Any breastfeeding pregnant mums?

[TwinkleStars15]

I’m 4 weeks pregnant and breastfeeding my 2 year old. I just wondered when other mums found that it became sore/painful? I did fall pregnant last year but it ended in mmc at 11 weeks. My milk had drastically reduced by then but I can’t remember when it started to hurt? Just want to be prepared

It never really did for me TBH. It was maybe a little uncomfortable, compared to pre-pregnancy nursing, sometimes, but not to the extent that I wanted to stop (well I did want to but for other reasons!). I nursed DC1 until mid/end of October and had baby in January, so for over half of my pregnancy, and without issues.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

@WhoArtinHeaven that’s good to know, thank you

Are you planning to tandem nurse? My DC1 was a similar age to yours when I was pregnant and I felt guilty stopping, but I found the idea of tandem feeding completely overwhelming. I think because establishing feeding with DC1 was an utter nightmare. Although thankfully DC2 got the hang of it straight away! I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to tandem, I'm in awe of mothers who do it, but now I will never know!

I'm 32 weeks and still feeding my 2 year old. I've found it to be quite sore, especially in the early stages. I think it's just because my nipples were sore anyway from pregnancy. I have found it had eased off a little now so it's more uncomfortable than sore

@WhoArtinHeaven My mind is a bit all over the place at the moment; on one hand I would love to tandem feed, I think it would be great for toddler to bond with baby, but on the other hand if she doesn’t wean during this pregnancy I don’t know when she would! She’s a complete boob addict, still feeding over night and a few times in the day. I’m not sure what to do...

@jollitwiglet I’m assuming you plan to tandem feed? Does your toddler still feed overnight?

@jollitwiglet has your milk reduced/dried up at all?

I found it was sore pretty much immediately but eased off in second trimester. Randomly got sore again a few weeks before I gave birth. Supply fell I think (hard to tell with a toddler) but I’m sure it never completely went.
Now feeding both of them. It has ups and downs of course but I don’t really think more downs than feeding a 2/3/4 year old has anyway.

I’m breast feeding my 10mo and am 6/7weeks pregnant. It’s not sore, and I don’t expect it to be. I’ll be weaning my son off the boob in the next few weeks, def no tandem feeding for me.

Genuine question so please don't jump on me- but why do you feed two year olds still? Only asking as I thought the goodness etc had surpassed and obvious there at the stage where are aware of what's going on, just wondered if it was more for yourself or the child? Genuine question so sorry if it comes across women in tx
Thanks

I didnt get sore until after about 6 months, but my toddler was starting to use bottles by then. So I just let him stop as it was quite painful. But then I felt really guilty later as he was so young.

Now I realise it was probably a nursing strike and I should have kept going . I still feel bad . Though he’s in high school now and seems to have survived without too much trauma .

Some toddlers wean themselves off when they see the new baby feeding too. They want to be a big girl/ boy.

Others don’t wean themselves but Bf can help with any jealousy.

One thing for sure is that your toddler WILL wean when she’s ready. Despite all the nasty jokes that you hear, there’s not many kids still BF in reception.

I didn't get sore at all, but DS1 weaned himself off when I was 12 weeks. He was only 9 months, but totally lost interest. I didn't mind as I wasn't planning on breastfeeding beyond a year & didn't want to tandem feed. Interestingly, as soon as he weaned off the morning sickness started. I thought I'd escaped it, but no.

@ameliathomas84

Hello and welcome to Mumsnet, Amelia.

No, the goodness doesn’t run out . The mothers body makes milk fresh each day. It’s not a finite supply.

The health benefits of breast feeding , for mothers and baby, are dose related. The longer they feed for, the more health benefits.

Why dont you google it , theres plenty info out there. Or start your own thread - its not fair to derail the OPs with unrelated questions.

I fed through two pregnancies and didn’t really get any discomfort. I did get very very touched out though.

It never really got painful whilst I was pregnant. I tandem fed after birth, I found it amazing in that breastfeeding was so easy to do with the newborn, no sore nipples or issues with supply. My toddler was mainly fed morning and night by this point so he didn't get too fat on the newborn milk.

It was so much easier than breastfeeding from nothing, as it were.

@ameliathomas84 Breastmilk provides so much for toddlers, it’s not just for babies. In many other countries children feed until 5-6-7 year old when their ‘milk teeth’ fall out. Evolution is amazing. No one would carry on feeding a toddler for their own benefit, it’s bloody hard!

Thank you everyone

@ameliathomas84 what, like on the child’s first or second birthday your milk magically turns to water?

It’s the physiological norm for humans to still breastfeed until 2-7. If you prematurely wean you generally replace with a different milk. Until 1ish formula, after - people generally substitute with cows milk. Most children still have milk at 2. Would you think it odd if a child had a cup of cow’s breast milk at 2?

It’s good for my child, it makes him well when he is sick, it gives him comfort. And lastly, do you know HOW HARD weaning a toddler is??

@HumphreyCobblers found similar. It was as if when breastfeeding the baby I got to fast forward through the cluster feedings and soreness and wondering about supply and straight away we were in a groove. Baby didn’t actually have great a latch but it didn’t really matter because there was a great supply and she got better at feeding after a few months anyway.

@Cookit I can see you get into a lot of debates about your prolonged breastfeeding with your answer however as I explained just wondered what benefits you thought there were to it that's merely Ot, I'm not stupid so no I don't think it turns to water, however I live by the rule of everyone is entitled to do as they please, so even though personally I find it very strange to feed this long I also feel it's your child your body your choice your opinion

Ok but you said you thought the goodness had surpassed?

Also don’t you think it’s quite odd to ask if we’re doing it for ourselves only on a thread where people are literally discussing how much it hurts and how long that lasts for? (I’d be THRILLED if my child weaned now but he has different ideas. Hopefully I’ll manage to end it slowly without it being too traumatic).

Before I had children I had this odd idea that you were supposed to breastfeed for 1 year and by that point the child would be on 1 or 2 feeds a day naturally anyway, so I do get that not everyone gets it but I don’t understand coming on a thread about continuing to feed during pregnancy and after if you have no knowledge of the subject and nothing to add other than insinuating that people are doing it for themselves and there is no point to the child? This wasn’t in AIBU. She was asking for experiences from people who have done it.

@Cookit ok darling! I'll leave it here as I stated was a genuine question! And btw I do have two children and a third on way which I breastfed thanks anyway

Honestly I think tandem feeding when you want the new baby to get as much colostrum as possible in the first 2 weeks will be difficult. I think you’re right that your eldest needs to be weaned. You could start reducing / saying no in certain situations from 12 weeks, but if I were you I would aim to get them off the breast by 20 weeks so your new milk can come in.

@Cookit I think that me and you could be friends

Thanks everyone, I am leaning towards wanting to tandem feed but as always I’ll leave it in my little ones hands and she’ll ultimately decide!

New milk comes in anyway, triggered by the birth of the new baby. The baby nutritional needs take priority. IT just means your toddler will get some colostrum.

DD was 16m when I got pregnant 2nd time around. We night weaned when I was ~8 weeks as I found BF was making me really nauseous overnight, but otherwise kept going and I’m now tandem feeding DD and 6m old DS.

It didn’t ever really get painful while pregnant but I did get increasingly bad aversion and started to cut down DD’s length of feeds. I still put some gentle limits on her feeding now and let DS always have priority, which seems to be working ok (no problems with jealousy etc so far and DS has been growing well).