Nursing while pregnant and VBAC
I've read it's generally safe to nurse while pregnant, but are there any stipulations specific to VBAC candidates?
I plan on continuing BFing DD until she is at least 1 year old, but I think I may like to get pregnant with LO#2 before I stop BFing. I know nipple stimulation can lead to uterine contractions, and I don't want to put any undue stress on my uterus prior to labor, particularly during the last trimester when the fetus is really getting bigger.
Since UR can (very rarely) happen during pregnancy (before labor even starts), does nursing increase that risk? Have any of you talked to your doctors about this? I plan on eventually asking my doc but thought I'd post here first. Before we start TTC, I want to sort out this issue so I know if I should hold off on the next pregnancy until DD is weaned.
Re: Nursing while pregnant and VBAC
We're still nursing at 20weeks. The only comment my provider made was to make sure I'm eating enough and getting lots of nutrients.
I think you'd have to do nipple stimulation that far exceeds normal nursing. Also, I have not seen any studies that show nursing increasing UR risk. But, you can always ask your provider that question.
I continued to nurse DD until I was about 31 weeks pregnant. At that point, I seemed to be producing almost nothing, and was able to quit cold turkey. DD was 16 months old, at that point, and was mainly doing it for comfort for a few minutes before bed...we were easily able to stop over the course of a few days.
My OB said it was perfectly safe. I never experienced any problems with my pregnancy. I am also a vegetarian and had no problems keeping up nutritionally. My baby has always measured on track, and I had no issues with iron levels, etc.
The most difficult part was the first few weeks after I found out I was expecting again. DD was only 10 months old, and was still nursing a ton! It was so physically exhausting, and she seemed ticked off and grumpy, as I am sure the taste changed. Just take care of yourself and trust that your body knows what it's doing!