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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

If you were breastfeeding a toddler when pregnant...

20 replies

bakingmad83 · 14/06/2017 21:26

were you able to wean before your next baby arrived and how did your toddler react to newborn feeding?

DS is 2yr 5m and still has a feed before bed and if wakes in night for comfort, usually once or twice. Have recently cut out the feed first thing as happy to get up and have breakfast straight away now. He has CMPA and has a couple of cups of fortified oat milk in the day and was thinking off offering one before bed to replace bedtime feed. Not convinced how much milk I'm even producing now, but think he just likes the comfort of the bedtime feed.

I was hoping DS might have gone off the taste of my milk, as know this happens sometimes in early pregnancy, though midwife said might not be deterred till colostrum produced. Personally don't want to be feeding two little ones, so hoping DS will self wean before his brother or sister arrives, but wondering even if I do wean him beforehand whether seeing his sibling will make him want to feed again or feed extra if I don't manage to wean him.

I guess I'm just looking for your experiences and any advice you might have about encouraging weaning from breastfeeding before DC2 arrives.

OP posts:

SoMuchWaiting · 14/06/2017 21:40

I don't know about after baby arrives but I've just weaned my dd who is 2.5. I did it because I was getting lower tummy cramps when she fed and my breasts were becoming tender due to pregnancy.

We were just like you, day weaned but night time she fed to sleep and then had it 2 or 3 times in the night. I did it by explaining that my breasts were getting sore. We then cut down by counting to ten when she latched on. She understood very quickly that once I got to ten then she got to feed from the other side and then that was it, I gave her loads of face strokes/attention during this too. After a few days we cut down to counting to three. We also introduced a book (the rabbit who wants to go to sleep). After one night of getting emotional because she wanted to feed to sleep she started asking for the book rather than the breast. She still fed before the book with me counting for about a week or just longer.

That's my story and I'm now 4 months pregnant. I'm starting to talk about how the baby will want the milk from my breasts and she seems ok with it.

She is also sleeping much better now she has nothing to look forward to when she wakes in the night. After about a week when she woke in the night she stopped asking for the book and just knowing I'm there is enough to get her back to sleep, knowing I'm there and sometimes holding a breast. It's a comfort thing I think

I'll be watching this thread with interest for people's experiences after the birth of baby number 2

MiniAlphaBravo · 14/06/2017 21:47

Yes. My milk supply dwindled and I just started giving her a bottle of whole milk (not with a teat, more like a silly cup iykwim) before bed and lots of cuddles and she was quite happy with that. She did get a bit jealous when dd2 arrived and said she wanted mummy milk but i really didn't want to tandem feed, so I just said this milk is only for babies. She accepted that though she likes to pretend to get milk from me sometimes. And I caught her breastfeeding her dolly the other day

CatsCantFlyFast · 14/06/2017 21:52

I got my bfp early Jan and weaned dd1 on her 2nd birthday In late march. No issues really - I was getting an aversion and wanted a gap between weaning dd1 and feeding dd2. We were down to one feed and I warned her that it would be the last one on her birthday.

CatsCantFlyFast · 14/06/2017 21:53

...so she was prepared. The next day I pre emoted by saying remember no more mummy milk now you are 2, would you like x instead. However it took much much much longer to stop her sticking her hand down my top!

Original poster

bakingmad83 · 14/06/2017 21:54

Thanks for sharing SoMuchWaiting! I'm also 4 months pregnant and my nipples are very sore and that's before DS feeds. His understanding is good and in fairness when I've told him he's making mammy sore feeding and asked him to unlatch, he has. I'll maybe give your countdown a try. DS fed to sleep till around 18m and since then it's only been if he's really tired that he has done, though I'm trying to cut down his daytime nap too as bedtime has been getting later and later, so he's been more tired and feeding to sleep more often. It might be a coincidence, but he is sleeping better at night the last week or two, perhaps a 9 or 10 hour stretch some nights, so was wondering whether he wasn't enjoying my milk so much, so wasn't worth waiting for. Mind you, he's now got all his back molars through, so could just be that he's needing to comfort feed less for that reason.

OP posts:

missanony · 14/06/2017 21:55

It'd probably be a good idea to night wean so you're not up with 2! I didn't know that 2 year olds did night feeds

Original poster

bakingmad83 · 14/06/2017 21:57

Thanks Mini and NotWithout! I've said to DS a lot that mammy's milk is just for babies and he's a big boy now he's two, but that hasn't made any impact yet, though he seems to understand that his sibling will be getting just milk from me when they arrive as they can't eat food.

OP posts:

Original poster

bakingmad83 · 14/06/2017 22:00

Thanks missanony, I'm keen to wean so I don't need to be seeing to two little ones in the night. I think a lot of his night feeding in recent months has been down to his back molars coming through, so he doesn't need my milk, but that's been how he's been seeking comfort.

OP posts:

Sparrowlegs248 · 14/06/2017 22:03

Ds1 was down to one early morning feed (he woke v.early so I would lay him in bed and feed him.) when I was pregnant. He'd given up the night feed, preferring the cup of milk I offered (took less than a week) and when he slept til 5am I decided no more night feeds.

He gave his morning feed up voluntarily the week before ds2 arrived!

Original poster

bakingmad83 · 14/06/2017 22:06

Thanks Nottalotta, I know they often wean voluntarily after two, so guess he might just decide he isn't bothered about feeding any longer.

OP posts:

RhinestoneCowgirl · 14/06/2017 22:09

DS was just having one feed a day when I got pg (early morning feed in bed)

I was finding feeding him rather uncomfortable, as breasts were tender. So I talked to him about stopping and gradually reduced time of the feed. He was just about 2 yrs when he stopped and I was 4 months pg.

When DD arrived 5 months later he was curious when he saw me feeding and asked if he could have some too. I said ok and offered him a boob but he'd lost the ability to latch on and just giggled and blew raspberries! He didn't ask after that. I did give him expressed milk a couple of times when he was ill as a comfort thing.

jpclarke · 14/06/2017 22:12

My ds was a little younger when he weaned, but I was pregnant too. I fed him until I was 5 months pregnant. He used to feed to sleep and would wake during the night for it. I started with the duribgbthe night feeds and just tried to comfort him back to sleep, initially it didn't work everytime but after a couple of weeks he stopped looking for it at night. Then his routine changed a little, he was having later naps and some days no naps and he just stopped looking for it to go to sleep. When the baby was born and he seen that I was feeding I said to him that he used to get milk in Mommy's boobs too and he started laughing and said no way

bf1000 · 14/06/2017 23:13

Nursed my 3yr old through pregnancy, she upped her nursing after baby was born. 6 months on she still nurses a few times a day but generally sleeps through unless poorly. She loves her brother and likes to hold his hand while he has milk.

Ups and downs, some days harder than others. Some nursing aversion. But she seams to need to nurse still so we've just rolled with it.

bf1000 · 14/06/2017 23:15

During pregnancy she cut back to once a day and sometimes missed that feed. Now I'd say it's about 3 times a day on average. But can go several days with not nursing at all

Rootvegetables · 14/06/2017 23:20

I was still feeding my 3 year old but stopped when I was 3 months pregnant. I was amazed 6 months later when I was feeding that he had no idea what I was doing!

Cineraria · 15/06/2017 07:33

That's interesting bf1000. Was she surprised when your colostrum turned back into milk and was very plentiful? I remember mine used to spray out by itself sometimes so I'm guessing it's quite forceful too.

I wanted to keep feeding DS until he's two (he just has three feeds after meals now at 20mo) and of course that's the exact week he little brother is due to turn up, so I think I'll have to leave it a bit longer. On the plus side, I have heard that feeding a a toddler alongside a newborn is a great way to avoid blocked ducts in the early days!

Original poster

bakingmad83 · 15/06/2017 07:36

Thanks Rhinestone, jpclarke and rootvegetables - interesting to know that after just a few months they can forget about breastfeeding and how to latch. Hoping DS will wean before his brother/sister arrives, but will be ready in case he decides to up his feeds like your daughter bf1000.

OP posts:

bf1000 · 15/06/2017 10:35

She didn't like the colostrum taste much but kept trying it to see. She loves the plentiful milk but got very upset the first time it squirmed out and got her face.now she laughs and says quick catch the milk. She definitely helped my supply in early days and with blocked milk ducts. The baby grew very cubby quickly and has been a very happy and chilled baby

Her0utdoors · 15/06/2017 10:50

Boobie now, NO COUNTING! Was what I got when I tried to limit feeding when pregnant. Sorry, no practical suggestions, DD didn't wean before ds was born and would still jump on for some several times a day if she could.

Cineraria · 15/06/2017 13:46

Thank you bf1000. That's nice to hear.

Apologies for leaping on your thread with my own question, barkingmad83. Hope the weaning goes well for you.

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