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

[Hopeful42nd]

Tell him since his opinion is an uneducated one, that it won't be taken into consideration. Lol

 

[Ozzieshunni]

 

[babyjiva]

so for those who are tandem nursing or pregnant while breastfeeding, can you help me out with something? sorry if this has been asked, but at a browse I don't think it was asked.

were your symptoms of pregnancy different because you were nursing?
did your nursing hormones affect your pregnancy test?
Did your period come and go after being stable for a while?

I'm asking because I have a lot of symptoms of pregnancy: missed period (after being back on track for a while), sore nipples, crampiness, discharge, headache etc. BUT I tested negative. Just wondering if because I'm breastfeeding the test could be wrong or if it is my breastfeeding causing a very late period. I know this is impossible to answer, but any opinions would help. I've never had a late period without being pregnant and even then I was only one day late when I said, "i know i'm pregnant"

also, we wouldn't mind being pregnant but are not TTC so i'm not fishing for any one answer. just hoping to hear other's experiences as to whether or not a test is accurate while BF. thanks!

 

[TigerLady]

Oz, I know he won't read it. That's not the point. The point is those are your terms. Just refuse to discuss it otherwise. Next time he brings it up, say "Oh? So you found some evidence? Fantastic." And when he says it is just his opinion again you say, "As I said. I won't discuss this based on our opinions. It's to be based on fact. End of." And don't say anything more.

BJ, my symptoms were all the same. I got a pos on an FRER at 14dpo -- very clear positive. BF shouldn't have any affect on the results of an hpt. It is also not unheard of for periods to be present and then leave again as long as you are BF. Has she started nursing more recently?

Just to be safe, eat and drink like you might be pregnant. Test again in a week or two. If it is still negative, you probably aren't pg.

 

[babyjiva]

thanks tigerlady!

she has been cutting molars and canines and is a nursing machine right now. you think that could do it?

 

[TigerLady]

Yup, that could totally do it.

 

[Hopeful42nd]

I found out I was pregnant whilst breastfeeding at 11dpo, very faint pos on an Internet cheapie. It got darker over the next few days. My symptoms were slight implantation pain at 8-9 dpo, slight nausea for short periods, stuffy nose, missed period, no breast changes until like 16-17 dpo, milk supply dropped a bit. Hope that helps

 

[Tacey]

were your symptoms of pregnancy different because you were nursing? No, all pretty similar.
did your nursing hormones affect your pregnancy test? No
Did your period come and go after being stable for a while? The gaps between them got gradually shorter - never really stabilised! I had 5 I think in total. As Tigerlady said, increased nursing can hold a period back again though.

 

[babyjiva]

thank you all so much for answering. I know questions about symptoms can be daunting to read sometimes.

well, still no period. I'm just used to being regular and since I started my period back I have been so this seems strange to me. However, my little one is nursing relentlessly so that really could be doing it. I do have other symptoms though. For one, I had cramping a few nights ago… it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a period not to follow cramping. I mean, it was such typical pms cramping that I even wore a tampon to bed. so if no period comes, I will test again in a week and see. If that is negative, I'll assume missed period is all.

thanks again, maybe in a week i'll be joining you all for real!

 

[Tacey]

thank you all so much for answering. I know questions about symptoms can be daunting to read sometimes.

well, still no period. I'm just used to being regular and since I started my period back I have been so this seems strange to me. However, my little one is nursing relentlessly so that really could be doing it. I do have other symptoms though. For one, I had cramping a few nights ago… it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a period not to follow cramping. I mean, it was such typical pms cramping that I even wore a tampon to bed. so if no period comes, I will test again in a week and see. If that is negative, I'll assume missed period is all.

thanks again, maybe in a week i'll be joining you all for real!

If it's not a BFP, the cramping could be a sort of phantom period. I had lots in the months before my period eventually showed up. Not sure if it's true, but I sort of felt that it was like my body was almost ready to have a period, but couldn't quite get there!

Hope you get the result you want!

 

[Celesse]

I also had loads of wired cramping when my fertility was gearing up again. Whatever hormonal changes where going on gave me some horrid cramps.

I had a fun night last night, DD was very very sick. So after clearing up toddler puke I had both children in bed feeding for what seemed like ages. She managed to throw up just when DS was ready for his night time feed. And typical toddler, shes running round today with loads of energy like nothing happened whilst I'm dog-tired. The joys of motherhood!

 

[TigerLady]

Goodness, I know that feeling Celesse! DK will keep me up all friggin' night screaming, then at 6 am she suddenly is bright eyed and happy, ready to play for the day.

 

[caro103]

hi ladies

we're going to ttc No.2 in june/july ish and i'm still intending to be feeding alex then, not sure if i'll tandem feed (although never say never!) but def don't want to stop him bfing just cos we're ttc! Just wondered whether anyone can answer my questions...

how does the milk change in pregnancy?
does colostrum come in when a new baby is born? normally that's in a tiny amount for the newborn but then how does the older baby get enough milk? or does the new baby get flooded with 'older baby' milk?
i always thought milk changed in from newborn to toddler so how does it work feeding both age groups?

also those who have kept feeding their older baby did you still get engorgement after the new baby was born as technically you already have your milk in?
and did you go through the toe curling nipple pain stage again when the new baby developed breastfeeding technique or were you already toughened up?

sorry about all the Q's! thanks in advance xx

 

[TigerLady]

hi ladies

we're going to ttc No.2 in june/july ish and i'm still intending to be feeding alex then, not sure if i'll tandem feed (although never say never!) but def don't want to stop him bfing just cos we're ttc! Just wondered whether anyone can answer my questions...

how does the milk change in pregnancy?

You might see a small dip in supply in the beginning of first trimester. Your biggest dip in supply and chance will come between 14-18 weeks when your milk starts to change back toward colostrum. That is when many BF toddlers self wean. They don't like the change.

It will change again right at or before birth where the supply will really drop and it will go all colostrum again. If your toddler is still feeding he'll just get less for a few days. It's no big deal.

does colostrum come in when a new baby is born?

Yes.

normally that's in a tiny amount for the newborn but then how does the older baby get enough milk?

They just get less for a few days, but for a toddler, that's no big deal as their primary diet should be solids by then anyway.

or does the new baby get flooded with 'older baby' milk?

Nope.

i always thought milk changed in from newborn to toddler so how does it work feeding both age groups?

I've actually never read the definitive answer to this. Maybe someone else has. But from what I could tell from pumping, my milk matched my younger nursling's needs (the baby's) more than the toddler's needs. It didn't go toddler-like milk (really fatty) until both kids were toddlers. This is would be okay for the older toddler, anyway. They would get more foremilk and less hindmilk, which just means a little less fat. But that's not a huge problem.

also those who have kept feeding their older baby did you still get engorgement after the new baby was born as technically you already have your milk in?

You technically don't have your milk is as it goes right at or before birth. So, yeah, it comes in again just like before. And you get all the same problems as before, engorgement and all. Sigh.

and did you go through the toe curling nipple pain stage again when the new baby developed breastfeeding technique or were you already toughened up?

Yep. I sure did. But by then I was used to nursing hurting anyway as it did all through my pg. It just hurt more again. I also got blisters and cracks and bleeds. However, none of it lasted as long the second time. Only a week, maybe 10 days. The first time I battled all that for 2-3 weeks at least.

sorry about all the Q's! thanks in advance xx

Don't be sorry! That's what we are here for! Ask away.

 

[caro103]

Thank you sooo much tigerlady!

Gutted about the pain side again though , was hoping i might avoid that , took me a good 6-8wks to get semi comfortable and then a good 3mths to be pain free , glad to hear it was less time though! i guess the new baby has to also learn to feed and i'm guessing i've got to learn to feed a newborn again rather than just lift my top up

 

[TigerLady]

^^That's it exactly. YOU will be more comfortable in general, but the baby still has to learn. And you have to learn the particular quirks of that baby, too. My 2 nurslings were very different nursers. So, it was a very different experience in many ways.

 

[Mork]

Great info on this thread ladies! Thankyou!!!
I am still bfing my almost 21 month old and am now 20 weeks pregnant. I am hoping to tandem feed once lo arrives, providing my toddler doesnt self wean before then. Does anyone know the statistics on toddlers that self wean during preganncy as i would really love to tandem feed xx

 

[TigerLady]

I think I saw somewhere once that of those that BF when pg, about 30% loose their supply, about 30% self wean, and about 30% go on to tandem. I think the self wean category is skewed toward tots and the tandem is skewed toward babies. That is, it seems nurslings over 1 year of age when mom is pg are much more likely to self wean. The older they are, the more likely they are to self wean. Nurslings that are under 1 when mom is pg are not likely to self wean.

 

[Mork]

Thanks for that tigerlady lets hope my lo continues to enjoy her mummy milk!

 

[Tacey]

Great info on this thread ladies! Thankyou!!!
I am still bfing my almost 21 month old and am now 20 weeks pregnant. I am hoping to tandem feed once lo arrives, providing my toddler doesnt self wean before then. Does anyone know the statistics on toddlers that self wean during preganncy as i would really love to tandem feed xx

There's a bit here on this:

Self-Weaning during Pregnancy

Reports seem to indicate that 26% of children self-wean during pregnancy1. If this figure sounds low to you, that may be due to some misinterpretations of the available data. Indeed, the study by Moscona is frequently misinterpreted as saying that 57% of children self-weaned during their mother’s pregnancy. Although 31 out of 57 babies, or 57%, of the children who were nursing at the beginning of their mothers’ pregnancies were no longer nursing by the end, the investigator specifically records that the weaning was baby-led in 15 of these 31 cases and mother-led in 16. Therefore the percentage of babies who self-weaned was 15 out of 57, or 26%. Similarly, Niles Newton’s study found that 69% of babies were no longer nursing by the end of their mother’s pregnancy, and this figure, too, is often incorrectly offered as a self-weaning-during-pregnancy statistic. However, Newton’s 69% includes mother-led weaning, too.2

-- Hilary Flower in Adventures in Tandem Nursing, p. 166

Moscone [sic] SR, Moore MJ. Breastfeeding during pregnancy. J Hum Lact. 1993 Jun;9(2):83-88. (Sherrill Moscona’s name was mispelled in the original publication.)
Newton N, Theotokatos M. "Breastfeeding during pregnancy in 503 women." In Emotion and Reproduction. London, England: Academic Press, 1979;845-49.