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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Pregnant and Nursing Support Thread

535 replies

TinkerBellesMum · 25/07/2008 10:06

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!

OP posts:
VillageSlingMummy · 31/08/2009 21:16

thanks kitkatqueen, i sure hope i pop soon too!!!

mawbroon · 01/09/2009 21:57

Welcome VillageSlingMummy.

I hope everything goes well for you. Let us know about your new arrival when you get the chance!!

Jennylee · 05/09/2009 23:52

Hi, im 5 weeks pg found out last night as all day yesterday dd fussed and cried and would not nurse properly and when she did is very painful and nipples are bright red and sore that made, me do a pg test. anyway she is pale today was irritable and tired and not bf for long, is this because im pg? so will it continue? I feel bad as i have ruined her milk and she don't like no other drinks very much and hardly eats. she is 13 months. any ideas welcome although i see from this thread the pain looks set to worsen for me

mawbroon · 07/09/2009 12:15

Hi jennylee. Congratulations on your pregnancy. Hard to know if your dd is not so keen to feed because of your pregnancy. Could she be coming down with something? If you get a chance it might be worth having a read of Adventures in Tandem Nursing because there is quite a lot in there about feeding during pregnancy too.

My ds is really hungry all the time at the moment, and I am guessing that because he's not getting much milk at all now (I'm 15 weeks) he is needing to get the calories from food. He has been complaining that my milk is warm and he needs a drink of water after nursing to "get the warm away" LOL, has he just noticed after almost 4yrs that my milk is warm!!

Jennylee · 07/09/2009 15:18

thats really sweet, yes I think you are right as she has settled a bit today and a bit happier, I asked my hv and they said they didn't know lol, should have known better than to ask them, thought they would have known about bf

weasle · 08/09/2009 13:22

Blimey, have just tested positive. Probably about 5 weeks as well jennylee. A bit stunned (this will be dc3).

I am BF ds2 who is 20months and still bf to sleep, but often takes ages to settle, i think my supply has dwindled as he feeds less often in last few months. I need some ideas how i am going to get him to go to sleep on his own, as happy to tandem feed if he wants but can't be spending up to an hour every night settling him with a dc3 around too. Am vaguely trying 'gradual retreat' type thing, but not really working. Have read NCSS, no joy.

Off now to contemplate significance of another pg, panicking a bit about how we (I, really) will cope!

whatinthewhatnow · 08/09/2009 19:59

Hi weasle, similar position to you. am about 6 wks I think although awaiting scan as only had 2 periods 3 weeks apart since DS's birth 18 months ago. aaaanyway... DS still feeds to sleep and feeds throughout the night on and off. Have too read ncss with no success although I suspect my heart wasn't really in it as i had no real reason to think about night weaning. Now I am worried because I really can't contemplate co sleeping with both of them and feeding a newborn and a toddler all night, but I hate the idea of enforcing any kind of change in my DS's feeding because he's always been completely demand fed and I had always hoped he'd self wean. All a bit tricky really!

Jennylee · 08/09/2009 23:21

Hi weasle & whatinthewhatnow I'm about 5 and a half week pg also and it is also a surprise third child, so am also panicking.
DD drank some formula today just four ounces, an ounce, and then three ounces along with breastfeeds and a bit of food, she hardly eats. It really hurts to latch her on and she seems to be enjoying it less, feeding for shorter periods and my breasts feel empty, I'm gonna slowly keep offering bottles of formula throughout the day and when we are out and breastfeeding when she really wants or needs it, to gradually phase it out, even if it takes a while or if it is fairly quick all the better. you both have a better gap than me - mine is 13months

weasle · 09/09/2009 03:06

oh, glad to hear i'm not the only one!

jennylee, could you just give your 13mo cows milk in a cup? no need for formula after a year, and cow's milk is cheaper!

i feel totally normal so far, other pregnancies have been awful so i am waiting any moment for the nausea, fatigue and depression to strike, am aware it is still early days.

jennylee, my boys are 21 months apart and now ds2 is 21 months they have such fun together, it is a nice gap, although agree, for the third child you might feel a bit anxious about it all.

am due to restart work in 3 weeks, so they won't be impressed with more mat leave and also i won't get any mat pay so god knows how we will manage...but have always wanted 3dc and am getting on a bit, so that is more important than money or what work think (i keep telling myself!)

Jennylee · 09/09/2009 08:52

hi weasle thats nice about them playing together, thats what we hope they will do
I tried cows milk at the weekend but she would not drink it so I am trying to get her to drink any other milk at the moment. she drinks water from a cup but takes more milk from the bottle, I'm just doing what I can as she is a bit pale and I feel like my milk is going and I want her to feel satisfied.
Is funny I can't visualise having 2 little ones, but keep looking at people with twin, tandem prams and think they look okay so it must be workable. ds1 will be 11 so not so bad .Only thing is small 2 bed house, but we are working on that problem.

newmomma · 09/09/2009 10:44

Hi Girls,
Can I join you?
Am 6 weeks pg and still feeding 8mth old - all sorts of concerns - would you mind if I ask for some advice please?
x

mawbroon · 09/09/2009 18:50

Ask away newmoma. Not sure if I can help though, my ds is much older so I have a different experience!

DS is hardly feeding at all just now. I really didn't imagine that he might self wean during pregancy, but now it is looking as though he might. At his age, I am guessing that if the stops for any length of time, then he will lose his latch. I keep telling him it's ok to stop, but it's also ok to keep going!

whatinthewhatnow · 10/09/2009 19:52

The tiredness has struck me already and I am virtually asleep on my feet. semi-craziness directed at DH also in evidence. Slightly tender nips but nothing major - let down feels very strong though to the point of sometimes painful which is weird. Am actually really intrigued to see what happens when the milk disappears/changes to colostrum. I suspect DS will plough on regardless.

weasle - everything more important than money, it all works out one way or another. well, that's what I'm telling myself...

Newmoma what are your questions? will try to help...

Jennylee · 10/09/2009 20:49

My dd won't take whats left now all day, she had some in her sleep last night but not sure if she will do that tonight, and I can feel the emptyness, so as for the first time in her life she drained 2 bottles of milk and refused mine, I guess this is the end, for now. at least was not traumatic for her.

Babieseverywhere · 11/09/2009 10:44

Jennylee, Some children ask to return to nursing after the new baby arrives, of course you don't have to agree and let her. So you might not of finished nursing her yet !?!

Jennylee · 11/09/2009 11:59

yes i think i was too optiistic yesterday, she wantd it this morning but , it feels horrible now. I used to like feeding her but it just feels uncomfortable and sort of eew now, I'll take each day as it comes, as she fed 3 times in the night aswell in spite of 8 ounces before bed.

mawbroon · 11/09/2009 12:53

I keep thinking that ds is about to wean, and tbh, I don't know when I will actually know if he has or not IYSWIM. It was all happening quite rapidly this last couple of weeks, but he's been ill the last couple of days. At first, he said he didn't want milk and I thought gosh, he's serious about stopping if he doesn't want milk when he's ill, but then he fed like a demon for a couple of days and I am actually feeling like my boobs have responded with more milk.

So who knows eh? I think the key with self weaning is never say never!!

Divvy · 17/09/2009 13:54

Sorry to crash in girls, but breastfeeding while pregnant, can I make morning sickness feel worse?

I am only 5+3 and have felt really sick for quite a few days now, much more and earlier than with the others.

Thanks

maygirl · 06/10/2009 20:56

bumping for someone!

whattheheck · 06/10/2009 21:32

Hello all
I found out I was pg 10 days ago - but really worried that supply has gone down hugely and dont know if DD (7 months) is getting enough. Is there any good way of boosting supply?

ChairmumMiaow · 10/10/2009 12:48

Hello!

I got my BFP on tuesday! No changes here in feeding at all but then I'm only around 4 weeks, so not really surprising!

CMOTdibbler · 10/10/2009 15:50

Congratulations Chairmum !

ChairmumMiaow · 10/10/2009 16:40

CMOT - thanks Its early days yet, and I haven't quite got to grips with the idea!

weasle · 10/10/2009 22:15

how is everyone doing?

divvy, i have felt less sick this pg than previous and this is my first 'pg and bf' experience.

i too am crushed by tiredness. just started work again and after 2 days i am barely able to get out of bed now. am beginning to panic about having 3 pre-school children!

think i need to tell family sooner than i wanted so they can help. not sure they will be very suportive though, as i suspect they will all think having 3 kids is a bit, well, silly?!

ds2 is still feeding, but mainly just morning and night now, i think i am about 9 weeks pg.

ChairmumMiaow · 18/10/2009 13:59

Anyone got any advice for sore nipples. DS seems to want to feed a lot at the moment and my poor old nipples are really suffering - there is a real teeth-gritting moment when he latches on at the moment.

He's bobbing on and off a lot which makes things worse, but if he does stay on, it eventually starts to get uncomfortable again.

There's normally a reason that he wants to feed more (and some tension in our house is probably contributing to this) so I don't really want to deny him, but I don't think I can stand this for 7.5 more months!