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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

What happens to your milk supply when pregnant?

12 replies

gingerbaby · 13/05/2010 19:24

Hi,

Well, the title is my question really!

I'm hoping to start TTC soon, DS is 8.5 months and periods have returned. He's still feeding (proper feeds not just comfort/snacking) about 3/4 times in a day and 1/2 in a night. I read somewhere at 14 weeks pregnant your milk supply reduces and then returns at about 26 weeks as colostrum. Is this right?

I don't really want to stop feeding although he would be old enough to go onto cows milk if I don't have a supply anymore.

Thanks!

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 19:28

yes, nearly everyone finds their supply drops right down, in some cases it will go altogether

I risked it with ds2 when i got pregnant with ds3 and he weaned, and i was gutted. it made feeding ds3 when he was born quite difficult for me, becauase every time i fed him i kept thinking "ds2 should still be doing that"

so, if it were me, i would wait.

of course, there are plenty of babies who DON;T wean during a subsequent pregnancy so it certainly isn't a given... but it is a risk

Original poster

gingerbaby · 13/05/2010 19:32

Well that's given me something to think about.

This is quite nosy but would you mind telling me how old your DS2 was when you got pregnant with DS3?

I'm getting a bit obsessed!

OP posts:

Sariska · 13/05/2010 19:37

I got pg with DD when DS was 15 months old and still feeding first thing in the morning. I'm not sure when my milk supplies dropped but I know we were down to colostrum by the end of the pregnancy. No matter. DS fed on regardless - and still is, to the extent that he's now added an evening feed .

So, I think it depends on the child. If they're really keen on bfing, they'll keep going regardless of changes to the milk's taste (which, apparently is often what makes them wean earlier in the pregnancy) or reduction in supply.

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 19:42

he was 9.5 months

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 19:44

see when i looked into it and asked a LOT of people it seemed that the oens with older children were the ones who carried on feeding... i guess cos they were older and just kept on in the hope that something would come, or just did it for comfort

whereas mine was smaller so just figured... nothing there, won't bother. he was a bit upset too, in the evenings when he couldn't feed to sleep

i did a poll on another site where i think pretty much ALL of the members were breastfeeding or had breastfed, and a large proportion had tandem fed and they nearly all said that their elder child had either weaned or cut down dramatically during pregnancy

i have no idea why this didn't put me off getting pregnant tbh... i just lived in hope and was wrong

Original poster

gingerbaby · 13/05/2010 20:07

Sariska, I know DS is a keen feeder but we had so many problems establishing BFing that I don't want to chance it! Your DS sounds super keen!

thisisyesterday, it does really put me off! Especially as you felt a bit when your ds2 weaned. And the not feeding to sleep scares me! How would I get him to sleep otherwise?

P'raps pregnancy isn't the best option for me and I'll enjoy DS and feeding him for a bit longer.

Thanks!

OP posts:

CantSleepWontSleep · 13/05/2010 20:14

My dd was almost 2 when I got pregnant with ds, and carried on feeding throughout the pregnancy, and for 16 months after he was born, with me being pregnant again for the last 4 months of that time. She only stopped then because I encouraged it, as I wasn't keen on the idea of tri-andem feeding.

I am now 33 weeks pregnant, and ds, who was just under a year when I got pregnant, is still feeding.

Yes my supply dropped both times, but it hasn't deterred either of my children.

Please don't let a single person's experience put you off if it's what you want.

You might find the book 'Adventures in Tandem Nursing' an interesting read.

thisisyesterday · 13/05/2010 20:19

csws, i agree that op shouldn't let my experience put her off... but she does need to be aware that quite a lot of children DO wean during a subsequent pregnancy, and that it could happen

so if she definitely doesn't want him to wean then it's maybe better not to risk it:?

am v. jealous of all tandem-feeders!!!

TruthSweet · 13/05/2010 20:25

I have nursed through 2 pgs.

DD1 was 11 months when I got pg with DD2. My milk dried up at 14 weeks and returned as colostrum at 24 weeks. She carried on feeding as if I had milk (I introduced cows milk in a beaker/cup) never dropped a feed or anything. We night weaned her at 1 y/o so I had a better chance of getting pg (didn't know I was pg then!).

DD2 was born and I tandem nursed them - I only physically tandem nursed them for about 2 months as I didn't enjoy it.

DD1 was 3.11 y/o & DD2 was 14 m/o when I got pg with DD3. Again my milk dried up at 14 weeks DD1 carried on nursing at her usual rate (2-3 very short times a day) and DD2 didn't nurse as much (5-6 times a day) but had cows milk in a beaker/cup.

When I was about 23 weeks pg both DDs went on a nursing strike for 2 weeks. This time the colostrum started at 26 weeks.

DD1 self weaned at 3.6 y/o when I was 8 months pg. DD2 is now 2.6 y/o and DD3 is 7 m/o and I haven't tandem nursed at all this time round.

greensnail · 13/05/2010 20:30

DD was 9 months when I got pregnant. I'm now 36 weeks pregnant and she's still feeding. My supply has dropped a bit but I don't think it dropped hugely until she was well over a year, and I'm also taking meds which can reduce your milk supply. I've offered her a cup of cow's milk at teatime since she was about 11 months, partly to make sure she was getting enough if my supply wasn't enough for her, but mainly so she had another option for milk if she wanted it while I was working. This doesn't seem to have affected her appetite for breast milk at all.

From some point in the middle of my pregnancy I've only fed her from my left breast as it was quite sore feeding on the other side, and for some time I've noticed that I have colostrum in my right breast but still have milk in my left which she feeds from. It now seems to be transitioning towards colostrum and if anything she's feeding more than normal since this change started.

Agree "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" is a great book if you want to find out more about tandem feeding and feeding in pregnancy.

whomovedmychocolate · 13/05/2010 20:36

IME bugger all. DD was umm one when I conceived DS. She fed all the way through. Had sore nipples for a bit. Tandem fed too.

Babieseverywhere · 14/05/2010 08:03

Pregnancy doesn't seem to affect my supply, my older nurseling tells me she is still getting milk whilst I am 7 months pregnant(tastes of strawberries apparently ;))

I conceived DC2 when DD was 16 months old and tandem nursed 2 year old DD and baby DS from that point on.

I conceived DC3 when DD was 3 years old and DS was 16 months old and am currently 7 months pregnant at this point and still tandem nursing. Wonder if DD will wean in the next 2 months or if I will be nursing three this summer !

thisisyesterday I would love to see a link to your poll if possible. As I am interested in the results and interested in a forum with many tandem feeders

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