TTC/Pregnancy while Breastfeeding and Tandem Nursing: Information and Support

[Ozzieshunni]

Hey ladies,
I have now been tandem feeding for 10 days and am very proud of myself However, I am experiencing some frustration with my dd (2 years) at times when she is feeding, I think this is because she is doing it more frequently and for longer (which I fully expected and understand), wondered if anyone can share some experiences on this and how long it lasted for as I really dont want her to pick up on this
xx

Just wanted to say congrats I know there are a couple women on here that would have answers for you

 

[Tacey]

Hey ladies,
I have now been tandem feeding for 10 days and am very proud of myself However, I am experiencing some frustration with my dd (2 years) at times when she is feeding, I think this is because she is doing it more frequently and for longer (which I fully expected and understand), wondered if anyone can share some experiences on this and how long it lasted for as I really dont want her to pick up on this
xx

This might not be a terribly encouraging reply, but I still get quite a lot of frustration at 7 weeks in. Alice is boob obsessed (can't blame it on the baby though, she's always been like it!) and I get fed up of it at times. I've gone down the route of letting her nurse quite often, but I limit the length she's on for by counting down. It's worked well for us as I feel more in control and she still gets milk.

I'm interested to hear other people's experiences too, as it's something we're still working on.

 

[summer rain]

I'm feeling quite depressed at the mo as my cycles returned when LO was 11 months but now 7 months later they are still all over the place, had a few cycles of only about 15 days in total and then a couple of normal length ones and now I am on CD45 and no sign of AF. I worry it will never come back again. I did a pregnancy test a week or so ago and it was negative. I was worried my hormonal imbalance issues were returning but aside from the iffy cycles I don't have any other symptoms returning that would indicate that, my skin is fine, my hair isn't greasy and I don't want to kill everyone lol. Nor am I piling on a truckload of weight. Just not sure what is going on, I am hoping it is due to still BF quite frequently (LO still has short feeds every 2-3 hours throughout the day; and once at night) and nothing else sinister. I am going to the GP later this week (have a whole load of other health issues I really need to go for, but thats another story) , my GP is very pro-extended BF but not sure what she will suggest. I have never BF for this long before so not sure if this is normal for me or what. xx

 

[silver_penny]

Summer rain, have you tried temping to see if or when you are ovulating? I found this to be super helpful during my rather long cycles during bf'ing. It would also give your GP more information on what's going on, ie if you are ovulating, how long LP is, etc, which would help with a diagnosis/treatment plan.

Mork, yes, its completely normal for this to happen and to feel frustrated by it. My DS1 gained 2-3 lbs in the months following DS2's birth from drinking so much more milk. You also have to realize that its not only the novelty of having the baby around, but its fresh new milk (its literally tastes different and better!) Countdowns, like Tacey suggested, are a good idea if you are getting too frustrated with it, but remember its also a great way for your daughter to bond with your newborn. I would say that it really depends on the age of the child how long the novelty lasts. My DS1 was only 15 months old when DS2 was born, so it took a couple months for the novelty to wear off. I think with an older child it would wear off sooner.

 

[summer rain]

Hi

No I haven't as until this cycle things seemed to be evening themselves out. I did have a basal thermometer and it broke guess I will order another one. I have something similar to fertility friend on my phone but that's all over the place at the moment because of my squiffy cycles. I had a similar issue after having second youngest despite having stopped BF completely when he was 5.5 months, I ended up with a cycle length of between 60 or 70 days, I did get pregnant despite this but suffered a missed miscarriage. That was like a massive reset button for my hormones and I started having more regular periods than ever before or since, 6 cycles later I got pregnant with my youngest. Xx

 

[silver_penny]

I know its frustrating not knowing what your body is doing. Maybe invest in a basal thermometer again, as it would at least give you a little more info than just waiting for AF to arrive. This way, too, if you do get pregnant again you would be more sure of your EDD.

 

[summer rain]

I've ordered another one and also 100 of the cheapo OPKs, OPKs don't generally work for me but I've had some success with the Internet cheapo ones for some reason xx

 

[motherofboys]

Just a little up date on us. I'm at 10dpo! AF normally arrives at 7dpo so looks like the B6 worked! Now of course I'm struggling to not get my hopes up LOL Especially as we decided if I'm not pregnant this month we would take a break

 

[Mork]

Thanks ladies, I am trying to be patient with her and beat myself up last night when i reminded myself that she is only just 2 and therefore still a baby herself, I need to be more patient and understanding (tiredness makes me grouchy!!!) xxxx

 

[lovealittle1]

Ack! Give me the strength to go on. I am in so much pain everytime ds nurses. It is only before nap, before bed and a few times throughout the night but it is so painful. There is very little milk so I think he is mainly comfort sucking/dry nursing. Ouch! Any tips to get me through this? Will there be a point in my pregnancy when I start to produce more again or will it not be until my milk comes in with #2? Are there anyways to increase supply during pregnancy??

 

[Betheney]

Ack! Give me the strength to go on. I am in so much pain everytime ds nurses. It is only before nap, before bed and a few times throughout the night but it is so painful. There is very little milk so I think he is mainly comfort sucking/dry nursing. Ouch! Any tips to get me through this? Will there be a point in my pregnancy when I start to produce more again or will it not be until my milk comes in with #2? Are there anyways to increase supply during pregnancy??

i still have sore nips lal, i don't know what to do either, i keep telling myself if i can't handle this then i can't handle a newborn, it's the only thing that keeps me going.

I've started using lansinoh again which might be helping but it's hard to tell.

Anti-nausea meds help with supply after pregnancy so i can't see why it wouldn't during pregnancy... such a maxalon and so forth. But i know i need to just drink more water, i drink barely anything. I'm so empty these days Eva has 3 sucks on one nipple then 3 sucks on the other then back and forwards for the next 10 minutes, the constant reattaching is not helping the pain either. I've tried to keep her to one side before changing but she just throws a massive tantrum it's easier to just let her do whatever she wants.

 

[Celesse]

I went completely dry around 18 weeks. Colostrum started around 24 weeks. I don't remember any nipple pain once colostrum was there but my nip pain was mostly gone by second tri anyway.

 

[austinsmom]

Hey girls!
What a rollercoaster I've been on the past few months. I miscarried at 9 wks early May. At the end of June, found out I was pregnant again!!! However, my BFing relationship has slowly come to and end (although I don't want it to). My dr suggested against bfing during this pregnancy(with multiple m/c, low progesterone, and intense cramping during nursing). But, I can't resist my LO when she says 'Pee Peeeeess Gi Gi!' (Please! PLEASE! Drink! Drink!). She's down to only nursing once every couple of days... and ever since starting the progesterone, my milk is gone.
Does anyone know if it's ok to nurse her while on progesterone?

 

[Jaymes]

I go through phases when it hurts for a few days, then it goes back to normal nursing for a while. I'm not sure there is much to be done to increase supply. Mine has gone down as well..

 

[tickledpink3]

Ack! Give me the strength to go on. I am in so much pain everytime ds nurses. It is only before nap, before bed and a few times throughout the night but it is so painful. There is very little milk so I think he is mainly comfort sucking/dry nursing. Ouch! Any tips to get me through this? Will there be a point in my pregnancy when I start to produce more again or will it not be until my milk comes in with #2? Are there anyways to increase supply during pregnancy??

This is me right now. I still clench my teeth when she nurses cause it hurts so bad. My dd only nurses before bed time or if I have been away from her for an extended time. I heard that somewhere from the middle of 2nd tri to near the end, your milk will turn to colostrum. The articles I have read stated this is when most toddlers weaned themselves but I just know mine would be the small percentage that doesn't lol I would contact a lactation consultant on increasing supply during pregnancy due to some things not being good for the baby. Good luck to you

 

[silver_penny]

I've had pain during nursing for the past few weeks It hurts, but its still so worth it.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Ladies, I'm eight days late now and testing

 

[cat lover]

Have any other preggo's totally gone off BF? When I do her before bed BF I can't help but just wish she would get off... feel guilty but absolutely cannot help it

 

[cat lover]

Ladies, I'm eight days late now and testing

Maybe you ovulated a bit late and will get in a couple of days... are you charting ovulation? What kind pregnancy tests are you using?

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Ladies, I'm eight days late now and testing

Maybe you ovulated a bit late and will get in a couple of days... are you charting ovulation? What kind pregnancy tests are you using?

Eh, I've never charted. We're sorta NTNP, but I know my O dates and tend to avoid them. Maybe an international flight has knocked me out of sync?