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

[Teeny]

Thank you Celesse. I don't want to do any formula feeding but my LO is now 17 weeks so going to start giving him finger foods and start baby led weaning today. Getting this LO's nutrition right is higher on my list than conceiving again as I want to do all I can for each baby so if no.2 has to wait a little bit then so be it. I will try Vitex though to see if that will kick start my cycle again while I still maintain BF'ing. Is it counteractive to also take something to boost milk supply incase the vitex reduces my supply or will that make it pointless to take the vitex?

hi, just wondered if this is a bit early for finger foods? the guidance is around 6 months but more importantly, sitting unaided, can lift food to own mouth? if not, and u really wan to offer food, then puréed or mashed maybe?

 

[Leids]

Hi ladies. I just found out I'm pregnant with #2 and I'm still breastfeeding my 15 month old. I have no plans on stopping at the moment.

I was wondering - does everyone experience a supply dip at some point? Is it common to completely dry up? I'm considering dry nursing and tandem feeding because my LO still gets a great amount of comfort from it.

 

[ssjad]

Hi Leids,

I'm 14 weeks pregnant and have hardly any milk anymore, despite all attempts to increase it.

My DD is only 8 months old and I feel bad for her... she refuses any fluids other than water, too...

 

[charlie15]

Hi ladies. I just found out I'm pregnant with #2 and I'm still breastfeeding my 15 month old. I have no plans on stopping at the moment.

I was wondering - does everyone experience a supply dip at some point? Is it common to completely dry up? I'm considering dry nursing and tandem feeding because my LO still gets a great amount of comfort from it.

Congratulations! Hope your mill supply keeps up. From what I know the majority of women do dry up but not until the 5th month until you start producing colostrum.

 

[Leids]

Ssjad I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope that she takes to other liquids soon! Will she take bottles from dad while you're not around?

Thank you ladies! I guess I can count on dry nursing a bit then if he doesn't self wean. He'll be 20 months old by the time I'm 5 months pregnant so I wouldn't be surprised if he does wean.

 

[freddie]

Leids I've been wondering the same thing, I'm quite anxious about losing my supply So Charlie do you think it's pretty much a certainty??

 

[Radkat]

Hello all - My LO is 11 months old and I have not gotten "proper" periods back. I'll spot for a few days every couple weeks, but nothing like a proper flow. How could I find out if I'm ovulating yet? I have some OPKs. Should I just test every other day or so and see what they say?

 

[Teeny]

Hello all - My LO is 11 months old and I have not gotten "proper" periods back. I'll spot for a few days every couple weeks, but nothing like a proper flow. How could I find out if I'm ovulating yet? I have some OPKs. Should I just test every other day or so and see what they say?

you need to test everyday to make sure ur not missing the surge! xxx

 

[Radkat]

Oh wow. OK, every day it is. Glad I got the cheapies!

 

[Teeny]

Oh wow. OK, every day it is. Glad I got the cheapies!

once u have established roughly when u o then you can just test the 3 or so days running up to that but if u have no idea it's best to go everyday until it happens xxx

 

[Leids]

Leids I've been wondering the same thing, I'm quite anxious about losing my supply So Charlie do you think it's pretty much a certainty??

I've been doing a lot of research. I'm pretty heartbroken myself about it but it seems like it's almost certain that milk supply will either dramatically drop or will completely dry up (but you will be producing colostrum). Sometimes babies will self wean due to taste changes and lack of milk, others will continue and dry nurse for comfort.

My LO is boob crazy so I have a feeling that I will dry nurse him throughout the pregnancy. I'm ordering a copy of Adventures in Tandem Nursing from the LLL website which goes into breastfeeding during pregnancy. Hopefully it gives me a good idea of what to expect.

Link: https://store.llli.org/public/profile/77

 

[freddie]

Yeah I've been thinking I should get a copy of that book. Thanks for the link! My LO is a bit of a boob monster too so perhaps dry nursing... Argh I do have feelings of guilt about it though - getting pregnant and therefore potentially ruining our breastfeeding relationship Do you ever feel like that? I just have to keep reminding myself that I am giving him an even more amazing gift, a sibling, a best friend for life. Well that's the plan anyway

 

[Leids]

You're not alone, I definitely feel guilty about it. I fight the urge to cry throughout the day because I feel terrible that I'm not able to give him a full 2 years of nursing. But - I was only intending on nursing him for 2 years initially, but now I'm open to tandem nursing to improve the bonding experience so he may end up being breastfed even longer due to this.

My only plan right now is to go with the flow. I won't wean him, I'll let him do what he wants to do and if he decides he wants to stop and then continue after #2 is born then that's fine too. It sucks though, I'm pretty heartbroken about it! I've been trying to be optimistic about it too but it can be difficult.

 

[gardenofedens]

Hi Leids, Ssiads, & RachelK,

Congrats on your pregnancies! The guilt is completely normal. Definitely read through the Adventures in Tandem Nursing book. It's a fantastic resource. I wish there was more information about two closely spaced together though as the majority of the stories are about babies 2-4 years apart. Mine will only be 15 months apart and there was only one, yes ONE, page about babies being less than 2 years apart. I found that disappointing but the rest of the information was still helpful. And I definitely wish I hadn't waited so long to purchase it. There were several "ah-ha" moments as I read through what other moms had submitted and remembered feeling those same thoughts/emotions weeks/months prior!

As for when milk dries up, I did EVERYTHING I could to keep my supply up. I made Lactation cookies which had previously helped but no longer did, took in extra calories, let DD nurse 24/7, went back to bed-sharing to give her full access, took alfalfa pills which were supposed to help but never saw an increase. I didn't take Fenugreek since I was told it can cause contractions/miscarriage though I have heard of others going that route. Anyway, my milk dropped drastically almost right away - I was only 8-12 weeks pregnant. It was basically dry by 15 weeks and dry nursing HURTS LIKE HELL. DD would pop on and off going from nipple to nipple back and forth and it was literally TORTURE. And I had such an aversion to nursing but was determined to continue doing it since she was only 6 months old when I fell pregnant and I felt so guilty about that. My colostrum finally came in around 20 weeks which helped with the pain, but DD still isn't too fond of the different taste. I can't wait until my milk comes back for her as she has such a strong desire to comfort nurse. We finally introduced formula to her at 11 months old (just before the colostrum finally came in actually) because she wasn't gaining weight properly from just the solids and had dropped from the 60th percentile down to the 35th or so. Within two weeks she was back into the 60th and still is now. Giving her that first bottle of formula was heartbreaking though. I was literally sobbing with guilt that I couldn't provide for my own DD the right way. Terrible.

Anyway, good luck to you all!

 

[charlie15]

I am not pregnant with number 2, but did so much research too and decided that we would nit TTC until after Sophia was approaching 1 as I was scared of drying up immediately and just the thought of it made me feel guilty, so I do understand your feelings. Leeds I hope your supply keeps up for some time yet. It does seem inevitable but there may be some mums out there who never dried up totally

 

[Wishing_well]

I was terrified of drying up early on but I made it to 20 weeks before my supply vanished. Quinn doesn't seem to mind at all.

 

[Leids]

Thank you. Is Quinn still nursing?

I know that my milk hasn't dried up but I feel like my supply has dropped. I think it's more to do with him eating a lot more solids recently rather than pregnancy though. The last couple of days, he's been trying to nurse non-stop. Every time he's not playing or otherwise distracted he's tugging at my shirt and trying to nurse.

I sometimes get him something to snack on instead, but for the most part I let him nurse but he only nurses for a few minutes at a time. I'm kind of confused about it. He also woke up at 3:30am last night and would latch, nurse for 10 minutes, unlatch for 10 minutes, back on for 10 minutes.

Anyone else experience something similar? I know he was sick a few days ago so maybe it's still remnants from that and nothing to do with pregnancy.

 

[Wishing_well]

Yes, she still asks for milk and will nurse for as long as she did when I had milk. She also feeds at night and at least twice throughout the day.
I had "normal" milk supply until around 14/15 weeks when it dropped a lot and I could only get a drop out when I squeezed. Then at 20 weeks it dried up completely.
Quinn hasn't changed her nursing habits at all though so I'm hoping its a good sign!

 

[jcg0506]

I understand the guilt too. My supply dropped quite quickly and affected DS's weight gain before I started giving him cow's milk at 12 months (he was 9 months when I got pregnant,). My milk never dried up completely and DS continued to nurse throughout and we're tandem nursing now. Incidentally my milk came in with a vengeance and I now have oversupply problems.

 

[cuties]

Sometime baby get hungry faster and mummy don't even have enough milk for them. what is the best alternative way to feed the baby on time ?