5 wks pregnant and bf'ing

angelgee · May 2012

hello ladies,

i just found out i'm pregnant and i'm excited!!! we've been ttc for a little over 2 yrs. i have a 3 yr old son who i nurse only at night now.

i have a silly question, would bf'ing cause any complications in my pregnancy? read something that it may and that i should think about weaning. i know i shouldn't believe what's on the internet, but i don't know anyone who has done so during a pregnany.

thanks!

danienross · May 2012

I'm still BFing my 19mos old 3-4 times a day and am almost 21wks pregnant.

Usually the only time BFing during pregnancy is a concern is if you have a history of preterm labor. You also need to make sure to eat and drink enough but that's for your health. Your body will give to your toddler and baby first.

I can tell you that I had supply issues around the 4-5wk mark and my DD, who was still nursing every 3-4hrs, started nursing every 2hrs. After a couple of days we settled back into our routine and now she only nurses 3-4 times a day. I'm pretty sure my supply is drying up though. DD doesn't seem to mind too much.

angelgee · May 2012

thank you so much danienross!! Smile depending on my ds it's usually 1-3 times during the night. glad to know i don't have to wean b/c the internet freaked me out lol.

i have noticed my ds not nursing as long as before. maybe i'm also having a change in supply.

thanks again.

angelgee · May 2012

i'm relief to hear that it's ok to continue bfing. never had ptl, so i think i'm good. Smile

thank you mandjs!

sbartschke · May 2012

I am still nursing DS (15 mos) a couple times during the day and 1-2 times some nights. I am 12 weeks pregnant. According to my OB as long as the pregnancy is not high risk BFing should not cause any problems. Just increase your calorie intake as PP's have said. My supply took a huge hit early on and the tenderness/soreness made me encourage DS to nurse less. Right now we nurse for a few minutes when he wakes up (sometimes) before nap (always) and before bed (always). He is mostly night weaned except when he is sick/teething. GL

terri_doula2010 · May 2012

There's no reason to stop just because you are pregnant, though your LO may lose interest eventually due to pregnancy (mine did). Still, I nursed up until last week - 25 weeks. I told my doctor at first visit and she said, "Good for you!" Your body is already used to breastfeeding, so you aren't doing something new.

bugsmami · May 2012

I BF'd through pg and am now tandem. Check out the book "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" if you can. It has some great info on BF while pg and well as tandem nursing.

StefandTodd · May 2012

I'm still nursing my 9 month old and am 12 weeks pregnant. I have seen a dip in supply, so when I'm home with him he nurses more frequently, and when I pump (I work 4 days/week), I have to supplement with frozen breastmilk about 2-4 oz per day. He has also been waking up a lot more to nurse more and more overnight, which I think could have to do with a tanking supply...but it could also be developmental, or teething...so I don't know.

I plan to nurse him until he decides to self-wean, so I've been researching tandem nursing in case that becomes our reality (since he'll only be about 15 1/2 months old when his little brother/sis comes). The book Adventures in Tandem Nursing has been really helpful and informative with regards to nursing through pregnancy and tandem nursing beyond pregnancy. GL!

StefandTodd · May 2012

Oh, and btw...I did see a nurse practicioner when I was about 6 weeks pregnant (my first appt for this baby), and she said I absolutely MUST stop BFing. That it was dangerous, risk of preterm labor, etc. I left in tears. But fortunately KNOWING better. If you get a similar reaction from your care provider, I would encourage you to seek alternate care rather than stopping BFing. I saw a midwife in the same practice/office for my next appt and she was enthusiastically supportive of continuing to BF, and told me she'd be leaving the NP with some paperwork to read, heh.

StacieJane · May 2012

I BFd until the third trimester, when DD self weaned. It was more uncomfortable (nipples were sore), but my midwives were not concerned about my nursing while pregnant.

jonihelen · May 2012

Good for you! The only thing I might add to what others have said is that sometimes LO's wean themselves because the flavor of your milk can change due to pregnancy hormones!

pixieprincss · May 2012

The book Adventures in Tandem Nursing is a great one for this situation.

For us, my supply is almost non-existant this late in my PG as colostrum has pretty much replaced the milk, but DS still nurses about 3 times in 24 hours for less than 5 min. Earlier in the PG he was still at every 2-4 hours and nursing was still his primary source of calories.

Unless you are malnourished or are having very specific helath concerns, nursing while PG is perfectly fine according to studies (though some OBs/nurses have outdated assumptions about this).

angelgee · May 2012

that is awful!!! i'm glad to hear that you got a better response from someone who knows what good. shame on that nurse for telling you that. thank you!

angelgee · May 2012

thank you ladies for all your responses to my question. i feel so much better and thank you for the support. i will be looking into the book as well.

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