Could pregnancy make my milk dry up?

[melonian]

Wise and helpful MNers please can you help me?

DS is 11 months and I'm 7 weeks pregnant - gaaah! He's always been a really efficient feeder - 5 mins each side, wam bam thankyou mum. For the past week or so he's been really faffy, going on and off each side, arching his back and insisting on feeding at least 30 mins. Last night it took me 90 mins to get him to sleep which is unheard of, and I felt like I just wasn't satisfying him. In the end I gave him some cows' milk in a bottle and he went to sleep.

I thought if there was a supply issue it would correct itself after a couple of days, but this is driving me mad, not least because my nipples are killing me. I was hoping to BF until a year and then switch to cows milk from a cup. I'm tempted to try and stop BFing now - could I go straight to cows milk or do I need to get to grips with formula after all this time? Has his faffy feeding got anything to do with the pregnancy or not? He still has a feed at 5.00am which is not quite so faffy, could I keep just this feed or would that not work?

Sorry that was so long. Any advice or support would be gratefully received.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and I am breastfeeding a toddler. Like you, my nipples really hurt in the early stages of pregnancy but that soon cleared up.

I posted yesterday about my supply as my DS keep telling me that I am "empty." Lots of wise mumsnetters reassured me that I'm not empty but that he is trying to tell me he has had enough.

Today DS has fed on and off all day as he has a cold, so I think it is safe to say I'm OK. I've no idea if this is true but my consultant told me that the taste of milk changes in pregnancy, but I must say I'm a bit dubious about his knowledge on the subject as he was pretty incredulous to learn that I was still breastfeeding a 2.4 year old!

DS usually feeds for a long time in the morning, and then as and when during the day. Sometimes he has just one feed, and we have gone 24 hours without a feed when he has stayed with his grandparents. I've no idea if you can go straight onto cows milk, I'm afraid.

Sorry, that wasn't overly helpful, was it? Congratulations on your pregnancy, by the way. Hopefully someone useful will come along soon.

I fell PG when DD was 8-9 months and noticed that she started biting me and not feeding for as long. I finally stopped at 12 months as I just didn't feel like she was getting much from me by then but I was about 4 months pg by then. I know its possible to BF all through and tandem feed if you want but I was happy to stop at a year old and DD didd't ask for it or seem to mind at all. Your nipple sensitivity will calm down after a while but it is really painful isn't it. Good luck. There is a great PG abd BF thread on here somewhere.

Thankyou for your replies! Good to know I'm not the only one. I don't know whether to battle on a bit longer and see if it settles down or to try and wean him. I just can't be faffed doing bottles and sterilising and all that malarkey this far down the line, but I'm not sure I could get him to take enough from a cup. How much milk do they need now?

I used to love BFing so much but am getting really fed up with it. And I'm not sure how DS will get on if I take his boob away.

yes, pregnancy can dry your milk supply up.
it has just happened to me and I am quite upset about it, although ds2 doesn't seem overly bothered.

llareggub I would imagine this is waht has happened to you as well, if your child wanted to wean he would, a 2.4 yr old wouldn't lie and say you were "empty" if he didn't want to gfeed.. he would just stop asking for it!

Thanks iwontbite, thats interesting. All I heard was people feeding on through and tandem feeding etc, didn't realise this was on the cards. Oh now I feel bad for poor DS, must be v.confusing not being able to get enough milk.

Sorry this happened to you iwontbite, but glad your DS is ok. Congrats on your pregnancy too.

i have a 12 month old and am 16 weeks pg. i have found that my milk supply has stopped compleatly. just like iwontbite i am upset about it but dd does not care.

from what i've read it;s definitely very common,
i know very few people who haven';t at least had a reduction in supply, and most find it goes completely, even if just for a short while.

i feel really bad too asd I wanted ds2 to self-wean and he was a real boob-monster before this, but hey ho, that's the way it goes I suppose.

fwiw some children do carry on nursing, even when there is little or no milk, so it deosn't necessarily mean the end of breastfeeding

Could I ask, if your LOs have stopped BFing, are you giving bottles or cup feeding, or what? Am feeling guilty now that DS has prob had hardly any milk for a week. And has had grumpy, hormonal, nauseous mummy getting cross that he's messing about on the boob and won't go to sleep. Bad mother emoticon.

Although he has said I'm empty, he has definitely increased the frequency of his feeds, particularly as I am now on maternity leave so around more. I don't think I am empty, although perhaps I am not the ever-running tap I once was! I still feel a bit "full" if I haven't fed all day, so something is going on.

I'm pretty sure that if there was nothing there, he wouldn't feed, so you can either carry on and go with it or make the decision to stop yourself. Have you looked on kellymom?

I wouldn't worry about sterilising. Get him onto a spiller cup with cows milk. I kept feeding DD in the mornings only for the last few months leading up to the point when I stopped completely as this was when she fed best. I felt a bit sad too as if I wasn't PG I would have continued until she self weaned. But I figure I am giving her a sibling and 12 months BFing is more than most get so don't be too hard on yourself.

ds2 hs a bottle because that's all I oculd get him to take
but he is dairy and egg intolerant and we are vegetarian so I was prob more keen than most to get as much calcium and stuff in him as possible (via enriched oat milk),
he does love his bottle now though, and he is 16 months

I wouldn't bother sterilising either.