I am 9 weeks pregnant and brestfeeding,

Lori - posted on 09/16/2012

Megan, it does sound like you're doing pretty good. Other than trying to pump more frequently at work (which I know you may not be able to do) I don't know what else to suggest. Lise is right, Milk supply is definitely affected by hormones during pregnancy.



Taken from the book "Adventures in Tandem Nursing"



"Some mothers notice that their milk becomes salty, or even that the toddler begins drinking more water - sometimes right after nursing! In the first two months of your pregnancy your sweet mature milk is likely to increase in concentrations of sodium, chloride, and protein, while concentrations of glucose, lactose, and potassium decrease.



Diminished let-down. Let-down is caused by a chain of events: the infant's suckling trigger the pituitary glad to release the hormone oxytocin, it responds by contracting forcing milk through the ducts, and viola: flowing milk.

You may notice the gradual loss of a let-down response. This may in part be beacuse the pituitary gland releases less oxytocin in response to suckling when a woman is pregnant, and also because breast tissue becomes less sensitive to oxytocin during early pregnancy (an effect that is reversed in the second half of pregnancy).



Declining production. Most women notice a decline in milk production usually evident by mid pregnancy, and sometimes beginning in the first month. A minority of women report drying up entirely, and many women say that by mid-pregnancy "there isn't a whole lot there".



(skipped some paragraphs here)



Can I do anything to keep up my milk supply? The short answer is: probably not much. The first line of defense, ordinarily, would be your child's own suckling. In the absence of pregnancy, a child's daily suckling maintains supply, and increased suckling can boost supply. Some pregnant mothers encourage their children to suckle more often, and many babies increase their suckling as if to increase supply. Yet with the pregnancy hormones in charge, increased suckling frequency cannot be expected to stop a decline in milk during pregnancy. there are anecdotal exceptions to this rule but they are rare."



The book goes on to say that extra water is unlikely to help much either, and taking a galactagogue (herb or other supplement to boost milk supply) are not generally safe to take during pregnancy. The best thing you can do is to take good care of yourself, eat well, give your child ample opportunities to nurse, keep up with your thirst, and get plenty of rest.

Lise - posted on 09/15/2012

Milk supply during pregnancy is driven by hormones, not the typical supply and demand. If you want to keep nursing, by all means do - but you may need to use formula as your hormones kick in. (hug)

Megan - posted on 09/15/2012

for 30 minutes each time i express

Megan - posted on 09/15/2012

My son is 9 months old and i express 3 times every 3 - 31/2 hours at work and when i get home. i work a 10 hour shift 4 days a week and it's the midnight shift so my son is sleeping when i get home

Lori - posted on 09/15/2012

It is safe to continue to nurse throughout your entire pregnancy assuming you have a healthy low risk pregnancy.



How old is your son? How often are you pumping while at work?



There's a really good book called "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hillary Flower. It's available on amazon.com. It has more info in one place about breastfeeding while pregnant and continuing to breastfeed your older baby after the new baby is born... if you chose to do that.