).

DD2 is 4y 6m and I think she is still nursing though it has been a few weeks so I can't be sure if her last feed was her last ever feed IYSWIM. IF your DD is nursing daily then it's not so likely she will self wean unless she takes exception to the taste or decides bfing is for babies or similar. Mostly self weaning is characterised by more and more sporadic nursing rather than an abrupt end like DD1 though she did have problems latching for a few weeks before she was no longer able too (I think she would still bf if she could but it's a physiological impossibility so she has to make do with cuddles).

sleepybump - as your DD is much younger, she does need some form of milk as the main part of her diet for the first 12m so if supply drop to nil before 12m you would have to supplement with formula to make sure she gets adequate nutrition, after 12m it's not quite so important and by then anyway you should have colostrum in. Hopefully you won't have a no milk situation though - not all women do.

Good books to read are 'Mothering your nursing toddler' and 'Adventures in tandem nursing' for lots of info on bfing in pg and tandem nursing.