pregnant but I'm still breastfeeding

[Sugarbelle]

hi all,

I've just found out I'm pregnant. I am still breastfeeding 15 month old pretty regularly. I would say 3 times a day and atleast twice a night. I've had a miscarriage in the past. is this safe?

thanks!

I continued breastfeeding until I was about 15 weeks pregnant. Only stopped because my supply had given up! Midwife said there was no issue with me carrying on but you could always get in touch and ask when you register with them.

Totally safe. My supply pretty much dried up though!

I was still feeding my 18 month old and honestly? I stopped cold turkey and he couldn’t have cared less 😂🙄

Totally safe, just knackering. I breastfed right up until about 7 months then couldn't cope with the exhaustion. If anything, it is a brill way to have some calm quiet time with nuts toddler.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! General advice is that it is safe to carry on as long as you want to, but in some specific cases (e.g. previous history/risk of preterm labour) you might be advised to stop.

Some helpful advice here: www.laleche.org.uk/pregnant-and-breastfeeding/

oh that's good to know. I guess I will see how it goes, I had really bad morning sickness with current one so I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue anyway if last time is anything to go by!

I'm not even sure how far along I am, going to wait another week I think before booking in.

sorry just to ask again, I have read it might be wise to stop if you have history of miscarriage.

I dont have "history" as such (does that mean recurrent??) but I did have a missed miscarriage at 8 weeks that I needed an erpc for before I had my daughter. So now I'm a bit paranoid about that!

ah does the worries ever end!

Hm not sure but I've just been having a read around online (I'm breastfeeding and just got a bfp too!). So, it looks like exclusive breastfeeding MAY increase the risk of miscarriage but mothers who breastfeed and also supplement with food don't seem to have an increased risk. It's important to take vitamins and ensure enough calcium intake. Breastfeeding can help speed up labour due to release of oxytocin but it doesn't generally generate enough to induce preterm labour. So it generally looks to be fine, with the obvious caveat that if your midwife or doctor tells you differently then it's best to follow their advice. That's mainly what I've found so it seems fairly reassuring.

oh that's good, my daughter does still breastfeed pretty often but she also eats 3 meals a day plus snacks so its reassuring to know that! I guess the key word is may too, not that it definitley does. I'm going to have to just tell myself what will be will be as I dont think my daughter is ready to wean yet!