Breastfeeding while Pregnant - Doc said stop

Ambosw

I went to my first appointment today (10w 5d). It was a general information meeting with the nurse and my first real appointment with ultrasound is next week. I was very surprised to have the nurse tell me that I needed to stop breastfeeding at about 12 weeks. This is the first that I've ever heard of this. I've read about breastfeeding and concerns of causing contractions later in pregnancy but I'm still so early. My first pregnancy was incredibly boring in all the right ways and I'm not high risk this time around either, so I'm discouraged that they are so adamant about me stopping. Has anybody else ran into this? My baby girl is almost 8 months now and I really want to continue breastfeeding to a year old. 

nbcarlson

It's actually pretty safe to nurse through pregnancy. You can find great resources at kellymom.com or LLLI.org. I don't know your personal medical history or anything like that so I can't give you a definitive answer, maybe do some more research on the topic and then discuss it with your doctor again. 

dogperson11

That isn't correct information. I have multiple friends who BF up until the ends of their pregnancies. You should speak to a lactation consultant if you want true BF advice.

mommac2017

There are lots of mom's who continue nursing throughout their pregnancy and even tandem nurse a toddler and an infant after birth. I feel this is outdated information the nurse gave you. I would do some research on your own before you make such a big decision!

Ambosw

I'm doing some research and I can't find anything to support what they're saying. Their focus was on the nutrients, how many calories, and concern breast milk would steal too much, but I'm fully capable of eating more calories if that's what's necessary. It just seems extreme to stop at an artificial deadline without any really solid health reason. I want what's best for both of my babies and I don't want to deprive one or the other. I think I'm just going to let my ob know that I don't plan to stop until she's a year and if my milk stops before then or she weans on her own, that's fine. I'm just not comfortable doing it just because. Hopefully she's open to working with me on this but the reality is - nothing she can really do other than boot me as a patient 

yenrec

@Ambosw yes please definitely look deeper into this and as previously mentioned Lactation consultants at the hospital, La Leche League members, and KellyMom.com are wonderful resources you should consider! Many women successfully BF through pregnancy and after birth to go into tandem nursing. I think you can feel more comfortable continuing to nurse by consulting breastfeeding professionals, experts, and other mamas. I'm still nursing baby at 18 months and all 3 of us are doing great! Good luck to you! Keep your head up!

buttercream_frosting

Do you have access to local breastfeeding support groups with qualified LC's? You will probably get more up to date information there. If you are healthy and your pregnancy is healthy, generally I would see no need to stop. Ensure you take your prenatal vitamins and eat well. I 100% support longer breastfeeding and tandem breastfeeding. 8 months would have been way too early for my little booby monster.

Sparklelily

My OB breastfeed during her own pregnancy and certainly didn't bat an eye when I said I was still nursing. It is common for toddlers to self wean and /or milk to dry up, at least with toddlers, I don't know about at 8 months though, since I would assume she's nursing quite a bit still. But I agree that a lactation consultant would be a good professional to talk to.

joforyoga

 I don't actually know much about this topic at all but I would definitely consult a breast-feeding specialist. There's so many areas of health that my family doctor, again just based on my  personal experience, those little to nothing about on any in-depth kind of level. Side for the things that I really need to go to our doctor for I have only rely on midwives while I'm pregnant as well as nutritionists and natural pathic doctors. 

KDeola

Many women breastfeed throughout their pregnancies.  Unless you are at risk for pre term labor, I don't see an issue.  I nursed through about my 14th week of pregnancy last time, but i wanted to wean my toddler and it was just getting to uncomfortable for me.  Definitely talk to a lactation consultant to get their advice.

mommar13

I'm still nursing my 10 month old with no plans to stop. I'm using a midwife and she is really supportive, but she wants me to focus on my protein intake. I've added a protein shake to my breakfast and I'm pushing the water to stay hydrated, but that's all I've changed. Seems like that nurses info is out dated. Feel free to message me if you want to talk since we're both nursing little ones through our pregnancy. Are you planning on tandem nursing when baby arrives?

jessafishy

Was the nurse the only one who told you to stop breastfeeding? I would definitely follow up with someone else and get a second opinion if you can. I know plenty of women who nurse throughout pregnancy and go on to tandem nurse.

MCraig1484

I think if the concern is with making sure your new baby gets enough nutrients, then they can monitor some of that with blood draws (I'm not a doctor, but that would be my assumption), you can alter your diet/up your calories and then there are your prenatal vitamins.  I would talk about it more with your OB.

Ambosw

jessafishy said:

Was the nurse the only one who told you to stop breastfeeding? I would definitely follow up with someone else and get a second opinion if you can. I know plenty of women who nurse throughout pregnancy and go on to tandem nurse.

The first nurse I spoke to was the one that brought it up and I told her at the end of the appointment that I didn't like that and wanted more info. She had another nurse call me and it's the stance of the practice. I have an appointment with my actual doctor on Tuesday the 11th so I'm definitely going to discuss directly with her. I'm also going to continue doing some more research online and look for some lactation consultants around

ForwardnBackward

Ambosw said:

jessafishy said:

Was the nurse the only one who told you to stop breastfeeding? I would definitely follow up with someone else and get a second opinion if you can. I know plenty of women who nurse throughout pregnancy and go on to tandem nurse.

The first nurse I spoke to was the one that brought it up and I told her at the end of the appointment that I didn't like that and wanted more info. She had another nurse call me and it's the stance of the practice. I have an appointment with my actual doctor on Tuesday the 11th so I'm definitely going to discuss directly with her. I'm also going to continue doing some more research online and look for some lactation consultants around

The stance of their practice?  If that's not in line with your desires, I would strongly consider another practice because as many people have mentioned before me, LOTS of women nurse through their pregnancy and then tandem when the baby arrives.

Boobopgirl

I nursed DD1 through DD2s pregnancy and went on to tandem nurse.  I'm still nursing DD2 with no plans to stop.  That being the stance of the practice concerns me because it would set me wondering what other natural parenting/natural birthing things they would have a stance against.

My honest advice having done it is to be very vigilant about getting high quality nutrition and enough rest and water.  Whatever your baseline, nonpregnant calories are, you'll want to get at least 500 to 800 more than that.  And if you're hungry, eat.  If at any point you develop any complications, you may want to think about stopping, but as long as everything is fine, there's no need to.  For me it never caused "real" contractions, but it did increase my braxton hicks and I went into labor on my due date no complications whatsoever.

Ambosw

@Boobopgirl - thanks for the reply! It's great to hear of a personal success story. Since speaking to the nurse, I've been making a conscious effort to drink a lot of water and to eat frequently throughout the day and definitely anytime I feel hungry. I'm hoping the doctor is a bit more interested and supportive of my decision but if not, I will definitely be looking around.

Kimn99

My doc told me the same thing last time around, but I couldn't find anything to support it. My son actually ended up weaning when I was around 13 weeks anyways but he was ready. He was 2 and only night feeding. I was glad he was done though because I was getting up enough to go pee and could never get comfortable when coming back to bed. 

MCraig1484

ForwardnBackward said:

Ambosw said:

jessafishy said:

Was the nurse the only one who told you to stop breastfeeding? I would definitely follow up with someone else and get a second opinion if you can. I know plenty of women who nurse throughout pregnancy and go on to tandem nurse.

The first nurse I spoke to was the one that brought it up and I told her at the end of the appointment that I didn't like that and wanted more info. She had another nurse call me and it's the stance of the practice. I have an appointment with my actual doctor on Tuesday the 11th so I'm definitely going to discuss directly with her. I'm also going to continue doing some more research online and look for some lactation consultants around

The stance of their practice?  If that's not in line with your desires, I would strongly consider another practice because as many people have mentioned before me, LOTS of women nurse through their pregnancy and then tandem when the baby arrives.

I agree, that would be a big red flag for me.  The stance of the practice without consideration for individual circumstances?  I would start researching into new practices now, just in case, its sooooo important that you feel 100% supported and confident in your OB.

runmama-2

Still nursing my 16 month old. As a nurse, I feel like some nurses don't stay up to date on current literature. Read research and do what's best for you.