Pregnancy and Nursing- your experiences please!

[lookingatthings]

I have a 16m DS that I still nurse. Im 100% ok with this: he eats terrifically, sleeps reasonably, and is overall and happy and healthy toddler. I always intended to let him self wean.
I've just found out that I'm pregnant with no2. I'm thrilled, but have started thinking about what will happen when my supply drops.
Those of you that have nursed through pregnancy: tell me all about it!

I intended to nurse until he was 2 as he has a cow's milk allergy. I fell pregnant days after he turned 1 and made it to 17 months but had awful aversion. He was down to feeding just before bed for only five minutes anyway so we made the decision to stop. I do think a drop in supply didn't help as I use to have a massive over supply and the feeling like I was completely empty was horrid. Plenty of women manage to feed through pregnancy and then tandem feed which I would have liked. Others stop because of pain which was not something I experienced. Although I was disappointed to finish early I think it worked out best for us, he's so independent and didn't bat an eyelid at the point of stopping, but he'd extremely strong willed and I suspect if I'd continued to 2 and then tried to get him to stop I would have been met with major resistance.

@FirstTimeBumps thankyou for this. Can I ask when aversion started for you, and how it felt?
I would like to be able to continue as we are, as I feel it would overall be less disruptive for DS, but I'm aware that there are so many other factors at play that are out of my control.
How did he reacts to the new arrival nursing?

@lookingatthings it started I'd say around 10/12 weeks and I did try and hold out hoping it would pass. I can't even describe it in just hated the feeling. I'd count down from 100 and then stop, some nights I counted quicker than others. And I did try and pump and give him expressed milk instead but with supply dropping that wasn't much good. New arrival hasn't turned up yet as I'm not due until October. I think he will be fine with it though, he genuinely gave up the boob one night and hasn't been bothered in the slightest since.

I fed my oldest until I was 16wks with no 2 and he was 2. I gently encouraged him to self wean around that time by not offering and by distracting him if possible if he asked. He was down to one feed a day at that time. I didn't particularly want to tandem feed or to have the laxative effect of colostrum happening on toddler bowels so I looked to phase out feeding by about 18 weeks. But many toddlers wean during pregnancy anyway as the mature milk does stop and then turn to colostrum around 20ish weeks.

My nipples were a bit sensitive and I was more tired but otherwise feeding was fine.

My DD was 15 months when I got pregnant with my DS, i was feeding her 3 times a day and fed DD throughout my pregnancy, my milk did dry up when I was 5 months pregnant, I did think she might give it up when there was no milk but she wasn’t bothered and carried on dry feeding. DD is 2.5 years old and DS is 6 months . I’m still feeding them both now. DD is fed twice, morning and night. The only problem I had at first was DD was slightly jealous of having to share ‘her’ milk. No problems now, I would be happy to wean DD now but she gets so much comfort from it still and I would be worried about telling her she can’t have anymore but the baby can

My two year old told me my breasts were 'empty' when I was about 3/4 months pregnant. She was only feeding about once a day at that point though, so my supply would only have been quite minimal by then anyway.

My milk also dried up at around 3/4 months pregnant, and DD self weaned (age 2 and a bit). I was glad as I was conflicted about tandem feeding, and I was uncomfortable feeding in the early months, v sensitive nipples. I met a tandem feeding mum at a la leche group once, it stayed with me as the poor thing looked haunted. Her 2yr old was feeding through the night as well as her newborn, and she was full of guilt and angst about the frustration she felt with her older child feeding so much, but also didn’t want to take it away from him. I’m not saying that to scare you off, as part of me really wanted to do it, it’s a beautiful thing and I’m sure can be a lovely bonding experience. But I think you have to consider things like night feeds etc and can you really keep up with the demand, as it’s be easier to stop before baby if doubts on this.

My first loved milk so much, I fully expected her to want to feed again when baby arrived, but to my amazement she was shocked when I told her that she used to get milk from me! It only takes 6m to forget all that! She asked to try one time and it was also apparent that she’d lost the ability to nurse, I think this is common.

Ps I also meant to say that my older one felt quite excluded by feeding at times, especially when little one reached the really distractable phase around 5/6 months when she wouldn’t feed if there was anything going on. We got through it tho!