Hello :-)

Hi :newhere:

I'm just introducing myself :-)

My name is Natasha, my husband and I have one daughter - She is 14 months old and still breastfeeding. We have been TTC for six months now and we are now so happy to be expecting our second child... I'm 5 weeks pregnant now.

Just looking for advice and support about breastfeeding during pregnancy really as I'm not really sure about it... :confuzzled:

So, that's me Looking forward to getting to know you all

hi and welcome to the site congratulations on your bump!
what are you not sure about? its perfectly okk to bf while pg though when i first found out i was pg with my last babe the dr and a hv told me to stop it wasnt til i saw my usual dr and came on here i realised it was fine!
theres quite a few ladies on here who have too, all i would say is make sure you keep yourself healthy!
what my dr said also is when the babe is born make sure that he/she is fed first.
good luck with it all :aww: dont hesitate to come on here and ask questions theres plenty of help look forward to getting to know you!

welcome to the forum Natasha - now we have 2 pregnant Natashas on board!

I have no experiance of breastfeeding when pregnant or tandem feeding, but Angie certainly has, as have many of the others on here.

Talk to your midwife at your booking appointment, and just make sure all is well. Eat healthy and drink lots of water - remember, it is you that will suffer if you dont, not your unborn baby or your breastmilk :aww:

Thanks for the warm welcome...

what are you not sure about?

A few things really... I had a miscarriage in March I was just looking for reassurance really that it was not because I was breastfeeding

Also, Do I need to stop before baby is born? If I don't stop - will baby still have colostrum - Won't Anna's milk be too milky for her?

And one last small concern is that Anna has been a bit off of the breast the last few days - still having a feed or two, but not anywhere near as much as she was before - is this her giving a signal that she is ready to wean? Or is it just because my milk has pregnancy hormone in it - and tastes different?

Thanks!

TashaAndBump wrote:Thanks for the warm welcome...

what are you not sure about?

A few things really... I had a miscarriage in March I was just looking for reassurance really that it was not because I was breastfeeding

Also, Do I need to stop before baby is born? If I don't stop - will baby still have colostrum - Won't Anna's milk be too milky for her?

And one last small concern is that Anna has been a bit off of the breast the last few days - still having a feed or two, but not anywhere near as much as she was before - is this her giving a signal that she is ready to wean? Or is it just because my milk has pregnancy hormone in it - and tastes different?

Thanks!

Hi there! I fed through pregnancy, and in fact am still feeding both I went to the gp for Michaels' 6 week check-up and she not only told Deborah to grow up (she's 2 ffs!) she also said it was only ok if Michael weighed enough. Then she weighed him and realised that he is on the 91st centile - he is a lovely big fattie! There's a really good book called "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hilary Flowers, you should be able to pick up cheap somewhere, it's got lots of information in it.

Your milk will turn to colostrum, as your body will respond to the new baby growing. However, if your older one keeps feeding (some like the taste of colostrum, some don't, so some stop during pregnancy and start again afterwards, some cut down and up their feeds massively, some stop, some don't notice - every child is different!) you may find your supply is quite a lot (obv it works on supply and demand) when the new baby is born which is really useful. I had a c-section with both children, with Deborah my milk came in at 5 days, with Michael it came in at 2 days!

No idea about the miscarriage, as am not a medical expert but personally speaking if your body is prepared to keep producing milk throughout pregnancy, then it's probably ok. Quite a few women do tandem feed as well, so can't think its a major factor. The tandem feeding book talks about it. Really sorry you had one, and think that most women find something to feel guilty about, when really its just a really, really sad thing.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Thank you for the reply

I'm feeling a bit better now about feeding during pregnancy.... just a bit confused about where to go from now... Whether to stop or carry on during pregnancy right until the end.

I've made a thread in the section to do with breastfeeding during pregnancy so I'll not copy it all out here but if you're interested I've written down everything there.

Thanks again x

really dont think bf will have anything to do with your miscarriage :aww: sorry for your loss.
you dont need to stop before baby is born, to be honest im not sure how the colostrum bit works im not up on the 'scientific bit' ! there are some girls on here who know more about those bits and im sure they will answer before long- i can answer more of the practical/experience bits
Aeryn stopped bf about a month before willow was born, totally by herself so i didnt get to the tandem feeding stage but i was still producing milk, she didnt seem to lack anythimg from not having the colostrum. there is at least one of the girls who has bf right through and still feeding newborn so they probably better to answer!
if you do continue to bf Anna when babe is born you just have to make sure babe is fed first. if thats the case then you have planty of time to get Anna used to the idea and were alll here to give tips and help with that too
as for your last concern, most babies have dips in their feeds naturally so it could just be one of those, its not necessarily her getting ready to stop (though it could be!) milk does taste different when pg hormones kick in so it could be shes getting used to it.
hope i havent babbled too much? i tend to once i get going x
(just been writing this while gingerpig wrote a reply! shes answered the colostrum question better than me but i cant be bothered to edit this so just so u dont think im ignoring her post or being daft)

Why not let Anna decide? How do you feel about feeding 2? It's possible but may or may not be what you want to do. Personally I think it's great although as I have posted elsewhere, that Picadilly circus feeling first thing on my boobs can be a bit full on lol. The Tandem Feeding book does talk about the uterine contractions that some women can experience whilst bfeeding, but birth is caused by all different sorts of hormones being triggered not just bf ones. My English is rubbish tonight, apologies.

Thanks hun!

You haven't babbled at all - You should see my thread in Breastfeeding And Pregnant lol Now THAT'S babbling haha

You know just after I said Anna hadn't been interested in milk the last few days, she came and latched on and has been feeding since - she's having the biggest, longest milky feed ever! lol

gingerpig wrote:Why not let Anna decide? How do you feel about feeding 2? It's possible but may or may not be what you want to do. Personally I think it's great although as I have posted elsewhere, that Picadilly circus feeling first thing on my boobs can be a bit full on lol. The Tandem Feeding book does talk about the uterine contractions that some women can experience whilst bfeeding, but birth is caused by all different sorts of hormones being triggered not just bf ones. My English is rubbish tonight, apologies.

I'm undecided about tandem feeding... The concept was brand new to me until today and at first I didnt think it would be for me, but now it really does appeal the more I think about it.

...But I'm worried about other people's reactions to the idea - my husband and family mostly... Not sure what to do. I always planned to let Anna wean herself and not stop until she was done. I don't know why being pregnant should have to change that... If I was living in a world where breastfeeding was 'normal' I don't think there would be a question in it to be honest.... Hmmm...

It is difficult to decide! I don't think I ever really decided that I was doing the "right thing" for a few weeks after Michael was born. Deborah had a D&V bug and the only thing she could keep down was my milk and that made me so proud of myself for sticking with it, knowing she had some food in her tummy. But every family is different, and there is no right or wrong. A lot depends on the personality of your children too, so again hard to think about as you dont know what your new LO will be like. It's tricky sometimes here, as D is quite demanding (but then she is 2) and will often be jealous when Michael is feeding. However, she is learning about taking turns and sharing, and when Michael is feeding, she will sometimes pat him and say "Mitalls turn". So it's sinking in and children do have to learn to share. M is a big chap too, so his growth spurts are hard work, but then that would be the case whether I was feeding just him or both.

Sorry, not to rabbit on about us, but just to share what we'd found out.

Not sure what to do. I always planned to let Anna wean herself and not stop until she was done. I don't know why being pregnant should have to change that... If I was living in a world where breastfeeding was 'normal' I don't think there would be a question in it to be honest.... Hmmm...

This does sound like you're leaning more one way than the other atm, but it's really ok to swing backwards and forwards for quite some time. It's really just wonderful that you're thinking about it all! PM me if you want to ask me more, I could lend you my copy of tandem feeding if I can find it ...

Hello - welcome and congratulations xxx

Welcome and Congratulations.

I haven't done it (breastfeedign while pregnant) but I see these ladies have given you soem great advice already :aww:

hi and welcome hun x x x