Nursing During Pregnancy!

Congratulations! You just found out you are pregnant! And with all those new emotions of excitement and anxiety you have another thought in your mind: What about my current nursling? What am I going to do about breastfeeding? You go to your doctor for your first prenatal check up and are met with a frown and "Well, you probably want to consider weaning now." You leave feeling sad and confused, not wanting to wean your child yet. The good news is that most women do not have to wean during pregnancy! So why are so many women told to wean when they become pregnant? There are a few myths still floating around about nursing and pregnancy. The biggest is that nursing during pregnancy can cause miscarriage. There is absolutely no proof that this is true. The theory is that nursing causes nipple stimulation that can release the hormone oxytocin to the uterus, which causes contractions. The human body is smart however. Early in pregnancy, your body protects the uterus from the oxytocin. While you may feel some uterus tightening during nursing, this is normal and the same muscle tightening that occurs after sex sometimes. While miscarriages do happen in 15 - 30% of pregnancies, they are not caused by nursing. Another reason doctors tell mothers to wean is because your body will take nutrients from the baby. Again, this is not true. A mother who eats a healthy well balanced diet should have no problems nursing through pregnancy. You will want to make sure to eat enough calories in a day to cover not only the baby's calories but the breastfeeding ones as well.

This may be difficult in the early months, when morning sickness is a factor. It also depends on the age of your nursling. If s/he is only six months old, s/he will be nursing more for nutrition than if your nursling is 2.5 years old. You won’t starve your baby or your nursling if you aren’t interested in eating a lot of things. However, you should take care not to become dehydrated. If you are having trouble eating at least 1800 calories per day, or if you are suffering from repeated vomiting episodes, please seek medical attention.
What are the big concerns when nursing through pregnancy?

An excellent resource for nursing through pregnancy and tandem-nursing a newborn and an older child is Hilary Flower’s Adventures in Tandem Nursing.

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First off is supply. During the first trimester, your supply will start to decrease and will continue to decrease and may even disappear. Not all mothers completely dry up, however most do notice a dramatic drop in supply. This is because your body is changing the milk from mature milk to colostrum. It is normal towards the end of pregnancy for your supply to again increase. If your nursling is under 1 and still primarily getting their calories from breastmilk, you need to keep an eye on your baby. If you start noticing a dip in weight gain or a decrease in wet diapers you may have to consider supplementing with donor milk or formula. It is not advised to take supply-boosting supplements during

pregnancy! Most galactogogues are also emmenagogues, which mean that they promote menstruation. Therefore, they are not to be taken during pregnancy. Some babies will wean during pregnancy due to the decrease of milk and the change in taste.

Another concern during pregnancy is sore nipples. This can happen at any time and usually comes and goes in waves. It can become very painful to nurse at times! When the pain occurs, how painful it is, and how long it last will vary from women to women. At this point some women choose to wean because it is too uncomfortable to continue. Some women also will set time limits on nursing sessions if it becomes too uncomfortable. The good news is that for many women, this discomfort lasts only a short time. Don’t feel bad about setting loving limits with your nursing child. You will be helping them develop a sense of self and independence for many years to come. This is only the beginning. There are very rare instances where weaning during pregnancy is recommended. If you are suffering from pre term labor or having severe health issues during your pregnancy, it may be best to consider weaning your nursling. Most women however can continue to nurse through pregnancy and even during labor! Don't be surprised if your child’s nursing behaviors change through the course of your pregnancy. Many of our admins have nursed when pregnant!http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/resources/pregnancynursing-faq.pdfhttp://www.lalecheleague.org/nb/nbjulaug00p116.html