tandem breast feeding... help?!!?!

brandygarcia88

I have a daughter who is 19 months old. I am still breastfeeding her and just found out I am 5 weeks 1 day pregnant. I have tried in the past to wean my daughter but she is OBSESSED with the breast!! I just figured she would stop when she is ready... Well now that we have our second LO on the way Im curious about breastfeeding my daughter and our littlest one on the way? How does your milk change for the newborn and older one? I know breastmilk fits what the baby needs but how does it work if I've got a NB and 19 mo old? Please help me with any info you have or your personal experience! Thanks ahead of time!

dreamcatch-her

I don't have any personal experience with this but I just recently had a conversation with my coworker about how she managed with two children to breastfeed. She said it is all about supply and demand. She said during the beginning it was difficult because her first was very clingy and attached, and she didn't start off producing more right away. So, she decided to have the MIL take her first for a day while she laid in bed for a whole day naked with her newborn and breastfed her for hours. When her other daughter came back she said it was much easier and she was producing much more (since her first daughter wasn't breastfeeding as much as the newborn needed) to. Eventually, the first born weaned herself off. Good luck!  

hollowway

Ideally, you will have one breast for  your toddler and the other breast for your newborn, as both need different kinds of milk and your breasts will produce whichever one... Breasts can detect the nurslings needs through their saliva secretions... My DD is 28 months and refuses to give up the boob. I have her down to just bedtime now, but she won't go to sleep without it yet...

comealongponds

Try to find a La Leche League meeting near you! Here's their FAQ on tandem nursing:

https://www.llli.org/faq/tandem.html

Good luck!

sugar9277

MaMaBear1323 said:

Ideally, you will have one breast for  your toddler and the other breast for your newborn, as both need different kinds of milk and your breasts will produce whichever one... Breasts can detect the nurslings needs through their saliva secretions... My DD is 28 months and refuses to give up the boob. I have her down to just bedtime now, but she won't go to sleep without it yet...

The two breasts may make different amounts of milk, but the content of the milk is the same in each breast.  Lactation is primarily driven by prolactin, which is made in your pituitary gland in your brain, not your 2 separate breasts.
Check with your local la leche league for pointers on feeding two.

aquasocks

I highly recommend kellymom.com for breastfeeding questions, it's a very helpful site with tons of advice on breastfeeding while pregnant and tandem breastfeeding. 

Good luck and way to go with the breastfeeding!!

zzia15

I became pregnant with DD#2 when DD#1 was about 16 months old.  DD#1 was a huge titty baby and just could not stop nursing lol.  I kept hoping and praying that she would wean herself by the time DD#2 was born, but she didn't.  I started out tandem nursing but it was honestly way too much for me to handle.  I know LOTS of people do it successfully, I also recommend La Leche League for resources.  Another good place to check is the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing.

DD#1 was only nursing at night and in the morning, but with a newborn that wanted to nurse non-stop, and all the stress and exhaustion from two kids, it was just too much for me to nurse both of them.  I really regretted not weaning DD#1 before DD#2 was born.  I'm not trying to discourage you, I hope it works out for you!!  I just know that when I was researching i found a lot about how do-able it is (and for many it is, and it works great for everyone), but I didn't have anyone tell me that the reality of it can be super hard.

good luck!!

atcwag

I'm slowly urging DS who's 2 1/2 to wean. We're down to before bed and before nap (if im
home). If I'm not, he goes down just fine. He still asks incessantly in the AM upon waking, but I do a lot of redirection and averting attention. If he was younger, I'd be more apt to tandem, but I'm hoping for him to be weaned (and potty trained!!!) before #2 comes. 

TheBorg7of9

I personally would reevaluate in 30 weeks. A lot can change in that time. Your kid might even self wean by then.