Will getting pregnant impact my milk supply?

[shockednamechanger]

I am exclusively breastfeeding at 4 months. Have just had a positive pg test. If I am pregnant, will this impact on my supply? Do I need particular supplements except folic acid and iron?

Thanks. Still reeling.

unlikely if you are ebf as it'll get constant stimulation - people with occasionally-feeding toddlers seem to be more affected.

Thanks Mrs B. I saw a 'Pregnant and nursing' thread a while ago - hoping to tempt some of those ladies out of the shadows, too!

well i was pregnant when dd was 3 months, but i didn't realise until she was 6 months... it hurt to breastfeed, i do think my milk taste changed, and she use to drink very little..and eat more food... i got a blood test for calcium and vit d...

Mine is a bit low but I am only feeding once a day at 16 months

yes, most nursing mothers find that their milk supply drops at some point.
i was still feeding ds2 when i fell pregnant with ds3 and he weaned because of it
it was also incredibly painful to feed him.

as your baby is only 4 months old i would be quite careful- maybe ring one of the bf helplines for advice. some mums only have a sliught drop, but for others milk can nearly dry up completely, so your little one could require milk from another source

I have twins! Both exclusively breastfed.
Pg not confirmed yet, will re-test tomorrow. So far supply seems fine, but will call LLL is I am pregnant....

Though I was under the (misguided) impression that I wouldn't ovulate until weaning began at 6 months.

if, not is

Your milk supply could change, you'll just have to see how things go.

I would check with your midwife before taking iron, of course folic acid is fine.

Congratulations

Thanks babieseverywhere!
(how many babies, btw? May need some tips from you !)

My supply had definitely reduced at 20 weeks, but DS is nearly 2 and only nursing morning/evening.

I would seek some expert advice as already suggested, just since your twins are still quite young.

Not many babies

I am tandem nursing 3.5 year old DD and 17 month old DS and expecting D3 this summer.

I still have milk at 3 months pregnant, hopeing to keep milk throughout my pregnancy like I did with my second pregnancy with one nurseling. (Fingers crossed)

Hiya, CONGRATULATIONS!!! ( I have to know - are you hoping for twins??

I'm still dual feeding ds1 and 2, my supply did drop but on the other hand ds1 was much older when I fell pregnant, Yes to folic acid obviously (solgar do a good one which is less likely to cause sickness which is often confused with morning sickness) Breast milk afaik doesn't contain iron so taking an iron supplement isn't going to affect your twins but spatone is gentler on you than iron tablets so worth considering if you need to take iron.

Personally If i was you I would take each day at a time and as long as the twins are happy, growing, etc and you are coping ok ( nips do get a bit tender from time to time) then keep going, if you make it through the pregnancy still feeding your older 2 you could end up feeding a lot of babies

Might be an idea to pop over to the larger famillies section for tips and advice, i got some excellent tips after no 4 was born.

Good Luck!

Congratulations to you.

Your supply should be based on demand. The reason supply can drop off in pregnancy is not hormonal as such but more because painful nipples and a change in taste can affect your baby feeding. At about half way through the pregnancy the milk changes back to colostrum, this change in taste and texture can be very off putting for bub so often natural weaning easily occurs at this time. There really isn't a lot you can do to encourage or change supply apart from grit you teeth and get through the painful nipples bit and just keep feeding.

I am breast feeding my son and a bit pregnant too (not sure how much yet but feeling a bit yuk) - I am hoping we can use the natural weaning window that will present itself in a few months time - he will be well over 18 months by then so I feel I have done my bit for him.

Well done too for getting this far, breast feeding twins can be really challenging and you have clearly done really well.

Breastmilk does contain iron, it doesn't have as much iron as formula does, that is all. However the iron in breastmilk is more bioavailable to the breastfed baby, in contrast the iron in formula is harder for babies to digest and use as it is in a different less usable form.

I would check with your midwife before adding iron pills.

Milk supply in pregnancy according to Hilary Flowers (Adventures in Tandem Nursing author) is variable even if you are nursing throughout.

The pain some mother's experience is also variable. I was lucky enough to have no pain whilst nursing through my second pregnant just a small amount of soreness in the first trimester which went away. I am waiting to see what happens in this pregnancy.

Thats v. interesting babieseverywhere I was told that it didn't and that that is why Iron rich foods needed to be added at 6 months when the iron store from birth was depleted, and that it was also why women with low iron in pregnancy pick up very quickly once the baby is born - because they are no longer being stripped of iron. I took that info at face value 5 years ago, but I never confirmed from another source. Will go and investigate now. Thankyou.

Kitkatqueen,

As mothers we often take information at face value, especially if the source is a health care professional. For some odd reason there just seems to be a lot of misinformation out there about breastfeeding, I suppose that is because we have a bottle feeding culture.

Kellymom is an excellent site for information on breastfeeding for iron levels check out this page for iron levels

"Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores."