XP: BFing while PG or transition to WCM at 9 mos?

klingb52 · March 2012

I just found out I am pregnant this morning when I POAS. This was not planned, but we are happy and excited. I do not know exactly how far along I am due to irregular periods because of BFing. I am guessing that I am only a few weeks along as I have no real symptoms yet.

I am currently EBFing or giving pumped breastmilk to DS who is 9 mos. old. I was hoping to be able to continue to EBF him until he can transition to WCM. This means that I will be nursing while pregnant for three months. Has anyone done this successfully?

I was really trying to avoid having to give DS any formula if at all possible, but have heard that milk supply tanks while pregnant and that the taste of the milk might change as well. My supply is not terrible, but it is not fabulous either. I usually make just enough for him to take while at daycare.

I know that AAP recommends not transitioning to WCM until 1 year. Has anyone in a similar situation transitioned earlier?

DS has an appt. with his pedi on the 15th of April, and I will bring it up to the pedi then, but wanted to hear your experiences as well.

holz · March 2012

Congrats! DS was about 9.5 mos when we found out we were pregnant, and we were able to continue BFing- in fact, we're still going strong! My supply did dip a little, but DS has always been good about solids so I felt confident just making sure he ate a good amount of cheese and yogurt, and started keeping out a sippy with water to make sure he was hydrated. We don't do cow's milk, but I started him on coconut & rice milks right at a year- I probably would have held off if I weren't pregnant.

Good luck- the most challenging part for us wasn't my supply, but discomfort, nursing got pretty painful for a while, but it seemed to peak around 20 weeks and get a lot easier!

MammaBear81 · March 2012

First of Congrats and welcome to 2 under 2! I was never able to keep up my supply once I got pg with my other kids, it just tanked (I know that doesn't happen to everyone though) If you aren't on any supplements right now I've used fenugreek before and it's worked very well (I've had supply issues before, which is why I probably lose my milk completely when pg) . We switched to formula for the last few months and then WCM at 1 year. I wouldn't recommend switching to WCM before one, if you really don't want to switch to formula I'd look in to rice milk or almond milk (almond milk tastes a lot like BM, but it is VERY low in fat, so your LO would need to take a significant amount of fat in other areas of his diet). GL

sometimesalwayschaotic · March 2012

I found out I was pregnant when DD was about 6 months old. I breastfed her until she was 13 months old. It really depends on you. Some people can keep making enough and others can't. It takes a tons of calories and water. I was also able to EBF and didn't have to pump. I know sometimes it can be really hard to get enough while pumping. I wasn't able to pump anything at the end even though DD seemed to be getting enough. My pedi said I could switch to WCM at 9 months but every doctor is different. Nursing can be really hard when you're pregnant. A lot of the time it hurt quite badly and I was jut waiting for that session to get done. We got through it though and I"m so glad I have at least a few weeks break. GL with your decision and even if you decide or need to quit now, you made it 9 months! That's great!

NavyPilotWife · March 2012

Drink lots of water and eat lots of good calories. I found out that I was pg with #2, when DD1 was around 9 months old. I continued to nurse her until she was 12 months, but started slowly introducing whole milk at 11 months, which my pedi was fine with. I didn't have any supply issues, but nursing was definitely uncomfortable for a chunk of first tri.

angelwings111 · March 2012

First off congrats! Second, my supply tanked when I was pregnant but I was in the process of weaning DS anyway (11.5 months). Also, I would caution giving WCM before 1 year, in some studies it has been linked to certain autoimmune disorders. I never gave DS WCM since DH and I are both lactose intolerant. GL!

RyanandManda · March 2012

We're still nursing here! : ) Found out I was pregnant when DD was 9 months and she just so happened to hit a growth spurt when I suffered a dip in supply when I was 6 weeks. Pedi recommended just a couple ounces of whole goat's milk for her (said it's much easier on the system than cow's milk) to supplement and she/we did great. We kept giving her the goat's milk since she loved it and it relieved some of the emotional pressure I was feeling to produce more milk. After the 1 year mark, we transitioned to cow's milk which she gets now (1-2 cups/day) in addition to nursing just once in the morning (it's all she wants anymore!).

My milk looks like it's sort of half milk and half colostrum right now. There are days when DD nurses for a minute, makes a face, nurses for another minute and then is done... other days she'll nurse for 10 minutes on each side! I just go with the flow.

My nips were tender in 1st tri, most of 2nd tri it was no big deal, but around the beginning of 3rd tri, it became VERY painful. I use breathing techniques similar to labor pain management and just think of it as good practice ; )

I've gained weight just fine during pregnancy so my OB doesn't care that we're still nursing as long as I'm not getting contractions, which I don't, unless DD nurses for a crazy long period (or falls asleep suckling which occasionally happens if it's been a rough night).

I hope that helps. I don't really see an end in sight for DD and my nursing relationship and plan on tandem nursing for a bit if DD wants to. The main thing for me is just taking it all as it comes and not stressing out about it. I also eat a ton of milk increasing foods like beans, oatmeal, ovaltine, peas, flax, avocados, olive oil, whole milk, etc.

GL and feel free to PM me if you need advice or support! : ) You can totally do this!

sosoph · March 2012

I weaned at a year and got pg right after that, so am not in your exact situation. But, I had a major dip in supply around 9mos. We decided to supplement with goat's milk instead of formula (she got maybe 6 oz a day -- it's not a good full-time solution if you read about it) and then switched to WCM at 11mos (okay by pedi). I agree with PP - I was getting really stresses about full-time supply so supplementing a few ounces was a huge relief. So, there are options. I would BF as long as it works, but have an idea of what you'll do if you can't maintain BF through the pg for any reason.(My goal was a year, but by 9 mos I knew I'd stop if it ever didn't work for me or the baby)

pixieprincss · April 2012

I got PG with #2 when DS was 10-11 months old. We are still nursing (though he is now self-weaning which is common around 5-6 months of PG because of hormones and the milk turning back into colostrum). Neither DS nor I drink cow's milk as part of our diet (personal health choice).

This PG was a surprise but I think DS knew before I did. He nursed like a fiend right before I got the BFP and I think it probably had to do with a reduction due to hormones. My supply did beef back up, though my nipples became very sensitive which meant shorter sessions.

I recommend the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing, reading on kellymom.com, and--if you get a chance--going to an LLL meeting to hear many positive stories about tandem nursing.

My MW is fully supportive of this, but I will say that some OBs are not (based on outdated information IMO, barring you actually experiencing a problem), so I encourage you to go in to the dr as educated as you can be and ask questions. I saw an OB at 6w PG before we switched to the MW and the nurses were SO negative about me BFing and told me I had to stop. The OB didn't care one bit, but I was glad that I was prepared for naysaying and firm in my opinion unless acute symptoms in me showed up.

XP: BFing while PG or transition to WCM at 9 mos?

Re: XP: BFing while PG or transition to WCM at 9 mos?

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