Can breastfeeding cause a miscariage?

[Midnightie]

I am currently 6 week pregnant, last week and two days ago I had a little spotting (first brown and then red), only a few times when I wiped but right now I have no spotting anymore. I have a 3 year old son who is very attached to me and who is still breastfed.

Today my mother whom I live with told me that some people told her that breastfeeding cause the uterus to contract and this may be causing the bleeding. I told her that my midwife told me that it's perfectly fine to breastfeed and that it's not so easy to wean my son cold turkey, my son has already been affected by me not being able to carry him (He's 40+ lbs and carrying him caused me to cramp a lot) and I notice that he is a little stressed about that, stopping the breastfeeding abruptly would cause more stress for him.

I also noticed that the two times I spotted was both the morning after a very stessfull night (one was a panick attack and the other was being very upset and crying all night). I am thinking that stress might be having a bigger effect than breastfeeding. And if I abruptly stop breastfeeding, the only thing that will happen will be that my son will be upset all the time, not sleep, causing me way more stress. On top of it my mom just did knee surgery so I have to do everything around the house, so the last thing I need is more stress.

My mom was almost kinda trying to force me to stop and saying things like if something happens it will be my fault because I refuse to stop breastfeeding ext. All this causing me a lot more stress and pressure and guilt.

What do you know about breastfeeding while pregnant? Can I still continue even if I had some spotting?

 

[RebeccaR19]

I really don't know. I'd talk to a medical professional and go with that person's opinion. If they know you are spotting and are breastfeeding, they should work to figure out what the cause is. We really can't tell you on here.

 

[Luvspnk31]

I know that plenty of women who have bf while pg. Bf'ing does cause the uteru to contract, but not that much. Having an O would have more of an effect. I agree that stress probably has more of an effect.

 

[sharnw]

It does make your uterus contract after giving birth and it helps the uterus go down.

Not sure about now though. I'm also nursing my daughter..

 

[SarahBear]

Both nursing and having an orgasm produce a hormone (the same one) that cause uterine contractions. Sex is generally considered safe although sometimes women who are at particular risk of miscarriage are told to abstain. If you don't need to abstain from sex, you don't need to abstain from breastfeeding. An orgasm of course causes more intense contractions than breastfeeding though. If you're not sure what you should be doing, I would trust your midwife.

(this post is based on the assumption that most people know that it's safe to have sex during pregnancy)

 

[sharnw]

Hope the link works

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/b...eding-tandem-nursing-information-support.html

 

[Kalabear]

I think I read some where that said breastfeeding doesn't cause uterine contractions until the 20 or 22 th week...can't remember. But I know a ton of women who how a breastfed through with no issues....I think if your high risk they recommend against it.

I'm still breastfeeding my seven and a half month old almost exclusively as he doesn't care for foods. This week I've started supplementing with formula though as my supply is suffering from ms. I haven't had any problems yet. I did bleed in my first pregnancy but everything turned out fine
I recommend as much rest as possible

 

[Oswin]

Nope. I'll link you. (as a rule, I'd advise researching things like this for yourself, and ignoring busybodies sticking their biased nose in!) And during my last pregnancy, stress caused me to spot pink and red.

https://kellymom.com/category/pregnancy/bf-preg/

https://www.llli.org/faq/bfpregnant.html

What I found particularly interesting:
"The first little-known fact is that during pregnancy less oxytocin is released in response to nipple stimulation than when a woman is not pregnant.5

But the key to understanding breastfeeding during pregnancy is the uterus itself. Contrary to popular belief, the uterus is not at the beck and call of oxytocin during the 38 weeks of the “preterm” period. Even a high dose of synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin) is unlikely to trigger labor until a woman is at term.6

Instead, the uterus must actively prepare in order for labor to commence. You could say that there are two separate states of being for the uterus: the quiescent baby-holder and the active baby-birther. These states make all the difference to how the uterus responds to oxytocin, and so, one can surmise, to breastfeeding. While the baby is growing, the uterus is geared to have a muffled response to oxytocin; at term, the body’s preparations for labor transform the uterus in ways that make it respond intensely to oxytocin.

Many discussions of breastfeeding during pregnancy mention “oxytocin receptor sites,” the uterine cells that detect the presence of oxytocin and cause a contraction. These cells are sparse up until 38 weeks, increasing gradually after that time, and increasing 300-fold after labor has begun.6,7 The relative scarcity of oxytocin receptor sites is one of the main lines of defense for keeping the uterus quiescent throughout the entire preterm period—but it is not the only one.

A closer look at the molecular biology of the pregnant uterus reveals yet more lines of defense. In order for oxytocin receptor sites to respond strongly to oxytocin they need the help of special agents called “gap junction proteins”. The absence of these proteins renders the uterus “down-regulated,” relatively insensitive to oxytocin even when the oxytocin receptor site density is high. And natural oxytocin-blockers, most notably progesterone, stand between oxytocin and its receptor site throughout pregnancy. 8,9,10

With the oxytocin receptor sites (1) sparse, (2) down-regulated, and (3) blocked by progesterone and other anti-oxytocin agents, oxytocin alone cannot trigger labor. The uterus is in baby-holding mode, well protected from untimely labor."

 

[Oswin]

Ooh and
"Lesley Regan, PhD, MD, heads the Miscarriage Clinic at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, the largest referral unit in Europe, and is the author of Miscarriage: What every woman should know. She was surprised to hear that anyone considers issues related to miscarriage to be reasons for weaning. She added:

Once a pregnancy is clinically detectable, breastfeeding should pose no added risk of pregnancy loss. There isn’t any data suggesting a link between breastfeeding and miscarriage, and I see no plausible reason for there to be a link."

"Hilary Flower has provided a detailed explanation that is easily accessible to the lay person, as to why the normal pregnant uterus only responds weakly to the action of oxytocin hormone until the very end of pregnancy. Undoubtedly, this is one of nature’s own safety checks to prevent miscarriage and preterm labour in women continuing to breastfeed regularly during their next pregnancy. I feel sure that this book will provide women with confidence and reassurance to believe that ‘breast is best’ for their baby.”

 

[sharnw]

Oswin thanks for the info. I'm new to bf while pregnant. I'm nursing a lot at the moment because my LO has a cold and I want her getting as much of the good stuff as possible

 

[Oswin]

Oswin thanks for the info. I'm new to bf while pregnant. I'm nursing a lot at the moment because my LO has a cold and I want her getting as much of the good stuff as possible

No probs Just done lots of looking in to it!

 

[stickylizard]

I breastfed my eldest and middle babies whilst pregnant :] I asked my GP and he said it's not risky at all. But to keep your supply up, make sure you have your iron levels checked! Xx

 

[Mya209]

No it doesn't cause miscarrage! I'm glad you've got good info above!