HELP! BREASTFEEDING TWO UNDER TWO?!

[Mimi1313]

My DS will be 15 months when I am expected to have my next child. He is 9 months at present and breastfeeds around 5-6 times a day. I'm hoping to tandem feed but need some advice on how people have found this?! I'm also worried as DS latched painfully for the first 2 months.

That wasn't the question.

Congrats on your pregnancy.
I tandem fed my 2 sons though the age gap was a bit bigger than yours. Honestly, I found it pretty easy on the whole though I occasionally got a bit fed up of it and wanted a bit of peace! But then I suppose you sometimes get that feeling when you have 2 small children however you are feeding them and I found it a helpful parenting tool far more often than a hinderance.
I found breastfeeding through pregnancy more of an issue really, as I got really sore nipples early on plus i had hyperemesis, so the first few months were a bit gruelling.
You need to be aware that there is a fairly high chance of your older baby self weaning during pregnancy,and your milk supply will drop off. It's hormonal and there is nothing you can do about it unfortunately. The timing and extent of the drop is very variable, but you will almost certainly notice a significant drop soon if you haven't already. Your baby may stop breastfeeding or may continue to "dry nurse" but either way he won't be getting the same amount of milk as previously so you probably need to consider how you're going to handle that.
I would recommend you get a copy of the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing by Hilary Flowers, published by LLL. Despite the twee title and slightly hippyish language, it's a really good source of info on what to expect and strategies for dealing with any problems for women who are breastfeeding through pregnancy and beyond.
Oh, and one thing nobody told me is that colostrum is a laxative, so expect some "interesting" nappies if your son is still breastfeeding later on in pregnancy. (I was worried til I figured out what was going on!)
If i can answer any specific questions please feel free to ask or PM if you prefer.

2 awful, unsupportive and useless replies here!

My friend tandem nursed. Her first was 18mo and absolutely not ready to stop feeding. There were challenges. As pp said pregnancy and feeding was hard for her and I think the early days resulted in sore nipples. Her first DD was a bit jealous of the baby feeding and upped her nursing as a result so you may have to contend with that. Perhaps lots of discussions with your first before the birth so they can start to understand that they will be sharing the boobies.

It was a lovely bonding experience for them all, helped the toddler feel included and having asked her directly myself if she'd do it again she said absolutely.

See if you have a breastfeeding cafe near you. Many people tandem feed so I bet you'll get some tips there.

I've just had my second DS. He's now 3mo. I found the early days feeding trickier than I thought due to having to relearn how to latch a newborn compared to a toddler so bare that in mind too.

Good luck!

I am surprised at the replies on here. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years so at 15 months it’s not unusual to be bf. I don’t have any experience in tandem feeding but would say to continue with a good vitamin when bf. I take magnesium which I think has really helped.

Wth is with some of these replies. The WHO recommends breastfeeding until 2. No advice OP, have you tried La Leche League?

Hi op,
Not a huge amount of help here, but re sore feeding:
I've fed my now 2y5m til now, and my baby was born 4 days ago. The toddler has only been having a tiny feed on some evenings, so certainly not still regularly feeding. I've only been feeding off one side, to try to maximise the amount he got.
Anyway, feeding off that side: not a problem. Feeding off the side that hasn't been 'used' for a while: the usual newborn arrrrgh! So definitely worth persevering!
Op there are some spectacularly unhelpful replies on here. If you want to do this, I hope you find the support you need.

I tandem fed. There were two years between my two. I kept one child to each boob to make sure they were both getting what they needed. In the end my second child weaned themselves st 6 months and the first carried on to 4 years :)

Positioning an older child is simpler. Often times nothing is needed and they wiggle themselves into place. Generally by then they are eating more solids and take the breast intermittently.
i’ve also read “something” about the milk changes and often the older will self wean.

I'm a big believer in breastfeeding - even with teeth. The only thing that would concern me is the colostrum. Would the newborn get any colostrum?

@BlodynGwyn from what I understand the breast knows which baby is on which breast due to saliva at the nipple. So presumably the newborn would get what they needed.

Perhaps op could express colostrum prenatally to give and up intake?

No advice but to me it sounds amazing, if it avoids those frantic days waiting for your milk to come in for your new born!

If you're on Facebook there's a group called Breastfeeding Older Babies and Beyond. Many people on there have tandem fed and will be able to offer you advice. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Some of these comments are so incredibly ignorant and misinformed. No wonder the UK has such low bf rates. Op, please ignore the idiot who accused you of bf-ing "for attention" - they sound both stupid and goady. Breastfeeding is possible while pregnant and beyond with two - the body will absolutely adjust and I know several women who've done it successfully! There are also benefits to bf in pregnancy eg associated with less morning sickness. Your milk will change during pregnancy and for me that was the end of bf as the toddler rejected it, however this certainly isn't always the case by a long shot. As for actual tandem feeding, most people I know including me have found the second time breastfeeding an absolute breeze with much less pain if you had it the first time and a much quicker supply (less cluster feeding) even if you stop breastfeeding before delivery. There are loads of breastfeeding groups on Facebook who will give better advice than on here as mn really isn't a great place for bf support (as previous posters show). You may also have a local bf group if you haven't found it already and they can be really helpful with face to face support. Good luck and congratulations!

I briefly tandem fed with a bigger age gap. I had less discomfort in the newborn stage second time round. My eldest was nearly 3, so only feeding once per day. With a 15m old, you might find they suddenly want lots of feeding alongside the baby, so think about how you will manage that. Will you agree or will you distract? Personally I would aim to night wean your first before the youngest is born for your sanity! Good luck!

@Ilady what a load of judgemental bollocks.

You need to get that breastfeeding chip off your shoulder.

It's early days OP I'd try not to overthink it now. My Dd was six months old when I got pregnant. By the time the baby arrived (she was 15m) my milk had changed and she didn't want it. I also developed a huge aversion despite having loved it. I head it's hormones trying to prioritise the new baby.

Thanks everyone! Thankfully the horrible comments were deleted before I could read them.

I think I was just panicking last night with sore nipples and having my ds waking up for them and biting on them in his sleep (not a usual thing). I think I'll just have to take it as it comes and do my best! Thanks for the advice, I'll be checking out those groups for sure.

No....nature's way of telling you they are too old is losing milk teeth, growing adult teeth, jaw changing shape therefore losing their latch.

OP I second the Facebook group breastfeeding older babies and beyond. Lots of really knowledgeable bf mothers on there, lots that have tandem fed. And none of the ignorant nonsense you get on MN.

So any reply that doesn't agree with the OP gets deleted? My reply wasn't rude or offensive it was my opinion, are people not allowed that now?

Also not a twat thanks

@AuntTwacky Your ”opinion” was rude offensive and ill-informed.