Tandem feeding/feeding in pregnancy support thread

I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we could all support each others tandem feeding adventures

i would love to hear from experienced tandem feeders, how they found feeding through pregnancy, when it got easier, what tandem feeding is like in practise

if there were any issues with jealous or in fact if they feel that tandem feeding prevented jealousy (which is what i am hopping)

I am 7 weeks pregnant, it is my second child but my third pregnancy, i carried my daughter to 23 weeks before she was stillborn.

I fed J (my now 17month old) right through although i did top up with cows milk as my nipples were just so sore during the end of the first and beginning of the second trimester. My plan was to feed him even if it was just for 5 mins a day so that when my milk came through, he could have it!

how glad i was, when i lost my little girl, that i was still feeding him, when my milk came in being able to give it to a child was so nice.

it has made me even more determined to feed J through this pregnancy especially as now he feeds very little.

A friend of mine had baby boys 20months appart and she said the older boy would hit the baby whilst he was feeding because he didnt understand it. I would like J to understand the new baby being fed and hopefully avoid some of that jealousy but i have heard mixed reports, that tandem feeding can lead to MORE jealousy!

If anyone is going through/been through the same i would love us all to share our stories and support each other xx

Great idea!

So far nursing in pregnancy is going pretty well. I got a huge hit of breastfeeding aversion in the earlier weeks when it was all I could do not to push her away from me. We're working towards night weaning, as that's when I feel the worst, and although it's slow progress, I think we're getting there. Alice is moving into her own bed tomorrow, so fingers crossed she starts sleeping through without needing to nurse.

I'm pretty sure that I'm now dry nursing, or close enough to it. I never hear her swallow any more, and I can't get any milk out. Alice doesn't seem bothered though! We've talked a lot about how babies don't eat food and that it will just have my milk. At first, I think that worried her. She told me which breast was for her and which was for the baby, but now she says that they will share the 'Mukmee'. She keeps pretending to be a baby when she wants to nurse now though. I'm going with it and reassuring her that she will always be my baby, and I think that helps.

So sorry to hear about your loss Feebles. It's lovely that your breastfeeding relationship helped a little at such a difficult time.

Looking forward to hearing others' experiences too!

I'll be following this! I hope to tandem nurse. I know TigerLady and Dragonfly do as well!

Brilliant thread

I'm still feeding my almost one year old and am 7.5 weeks pregnant. I hope to tandem feed if my daughter wants to, I am a bit worried about my supply though. I only feed her in the morning and before bed/if she wakes at night. When is supply usually affected? It seems ok at the moment.

I do worry about her getting jealous too when baby arrives, and people keep telling me I should wean her soon

I only feed j In the mornings and have done since he was about 11months, it hasn't affected my supply at all! X

Originally Posted by feeble

I only feed j In the mornings and have done since he was about 11months, it hasn't affected my supply at all! X

Sorry I wasn't very clear, I mean what effect pregnancy will have on my supply?

I'm all in a mess tonight because I'm going back to work on Tuesday so I'm probably not making much sense - apologies

yeah... pregnancy certainly affected my supply last time round, it got quite difficult to nurse him but i am SO glad i persevered, would love to hear from mamas who have tandemed with a newborn and a toddler though to work out if it will be a nightmare or not!

J will be 2 when the baby is born so i am thinking if its going to make him resent the baby, then perhaps i will just stop feeding him altogeher? but i would rather tandem x

In case people haven't come across it, adventures in Tandem Nursing by Hilary Flower is a brilliant book that seemed to answer most of my questions.

As to the resentment question, my friend has a newborn, and her 2 year old has found it very hard adjusting, but nursing seems to be bringing them together. In fact, the first time he ever touched her was when they were both feeding (he'd previously kept his distance,) so I think it can go both ways.

Hi Ladies, I am so pleased i found this thread!!! Congratulations to you all on your pregnancies. I have a question - My dd feeds frequently still, but my nipples seem to be getting more sensitive and i am in pain when she begins her feeds now, i am ensuring she is right into the breast and not tugging on it etc, but am wondering if there is anything obvious i am missing and if its going to get worse as the pregnancy goes on? It has not been painful since she was newborn!!! Thanks for your help! xx

I thnk its a bit of a 'labour of love' until your milk comes in at like 24/25 weeks, then you have colostrum and they are in heaven

So... i am just trying to feed him enough to keep him interested... but to be honest it IS getting sore so i am feeding less and less must keep on it dispite the pain...