Nursing through pregnancy and beyond

Taylor - posted on 03/17/2009

I was still nursing my two year old when I got pregnant w/my second son. I had intended on nursing until my first was ready to quit, but my breasts were so sore,  I had to stop. I was sad because our nursing sessions were a big part of our relationship and he also still fell asleep at the breast. I was pleasantly surprised to find hat other things soon replaced our nursing sessions. We would cuddle and hold hands and it was still special. 

Sherry - posted on 03/08/2009

The end of this month will mark 16 straight years of nursing for me.  Nursed thru prgnancies, miscarraiges and  have experienced having 3 nurslings for awhile :).....if an older child was nursing they would occ. tell me that the milk was low,  usually only on one side.  It was an amazing experience that I have not regretted.  I have found that tandem nursing has made new siblings arrival very smooth !!! We have not had any neg, stuff,  our children are very involved with each preg. ,so i guess that also makes a difference.  Time goes by real fast,  they are only babies once.....enjoy  !!!  congrats  Sherry,  mom of Sarah, Tanner, Emma, Hannah, Nathanael, Samuel, Abigail,  Mary in Heaven and Isabella

Holly - posted on 02/23/2009

My kids are 3 yrs apart & I nursed throughout my pregnancy & for a year afterward. I did find nursing during pregnancy less comfortable than normal but I think depends upon the person. I also only nursed one time per day during my pregnancy which might explain why I didn't have much milk. Overall, I thought it was worth it to have the experience of nursing both my kids.

Emily - posted on 02/13/2009

Nursing during pregnancy was never painful for me, but I did lose my milk supply. My daughter was 10 months at the time and simply upped her solid food intake, while continuing to nurse for comfort 3-4 times a day. She totally picked up nursing again when the next baby came and they tandem nursed together for 13 months. I just barely weaned that one at 32 months... and my 14 month old is now nursing through another pregnancy... again, my milk supply has dropped, and my daughter is eating a ton more solids, but still requesting to nurse 6-8 times a day. We're planning to nurse until she's at least 2, so she'll be tandem nursing with the next baby for at least 4 months.

Melissa - posted on 02/13/2009

I didn't really have the pain.  We have a surprise pregnancy right now (my second born is only 5 mos old!) and my milk is almost gone.  I work out of the home so I had to pump while away.  I went from pumping 16-20 oz in 2 sessions to barely 3oz now. We're using donor milk now and it's working great.  Eventually your milk will change to colostrum, who knows how long and the progresterone makes it dry up also.

Colleen - posted on 02/06/2009

I'm in the same position as you, Trelawney.  My son is 10 months and we are trying for a second - if my constant breastfeeding doesn't prove to be too fantastic of a contraceptive, that is!  I would like to feed throughout my pregnancy and tandem nurse, if possible.  There is a circle for tandem nursers on here and I read some great posts from women who have done it.  There might be some good resources of information there. 

All the best!

Lisa - posted on 01/26/2009

Hi! I now have a 5 year old boy and 4 year old girl. I fell pregnant for the second time when my son was 8 months old. He was still nursing, a lot, and I continued to breastfeed for the entire pregnancy, in fact until the day I went into hospital to have my daughter. I was considering tandem feeding except that a rather complicated and difficult birth involving placenta previa put the idea to bed! Feeding through the pregnancy didn't prove a problem, in fact it became a very relaxing part of our day, especially towards the end of the pregnancy when tiredness and placenta previa became issues. I think that milk supply generally meets demand though it may take a week or so to establish a tandem routine. While researching tandem feeding when I was pregnant one idea seemed to make sense; nurse the new-born first so they get the fore-milk, then nurse the older child with hindmilk. Lactation consultants in the hospital I'm sure will be able to offer other ideas also. One thing I found amazing was that after the birth my milk returned to colostrum! Your body definately knows what is going on and responds accordingly! If you have any other questions let me know. Lisa