Help please!! - breastfeeding while pregnant

[katyjo]

Help, I have just found out I am pregnant again - whoops!! I have a ds 6.5months who is still breastfed, although eating 3 solid meals a day he still has 4/5 breastfeeds. I would like to keep feeding him for a little while longer, but not sure how long I will be able to. I know it is recommended to bf until a year but some babies self wean before this - do you then give them formula milk? or if it is at 11 months do you not bother. Feeling really sick and a bit guilty about being pregnant again so early - wanted dc close in age but was thinking about 2 years!!
Any advice would be fantastic - What have I done!!

[naughtymummy]

I think you can safely BF in pregnancy but need mega doses of calories and calcium.Remember baby will take what it needs you will be shortchanged. There are loads of breastfeeding Guru's on here try posting in breastfeeding section. I am sure it is fine for now, can tandem feed too eg;new baby and older toddler can help with jealousy I believe, but need to feed baby 1st.

Hope this helps good luck

[katyjo]

Thanks naughtymummy,
I am looking forward to eating loads! I will start taking a calcium suppl too I think.
Cheers XX

[mygirllolipop]

Message withdrawn

[mammaduck]

Just carry on as you are. Being pregnant doesn't affect breastfeeding at all.

the only change to expect is when you come near to full term with no 2 the milk will change to accommodate the new baby (ie. colostrum and a much richer fattier milk than you will probably have been producing in the past for your no1. This will do no1 no harm at all - but some mums find that the no1s self-wean at this stage because they recognise the milk has changed.

if you want to tandem feed both your children that would work too!

Good luck!

[belgo]

Make sure you eat and drink enough. Pregnancy and bf is a double whammy of exhaustion, and it will be you who suffers the most physically. SOme women can manage it fine, but I couldn't. I became very dehydrated - my body still made milk, but at my expensive - I had symptoms of dehydration with led to urinary infections. As soon as I stopped bf my milk dried up within a day and I felt a lot better. Make sure this doesn't happen to you - you have a duty to your children to look after yourself! Remember, if you do stop bf during pregnancy, you can start again when the next baby is born, when suddenly you'll have loads of milk, and some women are able to tandem bf.

[Gem13]

I was pregnant when DS was between 9 and 10 months old. I started introducing cows milk in a beaker when he was 11 months old (and going to a childminder for 2 days a week when I returned to work). When he was just past a year old I stopped the morning and evening feeds. Much to my sadness (although physical relief!) he didn't seem to notice!

[curlyshirley]

i was in exactly same situation, ds 5 months when found out PG again - carried on BF but was SO exhausted and i think my milk must have changed/reduced as ds was waking up in night for feeds etc - i tried him on a bottle and he took it no trouble - was probably relieved to be fed!!! so i just gradually increased formula feeds and decreased BF over following month. i know people who have carried on BF thro PG no prob tho, so i think its just an individual thing. good luck!

[sweetkitty]

I BF DD1 for 3 months whilst pregnant with DD2, DD2 was 12 months when she self weaned, although a little sad I was relieved as I was exhausted (was having a terrible time moving house too) so in a way I was glad. Don't think it will be so easy with DD2 though.

[WinkyWinkola]

I'm 12 weeks and 6 days pg with my second child.

I'm still bf-ing my first who is nearly 18 months now although I think he uses me more as a dummy than as a source of food or drink! He's on and off all day and still wakes in the night three times too. I'm knackered!

I'd like to stop bf-ing my first child before the new baby arrives because I simply won't have the NRG or strength for two. My son gets really angry and upset if I tell him that he can't have the breast.

Should I risk waiting to see if he'll self wean as I've heard some babies do in the second trimester? Or should I bite the bullet and stop him myself once and for all? Or, should I wait until new babe arrives and see what happens then?

Sorry to hijack your thread, Katyjo!

[agalch]

Hiya Katyjo

My dd's are aged 2yrs and 10 weeks now.I bf dd1 till i was about 7 months pg. I think the milk must change as she went off without too many problems,and she was a boob obsessed maniac. She was also sleeping with me and up 2/3/4 times in the night for a comfort suck which was knackering so i am glad she gave it up.

Don't think i could have managed to tandem feed tho i know some mnetters have done it.
If you want to carry on then great but don't beat yourself up if you can't manage to.

Congrats anyway

[3andnomore]

HI, most things have been said, already!
Anyway, some women find it very painful to bf in early pg, because of the sore nipples that you can get in pg...but of course it doesn't effect every woman
Another thing to think about is, that, if you are prone to miscarriages, then bf might not be a good idea, but not sure if that is true or not, really, so hopefully someone in the know can confirm this!

[katyjo]

Thankyou so much for all your advice! I am feeling a bit better now, but after breastfeeding in the morning I feel quite sick and I never had much ms last time. I think I might try and give ds a bit of formula as I don't seem to have much milk at the moment, and ds is waking a few times in the night and seems really thirsty all the time and I don't want him to suffer.
I think tandem feeders are fantastic, but I know I won't have the energy to feed a newborn and a toddler! well done you guys!!

[carlsberg]

katyjo, I was excactly the same as you. I was b/f ds1 and when he was 6 mths old I fell pg, just didn't imagine it would happen that quickly and although I was pleased to be pg I felt a bit guilty like you. I intended to carry on b/f but started bleeding. I thought I was going to miscarry and ended up in hospital. They advised me to stop feeding as they said my hormone levels were low. They told me that although plenty of women to b/f while pg some can't manage it, so the decision was taken out of my hands. Ds1 adjusted really well and when ds 2 was born I then fed him for 14 months. I suppose it just depends on how well you feel in yourself.

[katyjo]

Thanks Carlsberg!