Breastfeeding and Pregnant

Look up breastfeeding on line and read about how many mothers out there tandem nurse- It can be done and is done often and very successfully. Relax and just nurse your baby often and pump when you can- that will signal your body to make more. I have a friend who has nursed twice through pregnancies and made it perfectly well. As a matter of fact when the new baby was born both were better satisfied because she already had milk and the babies that were still nursing were happy because the new milk was nice and rich- happy nursing- you can do it!!!

My son is a little over a year and once I was in my third month of pregnancy, my milk production decreased and now it has stopped but he still wants to breastfeed so I started weaning him. People say kids wean themselves because of this but my son was still insistent in bfing. I was open to tandem bfing but once I was pregnant, my nipples were so sensitive that it was too painful to bf. My son was also premature so I didn't want to take any chances with this pregnancy though if you had a normal one with your first and your pregnancy is normal now, you should still be able to keep breastfeeding.

Also, I was not night bfing him and I think my milk had already started decreasing. I have a friend that is also pregnant and she was co-sleeping and night feeding and even though her milk has declined, she is still producing milk. So I think it also depends how often you bf.

I had the same problem and I ended up having to stop breast feeding. My doctor told me to drink a beer like bud light or something like that. Just one the yeast from the beer increases milk production. It did help for a while, but I was still having problems due to having a c-section and my milk never really came in. I am also a nurse so felt ok doing this.
Good Luck!
J.

Typically you have to eat more calories! When pregnant you need around 300 extra calories per day. When nursing you need around 500 extra calories per day. If trying both you should be eating around 800 extra healthy calories per day. Have you tried that? Also you may want to try nursing the baby as much as possible when with him. He if more efficient than a pump! I hope everything works out for you! Good luck :)

I have heard that when you become pregnant while nursing you need to stop nursing so the nutrients in your body can go to the new baby that is growing and developing in you. It is really h*** o* your body to try and do triple the work that it normally would, with taking care of yourself, feeding your baby, and growing a new baby.

It is wonderful that you want to nurse your baby until he is a year. What a blessing you are to your son to take his care so seriously. 7 months already is a great accomplishment.

One thing you might want to think about though. The most nutrients and antibodies are giving to the baby in the first 6 months. After that it is a slow decline. Also you do have alternate sources of food that can be given to your 7 month old such as baby food and formula. Your unborn baby doesn't have that option and needs just as caring and wonderful start as the one you have and for 7 months.

Whatever you do, congratulation on being such a great mom to both of your babies.

I know quite a few women who have nursed through their entire pregnancy. There is nothing wrong with it!!! I would try extra calories. Your body is probably just trying to adjust... keep with it!!!!

The first poster said everything I would have said.

My babies weaned themselves when the milk started changing, but they were a year and I was ok with it (although I was planning to tandem nurse originally.) My others were not breastfeeding when I got pregnant 5 and 6 months post partum, but I'm sure if they were BF I would have been quite sad to wean so early.

You don't have to drink alcohol to increase milk supply, try getting the non alcoholic beers (from Mexico at the grocery store.) Also what the first poster said (won't repeat it.) You can also supplement with formula if you need to. Just take in extra calories, increase you number of feedings and do all the other things and see what happens. Use formula as a last resort.

S., mom to 4 girls

My quick 2 cents...

Your breast milk is only as good as your own diet.

If you are breast feeding and preggers, then you need to devote the time, money and effort to ensure that you are eating an optimum diet of whole grains, diary fat, fruits, green vegetables and essential oils.

Research indicates that the most critical time for fetal development is the first trimester. That is when the brain, nervous system and organs are first developed. After that, the fetus (and its organs) are growing, but the primary formation of the baby's organ functions will be determined in the first 12 weeks.

This has happened to me twice. I'm sorry but I don't think there is anything you can do about it. Some women don't have this problem, but some do. I was forced to quit bf with my 2 youngest children bc I got preg when each was about 4 months old. I lost my supply by the time they were 4.5 mos old. I'm currently preg and hope to be able to bf for the whole first yr of my newest son's life. Good luck and God bless!

If you aren't already, consider attending a local La Leche League meeting. You'll receive a lot of support, information, and encouragement.

Plenty of women tandem nurse, but almost all will tell you that at some point in their pregnancy they hit a rough patch when their supplies decreased for some days or the flavor changed. Some babies wean, but so long as you are eating and drinking well, there is no reason to stop nursing because you are pregnant.

Unless your doctor is concerned about a severe deficiency, our bodies take care of our babies.

I am sending you many thoughts of well-being and good luck!

There is no guarantee that your milk will dry up. Many women are able to tandem nurse so don't count yourself out yet. The fact that you have been working with a lactaction consultant says a lot about your determination and I applaud you for that!

There are a few things that your lactation consultant may be able to help you with. I'm trained in breastfeeding as a doula but I am not a lactation consultant so I am not sure of the effects on pregnancy, just milk production. Ask your LC about Mother's Milk Tea for starters. If you do not like licorice like myself, wait until it cools enough to chug it and then it is over... You can also ask about Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. There is also another option, which is a re-lactating drug called Domperidone (brand name) otherwise known as Motilium. If the LC tells you that it should be fine to take while pregnant, you will have to search to find it. I know of some places if you needed some help. this drug is approved by the American Pediatrician Association over the drugs availible in the US now. It increased my supply wonderfully and I know of a Lactation Consultant that fosters an infant and she is using it to be able to nurse.

Again, talk to your LC about the different possibilities and how they may or may not react with your pregnancy (congratulations by the way...) and if you need help with any of this, email me and I will help where I can or send you off to the LC that I know has experience with this.

I was under the impression that you should not nurse while pregnant. My cousin got pregnant while nursing and was told to stop. The reason being is because you need the nutrients to go to the baby. I would double check on this to be extra careful.

My son was four months old when I got pregnant with my daughter. It requires a tremendous amount of fluids (like water, milk, juice NOT soda and coffee) to keep your breast milk up while pregnant. I did my best but with violent vomiting and constant nausea, it was a challenge. My son did not care for the new flavor that comes with the hormones with which I was now raging. It's pretty common for them to give up because of the change but eat healthily and drink LOTS of fluids. I drank 100 oz of water every day while breast feeding and other drinks on top of that. I had great milk until I got pregnant and couldn't keep it down. I hope you have a different experience and can keep it all in! Good luck

You should really check into how safe this is for the pregnancy. You have to remember that your nutrients are supposed to be going to the baby right now, and while you are nursing one is taking the nutrients from the other. I would try to stay safe. If your milk is drying up then it's possible your body is trying to tell you that you don't have enough for both. You don't want to risk the health of this new baby so you can continue to breast feed the other. I would just keep in mind that your body tells you what you need and don't need. If your milk dries up you may want to concider other alternatives to breast feeding.

drink 1/2 your body weight in oz of water a day, ask you doctor if fenugreek is o.k. to take

J.,
Congrats on nursing and on wanting to continue!
Unless there are concerns about the health of your pregnancy, nursing should be fine.

First bit of advice: La Leche League!! I strongly *strongly* recommend going to a meeting if you possibly can. If not, you can call a Leader -- well, you can call a Leader either way :-) She will be able to give you lots of tips on increasing and maintaining your supply. I see you're south west of Houston. Here's a link to the Houston area page, hopefully there is a meeting close to you. http://www.lllhouston.org/

Many women do experience a drop in supply while pregnant, typically in the 2nd trimester. Even with the decrease, lots of women are able to continue nursing their little ones.

Lots of ways to increase supply:

Pumping: If you pump at home, you could try pumping after you nurse, as well as pumping while nursing. Put your baby on one side and the pump on the other side. This will take advantage of the letdown that happens for your baby and help you get more pumped out. Rest assured that your baby is getting more milk during a nursing session than would ever get pumped out in the same amount of time. Baby is much more efficient at getting your milk out than a pump will ever be. Also, keep in mind that at 7mos, baby may be ready to start experimenting with solids. Just a thought.

Also for milk supply:
- Nurse on demand. Don't try to schedule your baby. The more you nurse, the more milk you’ll have. Breast milk is a Demand and Supply type thing – baby Demands it so your body Supplies it.
-Water! Make sure you're getting at least 64oz daily and then drink to thirst after that. Anything less will not be enough!
-Traditional Medicinal makes a "Mother's Milk" herbal tea - it's really great for boosting supply. You have to drink '3 cups' or more a day. Since I'm not a tea drinker, I made a half-gallon pitcher of it and drank it cold with a little xylitol/sugar in it. It’s not the most wonderful tasting tea, but I’ve had teas that are much more bitter than this one! I will say that this seems to be a hit/miss type of thing. The women who have had good results seemed to drink a LOT of it.
- Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek work wonders for a lot of mamas. When it comes to Fenugreek, you know you’re getting enough when your body fluids smell like maple syrup. I would recommend these two herbs over the Tea just mentioned.
- Fennel, alfalfa and chamomile can also help – but those have gotten more mixed reviews among my friends.
-Stay close to your babe. Wear him. Do you have a sling? If not, I would recommend getting one from somewhere. You can find them on e-bay for about $30+shipping. My recommendation would be for a fan-tail style so that you can use the same sling as your baby gets older/bigger. Wherever you get yours from (craigslist.com, e-bay, etc), if you want help figuring out how to wear your baby, there are videos online to show you how other moms do it.
My personal opinion - I recommend against the bjourns - they put most/all of the baby's weight on the crotch/groin area and spread little baby hips unnaturally, both of which can cause damage.
-Co-sleep if it's safe for you to do so - you can nurse him more, thus increasing your supply. It is safe to co-sleep with your baby unless you are very overweight, smoke or have consumed a bit of alcohol. Even if it’s just naps on the weekends…the closer, the more often, the better.
. -All the 'staying close' you can do will help your body hormonally to produce more milk.
- There are certain stretches and pressure points that you can do before nursing/pumping to aid the let-down reflex.
1.) Roll your shoulders around to stimulate between your shoulder blades and spine. 2.) Cross your arms at/near the wrists and, using your knuckles, rub your chest. 3.) Take 3 deep, cleansing breaths. Remember, you will be able to nurse/pump more if you are relaxed.
Something I think my working mom friends would suggest: When arriving home on Friday, change into a button up shirt and sling/wear your baby skin-to-skin. Your body will respond to this closeness by increasing certain hormones that aid milk supply. Wear your baby as much as you can the whole weekend (and weeknights, too if you can). The more you can be skin-to-skin (or close to it), the better.
I would recommend trying all the things listed here before getting your doc to prescribe Domperidone or Reglan. Anything you take will have side effects. I am told that Reglan has fewer side effects than some other Rx galactagogues. (A galactagogue is a substance that induces or increases lactation. The herbs listed above all qualify.)

One mom mentioned using alcohol to help with her supply. My guess is this was soon after having a child, and *not* pregnant with her second. Alcohol during pregnancy? Generally discouraged.

Also, kellymom.com has some good articles and helpful advice
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html
I know this was long, but I hope that you find some of it helpful!

If you have any questions for me, or if anything I wrote needs clarification, please don't hesitate to write!

K., mama to
Catherine, 5.5y
Samuel, 2.5y
Baby, due <7wks