Pregnancy and breastfeeding a three-year-old

[lucsnowe]

By some miracle I am pregnant- I have only actually had one period since pregnancy with DD1, who's now nearly three. I am a bit worried as she still breastfeeds a lot, at night, although not at all during the day. Is there a risk of miscarriage? I'm worried because, with my limited medical knowledge I know that prolactin compromises oestrogen, and I know that oestrogen is needed to maintain pregnancy. I can't get an answer when I've googled this, so any advice very welcome. I'm reluctant to stop bf immediately as I'm also working a lot now, and feel that the extended time spent at nursery is already unsettling enough for DD1.

Thanks x

i would stop breastfeeding if i were you.your pregnancy is more important as your dd is nearly 3 she dosen't need breastfeeding anymore. if you stop now she will have lots of time to get used to it before you hae your new baby

congratulations

information here on kellymom on pregnancy and bf

i bf until i was 6 months pg without any problems . but i can understand why you are anxious

You don't need to stop. I breastfed throughout my pregnancy and beyond: DS self-weaned around 2.9 years so a bit younger than yours.

On the plus-side, I developed gestational diabetes and the breastfeeding definitely helped control my blood sugars. Additionally, because DS1 liked nice long feeds, it was a good excuse for a sit down and a cuddle (and a rest!) every day.

On the negative-side, I found many of the midwives to be spectacularly ill-informed about breastfeeding through pregnancy and I did encounter some bizarre comments.

Good luck with the pregnancy. I'm sure your DD will benefit immensely from the familiarity of breastfeeding through such a massive change in her life.

Thanks to all of you for your input. llaregguBOO- what is the link between blood sugars and breastfeeding? So what did the midwives say to you? Do you think I will be producing less oestrogen than non-breastfeeding pregnant mothers? Thanks Kristina M- I'm about to look at kellymom.

Breastfeeding helps to naturally lower blood sugar, as does exercise. I did a lot of exercising and breastfeeding as a result!

There a quite a few people on here who have tandem-fed and therefore breastfed in pregnancy. Stop worrying and enjoy your pregnancy!

I am BF my 3 year old, and I'm 25 weeks pregnant now. My midwife just told me my milk production could decrease, which it has. My son Bf for less time as a result, but similar frequency. I think its all colostrum now, so pregnancy hormones overriding the BF ones!

There's a (long) support thread here

Congrats on your pregnancy!