Breastfeeding when pregnant - it hurts so much - help?

[TTCing]

I’m almost 15 weeks pregnant and I’m still breastfeeding my toddler. It’s been hurting to breastfeed since about week 6. When my toddler latches on it’s such a sharp, stinging unpleasant pain for a couple of minutes - equally as painful in each boob.

if you breastfed a toddler, did they wean off during pregnancy, if so when in pregnancy?

Did you experience the same pain? If so, did it continue throughout pregnancy or did it get better?

I am dreading the morning, evening and through the night feeds because of the pain 😭

Thanks in advance.

I breastfed a toddler throughout my pregnancy. My milk dried up around 14 weeks and she fed less but as I got towards the end and my milk came back in she started feeding like a newborn again.

I never got any pain, but I did get aversions at some point in the middle which I just powered on through (although I’m told magnesium is good for that).

Baby is a few months old and I’m tandem feeding now.

@TheBarbieEffect thank you for the info! My milk doesn’t seem to have lessened yet. Or if it has, my girl doesn’t care!

How are you finding tandem feeding? Is your toddler feeding more out of jealous seeing the little one feeding?

I never really envisaged myself tandem feeding but it’s looking like I might be!

DD was almost 2 when I got pregnant, before I even knew I was pg I had a strong aversion to it and stopped bf - I'd had enough of it by that point and we were down to once a day anyway.

Personally I think making a baby is enough of a physical challenge! If bf in pregnancy is easy and you want to do it, fair enough. If it's hard, your body might be trying to tell you something. The longer a gap you leave between stopping and the newborn coming, the less likely your DC is to resent it. Can you swap it out for warm milk in a cup and a cuddle instead?

I found the same thing when pregnant with DC2 and DC3 and it was a good enough excuse to wean my toddler at the time. It was unpleasant for me so I saw no real reason to continue as in my book it has to be positive for both parties in order to warrant continuing. Plus many friends who had tandem fed told me that toddler started feeding loads more once baby was born and then was nigh on impossible to wean and I didn’t want that, and I didn’t want toddlers thinking new baby was “stealing” their milk so I weaned early enough for them to make the connection.

By the way my two were 20 months and 26 months respectively when weaned and they both pretty much got over it within a week.

Thanks for sharing @fearfuloffluff . I have no idea how to stop breastfeeding so I think I’m scared of that journey 😂 as my daughter is 20 months and still quite booby mad.

@bagforlifeamnesty thanks for sharing! How did you begin to wean? I have no idea how to get my 20 month old to stop!

I love tandem feeding! We haven’t had any jealousy issues over the new baby at all, but she did go back to feeding around the clock with her sister.

She loves to hold hands with her sister when they feed, which is just the cutest thing ever, and if she asks to feed when baby isn’t she will ask me to put her sister on the other one so they can feed together 😅

It can be quite demanding but the snuggles are lovely. I knew I wanted to tandem feed so hoped she didn’t wean when I was pregnant!

Now baby is a few months old she has regulated herself again more so doesn’t feed as much as she did.

@TheBarbieEffect oh that sounds lovely! ❤️ how precious that they get to share that bond together xxx

Controversial but could try nipple shields? Saved me when bf my newborn, couldn't get pain free latch until 14 weeks. Since bf is already very well established I guess it would be ok????