Pregnant and Breastfeeding - Olathe,KS

You can nurse all the way through your pregnancy and even tandem nurse (feed both) when the baby gets here. Your nutrition will be fine, just keep your water intake up and make sure you are eating enough. Some women find nursing while pregnant painful, and others say that their older child didn't like the taste change in the milk and weaned themselves. Good luck.

My last pregnancy- #9- I tandem nursed 2- a 3 year old and a 1 year old. I recommend you visit www.blueribbonbaby.org there they have checklists, etc. so you can make sure that you are getting enough nutrients, plus they have a lot of FAQ's- lots of great info. Congrats on your newest little one :)

I nursed through my pregnancy and have many friends that did the same. There is no harm in nursing through pregnancies. Like you said, just be sure to eat healthy (like you would be anyway for a pregnancy) and be sure to take your vitamins and get lots of sleep. A pregnant woman needs lots of sleep. A nursing mother needs a lot of sleep. A pregnant AND nursing mother needs even more sleep!

Keep in mind though, your supply will probably decrease because your body is doing so much (drink lots of water!). Your breast milk flavor will begin to change. With both of these, your first child may decide to stop nursing... or as much. If you want to continue nursing until he is a year old just try and keep him at the breast as long as possible. When the new baby is born, the first child will usually have a renewed interest in nursing. There is nothing wrong with nursing a child past a year old (if you want to). It only makes the child that much more healthy. Breast milk after they start to primarily eating solids is a dietary supplement for them.

Two things I recommend are reading The Adventures in Tandem Nursing which talkes about tandem nursing (nursing two sibblings, not twins) and nursing while pregnant. It will make you feel much more normal about what is going on, and give you an idea of what might happen. Also, I recommend finding a La Leche League meeting to attend, as that is a great place for all sorts of breastfeeding support, and many women there have been through this sort of thing. I breastfed my first throughout pregnancy and beyond and then nursed my second until I was a few months pregnant (she weaned her self around the beginning of the second trimester). There are ups and downs, but you're giving your son a great gift!

K.

I don't think you should take more than one prenatal vitamin. Too much of some things can be harmful. Just be sure to eat well (plenty of healthy choices like plenty of veggies and fruits, whole grains and protein), get plenty of fluids, and REST!!

I will also encourage you to continue to nurse for as long as your son (and the new baby) wants to. Even past one year, even tandem nursing. I have read to nurse BABY before your firstborn so baby gets enough nutrients since you are the only source for the baby, where the toddler will be having other food sources by then.

Congrats on both your blessings!

I think La Leche League would be a great support network for you too.

I have never attempted what you are doing, but I have known other moms who successfully nursed while pregnant. If my memory serves me correctly, only one of the moms did not successfully wean baby #1 before the birth of baby #2, and she felt that was a big problem for them all. Had she to do it over again, she would have even quit cold turkey in weaning the first b/c she felt she didn't have enough milk for the newborn. The toddler loved all the new milk that came in.

And drink, drink, drink, eat healthy, walk, stay active, and always get your rest.

I found out I was pregnant when my baby was 5 months old and I continued to breastfeed her until she was 8 months(she is now 9&1/2 months). You do need to make sure that you are getting enough to eat- you are feeding 3! I would get very shaky when I wasn't eating enough. I found it easier just to be constantly eating something- and I didn't gain a lot of weight. I didn't take any extra vitamins- just the prenatals once a day. You have to realize that the baby will get what he needs from your body and while you are breast feeding the nutrient are also pulled from your body- so there is enough there for those two- you have to make sure there is enough for you.
I stopped breastfeeding because my milk supply started to slow down- my baby was always hungry, even though she was also on solids. She wasnt' gaining as much weight as previously either. When I switched her to formula(which she had refused before) she started sleeping through the night again and put on some weight(she was never underweight and she did go through a growth spurt at that time also). It is also easier for me to get all the nutrition I need now too.
I did have a friend who breastfed her daughter until she was 1- she was pregnant at the time with baby #3. She didn't keep an eye on what she was eating though and she actually lost weight(which is dangerous) and her baby only weighed 5 lbs-full term(her others were 6&7lbs) so you do have to keep a close eye on things. But don't feel bad if you can't breastfeed your son for a whole year- it is better that both of you are getting the nutrition you need.
~C.

There is no harm in nursing while pregnant... just keep in mind that YOU will be the one robbed of nutrients and the things your body needs. It is important to take care of yourself, and if you feel like your body can't handle it anymore that is okay!

I have a 10 month old who has been exclusively breastfed, and am 12 weeks pregnant. At my first OB appointment my doctor said she had no problems with me continuing, I was also planning on going until 1 year. My son has been on completely all table, solid, foods since about 7 months so he is a really good eater, and only nursed about 4 times a day. When I was around 8 weeks I noticed a decrease in my supply, then I got a stomach bug, which just about completely dried me up. We bought our first can of formula this last week, and he has been just fine with it. I think as long as you keep up your water intake, and eat healthy you should be fine. I have just been really nauseous and not feeling like eating much, so it's been hard to keep up my calories. Most doctors now don't have a problem with breastfeeding while pregnant, but it's just something I'd mention at your next appointment.

I believe that you can continue to breastfeed the older baby, even after the new one comes along--but if you do, be aware that your older baby may get the "runs" if he has colostrum (first milk), which is designed to help newborns get rid of the meconium (their first poop).

Ask your OB/Gyn about the nutrient requirements. Contact your local La Leche League and ask -- they probably have guidelines & such all written up and they can help with tandem nursing if you go that route.

I'm guessing that right now, you just need to account for the 7m old's nutrition with the extra calories (500 per day, I think is what is called for for nursing moms); as your pregnancy progresses and the in utero baby starts need more nutrition, you'll probably have to up the caloric intake some more, but by then, it's likely that your 7m old will be starting to taper off some on his nursing, too. ... Long story short, start with the guidelines you can find, but evaluate and reevaluate the caloric intake as you go. But eating healthy and being active & drinking lots & lots of fluids should really take care of it--if you're hungry, eat a healthy snack, and maybe go with 4 to 6 smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 big meals.