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

[misspriss]

I'm not ready to cut down any feeds, DS still nurses in the evening, at night, during the night, in the AM, and takes about 6-8oz during the day. No way I could cut out the pumping! I was thinking of dropping from 3 sessions to 2 though.

 

[BunnyN]

Sorry, i explained myself badly. I just meant that your body should adjust to the times and amounts you feed for so cutting out a pumping session shouldn't in theory cause you to have less milk for your other feeds. I was just using my friend who has cut down to morning and evening feeds as an example of this.

 

[too_scared]

Thanks. He's always woken up like that, never slept through. He drinks a lot of water throughout the day and I always offer before bed too.

 

[BunnyN]

LO Slept through for the first time a couple of weeks ago which was huge! She did it for 3 nights and is back to waking again but I don't mind too much when she is just having one feed a night. At 8 months old she was still feeding 4 times a night so once feels pretty good. Though she often wakes more than that. Now her daddy settles her sometimes though and she even calls for him . I don't know where people get those babies from that sleep through the night at weeks old .

 

[too_scared]

Seriously, right?!

My husband is a teacher and is finished school for the summer on Friday. After that we are thinking of getting him to try settling the kiddo in the night so maybe he won't nurse/comfort suck quite so much. We'll have to see how it goes. I refuse to let him cry.

 

[BunnyN]

Only problem now is that when I get up with her and she doesn't want feeding she gets mad at me because she want her dad to settle her . Crying works for some but I could never see it working for us. LO doesn't cry a lot but when she does she tends to get herself in a real state and it would take hrs to put her to sleep again. Maybe she'd get used to it after a while but the weeks of torture we'd all go through in the mean time would not be worth it. I'd rather feed her while she is still half asleep and settle her again as quick as possible. It would be nice if she sleeps through before #2 is here but I'm sure we will survive .

 

[too_scared]

I can't even imagine if my guy slept through. It's been about 2 years since I actually slept through myself. I can't even imagine what it feels like to be rested. I'm looking to start my own WAHM business so even if he does start sttn I will still be up half the night sewing! Haha!

We bed share so I definitely agree with nursing while he's still mostly asleep. Everyone gets back to sleep within a few minutes. Dh actually doesn't even wake up. That might be the hard part of my plan, getting dh to wake to try to settle the kiddo. Haha!

I hope your lo starts sleeping through soon.

 

[Cangaroo]

It definitely hurt most for me around 15-16 weeks. It's somewhat better now, but still often painful. DD being older, she is very good and will change sides or stop when I tell her it's hurting me. She's feeding less than she was, but still feeding at least twice a day. She assures me there is still milk there and I do sometimes see some drips of milk when she comes off. She acknowledges there is less milk than there used to be when asked, and is drinking loads of cow's milk now. She's also been turning to daddy for comfort in a way she never used to, which is nice for him but disconcerting for me at times!

Good luck! Feeding through the pain is no fun.

 

[BunnyN]

Cangaroo- nice to have input from someone a bit further along.

LO is totally daddies girl these days which is actually a huge relief to me. Especially now with the morning sickness being so bad. A couple of days ago he took her to work in the morning and they went out for lunch together. She loved it but was glad to be home. She wanted to feed and was asleep in about 30 seconds, lol.

Too_scared- to be honest I'm up more times in the night than her anyway now. Even when she slept through I didn't. Because drinking water in the day makes me throw up I have to drink loads in the evening/ night so then I have to get up for the loo several times :/. By the time the morning sickness is gone I'll probablly get insomnia and wrestless legs, which I had bad in the last pregnancy.

 

[Reba]

Reba- how long have you had your cycles back?

I got my cycle back when she was 3 months old so almost 6 months now.
My temp is still high. This is the first cycle that I am doing BBT. The thermometer died just after I thought I had O'd but now I'm wondering if I O'd later Still a negative hpt as of yesterday. I'm out of HPTs and low on cash so can't test anymore. Going to just keep temping and see what happens. It's possible that I'm only 9DPO now.

Good to know though that breastfeeding shouldn't inflate my temps.
She's nursing 6 times and during the day. She's become a good sleeper. We have had a few nights where I've been up with her a lot but that was after any possible O. I've always been able to get the 5-6 hour block before taking my temp though so that shouldn't be affecting my temp.

 

[Reba]

Breastfeeding should have no affect on your BBT. If anything, breastfeeding raises prolactin levels which can decrease progesterone, which leads to lower temperatures. A 14-day LP with a high temp is a very good sign!

I BBT charted even though we were doing it in order to avoid.

Great thanks
Temp is still high so who knows what's going on.
Going to just keep temping. Perhaps I O'd when my thermometer died
Oh well.

 

[misspriss]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all their support earlier this week with my supply issues post-miscarriage.

I am happy to report that my milk output has been steadily increasing, 6.75oz Monday, 7.75 tuesday, 8 wednesday, 8.5 today.

I am still not sure if it was the hormones, or LO's late morning feed (which he has been having around 4-5am now instead of 6:30). But I am so very very happy that my milk has returned somewhat, and I just wanted to thank everyone who was there for me and offered their support!

 

[dove830]

Happy to hear this!!!

 

[BunnyN]

Yehhh! So glad to hear that misspriss!!

 

[babyjo]

That's great misspriss! Glad your output is moving in the right direction!

I was just thinking about clothing! I suddenly thought most of my maternity tops are not suitable for nursing....... In public anyway!!!!! I really don't want to have to spend any more money on maternity clothing that I can nurse in! Yikes! Im going to have a very very boring wardrobe once I start to show.

 

[misspriss]

Hm could you invest in a few maternity/nursing camis and do the shirt over/cami under thing? And when it comes to nurse pull one down and pull one up?

 

[BunnyN]

I have a couple of propper nursing tops but to be honest I have found the pull up, pull down meathod works best for being quick and covered up anyway. A couple of my favourite outfits last pregnancy were dresses that won't work at all, so I'm sad I won't be able to use them.

 

[misspriss]

Well, have you ever seen a halftee? I haven't tried it, but pull down nursing tops and tops with a low cut top could be fed it, but it exposes most of your breast. So I thought about buying a halftee (it's a "modesty" shirt that ends just under your boobs). The idea was that I could wear the halftee, and pull the halftee up and the low cut shirt down. So far, I haven't done this yet, but it's an idea. They are kind of pricey though, but they would work with lots of styles IMO.

https://www.halftee.com/collections/the-original-layering-shirt/products/tank-halftee-22

 

[Cangaroo]

Great news Misspriss!

 

[BunnyN]

I just use a stretchy undertop that can be pulled up or down. I haven't used any special ones so don't know if they are better