Pregnant and Nursing Support Thread

[TinkerBellesMum]

I thought I'd start up a support group, for those of us pregnant, with an older nursling. If you are pregnant at the moment or tandeming or have done in the past and want to add your support, please post!

I'm 12 weeks pregnant and have a 2 and a week year old. One of the first things I noticed about being pregnant was my nipples felt bruised like she'd bitten me. 8 weeks later not much has changed and I'm still spending every feed saying "gentle please".

Someone please tell me it gets easier!

I'm also starting to feel quite full and hard.

I keep getting told by my family I'll have problems tandem feeding "and how many mothers do you know who have done it?" My dad was grilling me the other day about tandeming and when I'll stop Tink nursing. He's a radiographer. I made him agree with me "Well, you know yourself that when the adult teeth come through because they're in a totally different order to the milk teeth the jaw changes shape" "Yes and around the same time the soft spot in the jaw fuses" "That change makes it impossible for them to continue nursing, that's why they got called milk teeth" lol how could he argue when he'd just backed my argument up!

I only just found this. Tandem feeding a four month old and 2.1 year old. Boobs have gone from a 34dd to a 32K

Our HV suggested we assign one boob to each child to 'prevent the spread of infection'

Oh, I've jsut found this thread and am after the benefit of your experience.

I am about 8 weeks pregnant and want to carry on breastfeding my 8 month old (he has 4 feeds - first thing, mid morning, afternoon and before bed). The problem is my supply seems to be dropping massively each day. Poor DS is sucking away for ages but barely swallowing so I am pretty sure it is drying up.

ANyone have any ideas of how I can boost my supply again. Am drinking loads of water and trying to rest as much as is possible with an 8 month old but not sure what else I can try. Is fenugreek OK to take when pregnant?

Thanks

Wow whomoved, I'm already a H (although think I'm getting closer to a J now) I was an F before Tink. I dread to think what will happen when the baby comes! I like your HV, she must have a sense of humour you'll end up very lopsided if you do that!

No advice for supply, ready, but I did find things got better as I've got further through. The first 12 weeks were the hardest.

Just bumping because, well, some of us pregnant ladies are getting closer to tandem reality, and I had completely lost this thread (lost the thread too, but that's another matter...)

Hello

I've been tandem feeding for just over 16 months now with ds (3.5 years). He was fed on cue except 3 days a week I worked, right up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. At that stage the tiredness and sore nipples became too much for me so he was night weaned with lots of help from DH. After that he quickly dropped his afternoon and bedtime feeds too, so by the time he was 2 years he was just on one morning feed a day. After dd was born he gradually upped his feeds to about 4 a day at one stage. Once he was 3 years we cut that down again by agreement to just one a day, and now it's not every day. I'm kind of hoping he'll stop at his birthday and we talk about that a lot.

Bf while pregnant was actually really rough, and while I wouldn't swap dd, I wouldn't choose a 2 year gap again for that very reason.

Tandem feeding in the early days helped my milk to come in very very quickly and ensured an ample supply, which was a real boon after having major probs with ds. A tone stage I donated to a local bank too.

Still not had a period since dd, thankfully .

It is hard work through pregnancy, isn't it?

I'm just banking on the older child being able to help regulate my supply when the baby arrives, and obviously use their superior suckling powers to clear any blocked ducts in moments

Toddlers are fantastic for clearing blocked ducts IME .

Mind you, I came across an unusual discussion about blockages the other day where one lady admitted her dh clears hers, and another says she can do it herself !

I've often heard of a Dh clearing a blocked duct

But I would not be bendy enough to even consider unblocking my own eases cricked neck

Thanks O&U!

I'm boggling at DHs clearing ducts! I can't imagine TBD doing that, I'll stick with Tink

Apparently my milk is nice, she won't share (conversation with Nanny during her last feed or should I say Nanny teasing her with questions - "can I have some?" - and Tink shaking or nodding her head) and I think it's on par with tea (she drinks it like it's going out of fashion) as she will abandon either "me-me" or tea for the other.

She nearly got murdered tonight, she decided to play peepo with my nipple and top, then with my top down she pinched my nipple so hard Mum told my sister she'd just bitten me - I think it actually hurt more!

Someone saw me feeding Tink the other day and asked what I'll do when I have a baby too, I pointed out that I do have two breasts!

I have been wondering about what if there's problems getting the second one on? I'm hoping I'm more equipped to deal with problems this time but my worst fear is not being able to feed the baby but still having Tink on the breast! I'm also worrying that it will remind Tink that milk is there available 24/7 and start asking for it more often.

In the early days, most mums choose to feed the new baby first to ensure they get what they need, especially before their milk comes in. Wen there's tonnes of milk everywhere, then it can sometimes be a good idea to feed toddler first then baby, so that baby gets the fattier milk and doesn't just fill up on the high volume first milk.

Each baby is different and as with the first one, sometimes it can take a little while to get bf fine-tuned. Of course you have lots of experience and a toddler to help you ensure you have an ample supply, but don't be afraid to seek help and support if you need it.

Some toddlers do ask for milk more often, and some mums agree... others don't. With toddlers you can sometimes negotiate and set rules. It can be a really good idea to talk to them in advance about all tis, and read books etc. How old is Tink? We had some lovely picture books by Annie Kubler with no words, so I could make up the story at the right level to suit ds. Dropping in parts about babies only eating milk and not being able to enjoy blueberries like him and how babies feed lots and lots etc.

when, not wen... d'oh

I just ordered the Annie Kubler new baby book. Thank you for the recommendation!

Tink's 29 months. I'm not too worried about her, (as long as she doesn't think it's fun to be on as much as the baby!) I'm just doing the standard pregnant woman worrying about if she will be able to feed her baby! I promised myself I have the self confidence not to worry about breastfeeding in future and it's my mission to make sure my daughters grow up with enough confidence too, but I guess it's in built

I had a huge crisis of confidence with dd and was very anxious. Hence went to a bf drop-in when she was under 6hrs old (they thought we were mad!). We've had a few ups and downs, but in the main it's been total plain sailing compared with first time . From dd's point of view tandem feeding has been nothing but helpful.

just a random bump

I think I must be getting milk because this morning Tink was attached for about half an hour and she had that eyes back, drunk look to her that I've not seen in awhile. I'm suffering for it now though, my bump has been rock hard since!

hello all, lost this thread for a while and i think i may have found it too late.

ds has't nursed since before xmas

he's never gone longer than 2 days before so think this may be the end... wil see what happens over the next few weeks.... dc3 due in 5 weeks so he may start up again then... who knows...

If I asked my DH to clear a blocked duct, he'd turn up with a pipe cleaner and WD40 so I'd best not ask

PinkPoinsettias - sorry to hear your DS has stopped. But these things are always a bit fluid, as you say he might come back to you.

DD tonight asked me if babies could go to school. I said no, only big girls and boys go to school. She's started saying 'oh dear' and when I finally got to the bottom of it (she's only 2 so her speech is interesting) she is worried that if she grows up and does big girl things, she can't have mummy milk anymore and that's why she doesn't want to go to nursery anymore or wear her big girl pants. Am mortified that she feels so pressured to grow up.

DS has had a tummy upset for 10 days and we are doing stool cultures So he's nursing every 90 minutes round the clock to keep his fluids up

It's very hard work nursing two. I didn't realise quite how hard sometimes. Some days it just feels like I put one child down and the next crawls into my lap and asks for milk.

funnily enough ds throws a strop if you call him anything other than 'baby' atm.... even his name is unacceptable and he's walking around saying 'goo goo gaa gaa' to remind us 24/7. he's 2.5!

i don't mind too much, i'm hoping if he doesn't feel pressured into being a 'big boy' he won't be as upset about the baby taking alot of my attention.

sorry your ds is sick WMMC, poor wee thing. you must be shattered feeding the 2 of them on demand, do you have much support?

PT, when I was in Liverpool Tink went two weeks without a feed, as soon as I got back (and she realised I really was her Mummy) she pushed me onto the sofa and undressed me!

Have you offered or are you doing don't offer don't refuse?

he was only having a feed before bed as it was, occasionally he'd ask in the morning but not often.

i offered for the first few nights and he said he didn't want it so haven't offered since then.

You poor thing, WMMC, as much for the WD40 as for the big girl stuff. I'm sure you can reassure her massively about how she's allowed to not wear nappies/go to nursery AND have breast milk.

It's all getting a bit close for us Feb due date girls, isn't it? eep! Am trying to prepare myself for possible negative emotions about nursing a larger child with a tiny baby attached as well.

I bet you anything your ds turns into a nurse-a-holic once the baby arrive, pink.

And Grendle - that Annie Kubler book is a hit! It has just the right proportion of pages with older child doing special things with parents versus baby doing things versus baby on the breast. Just wonderful.

Hi everyone! I can officially join your group again as ds has decided he wants milkies again! Not sure if he's getting anything - dc2 is due end of Feb and I can only squeeze drops of colustrum out, but he seems happy so it's all ok.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas/Yule/festive time (or whatever you want to call it!) and we all meet our babies soon! (Not too soon TBM )

(((whomovedmychocolate))) It is hard to nurse two children with such different needs, as a toddler and a baby without one or the other feeling left out. Be proud that you are doing such a loving thing for your children.

My big girl (2.4 years old)has after being clean and dry for over a year has demanded nappies to wee in (still poo's on the toilet thank goodness), has reduced solid food intake (a lot) and increase the milk quota, since her brother arrived.

My tandem baby boy (4 months) is thriving and massive despite sharing the milk, attention etc.

DD has decided on a vocal name for breastmilk (she usually signs 'milk') Mummy's juice and shouted for it, aptly in the middle of the juice aisle so noone else really 'got it' LOL