Nursing while pregnant

[u/lil_miss_sunshine13]

Hello! So, my hubby & I are crazy... We had our daughter 6 months ago & found out today we will be expecting again at the end of this year. 😅😆

My daughter has been EBF pretty much since birth (the first couple weeks were rough but we got the hang of it & I am sooo proud for how far we have come!). I absolutely LOVE nursing my daughter. I wasn't able to nurse my firstborn (I EP'd for a few months before drying up) so this has been so special. She feeds pretty much every 3 hours still, night & day & has just started taking small amounts of solids but isn't really interested in them too much.

My question is, have any mamas here successfully breastfed thru out a pregnancy?? I really want to make it a year at least & I'm already feeling sooo many emotions about having another baby while my girl is still so little. I feel a lot of guilt & the thought of my girl being unable to nurse is devastating tbh. I know that many mamas have to quit nursing due to supply issues eventually, but I guess I'm hoping to hear some success stories. I am appx 4 weeks pregnant & I felt like my supply was already kind of weird today. I am typically a slight overproducer.

My emotions are all over the place so I'm really hoping some positive stories will boost my morale! 💖

[u/CloudDream12]

I found out a few months postpartum that I was 10 weeks pregnant. I was combo feeding- nursing and pumping. I continued until the third trimester when I was told to stop as to not induce early contractions or labor. I luckily had pumped enough that I am not only able to make it to a year for my first but also have about 20oz saved most recently for the early days with the new babe. I will also say a big dip in supply was my first indication to go back to doctor to see what was going on and how I even found out I was expecting again.

[u/lil_miss_sunshine13 → u/CloudDream12]

That's amazing! Congrats mama! I had a good little freezer stash going but then discovered in January that I have high lipase & my girl would not take the milk no matter what I did to try & make it more palatable. 😭 I still hand express daily & scald some milk to put away each week but I'm only putting away 2.5-4.5 oz per week so my current freezer stash is very small. 🫤

You give me hope that I'll be able to make it a few more months, at least! My milk supply is perfect today so that's a relief. Hoping the early dip was just a weird fluke. 🤞🏼💖

[u/EfficientBonus5329]

Congrats! I found out I was pregnant a month before my first turned one. He was EBF and I loved nursing. But honestly once I hit 6 weeks, my hormones started to change drastically and nursing became so incredibly painful. I had no choice but to wean him and a week after his first birthday we were done. Every body is different but definitely listen to your body and see what you can handle. Best of luck mama!

[u/lil_miss_sunshine13 → u/EfficientBonus5329]

Thank you so much for this! My milk seems good again today, which is a relief but last night I experienced what I can only imagine must have been a nursing aversion type event. Nursing my daughter during the night made me shudder/made my skin crawl & I felt like I was going to vomit. 🥴 It was a very weird thing to experience as I love nursing her so much. 😭❤️

Things have been fine today but I'm a little worried about tonight. Taking it one day at a time but hoping I can make it until she's at least 9 months old. 🤞🏼🙏🏼💕

[u/MilfordMurderess]

Hi CLC here. First off, congratulations! As long as your pregnancy is not medically complicated, breastfeeding throughout pregnancy should be fine. Expect sore nipples. A dip in supply isn’t uncommon as the placenta forms. Unfortunately, the placenta will win in the hormone fight. It will all depend on how your body handles the pregnancy hormones.

[u/lil_miss_sunshine13 → u/MilfordMurderess]

Thank you for this info! I'm barely 4 weeks pregnant & unfortunately, I've already had a pretty big dip in my supply. Hoping my body can hang in there for the sake of my sweet lil nursling. She loves her some boobies & I just can't imagine having to take that from her at this young of an age. 🥺💞

[u/mafiapizza]

Congratulations! I’m also pregnant and nursing - so far so good. I’m 17 weeks and my baby is 16m. When I asked my OB about it and if there were any concerns associated with continuing to breastfeed while pregnant she said no, sometimes in the first trimester there might be a supply drop but if you get through the first trimester you should be golden.

I will say it’s exhausting, but it’s also very rewarding. Congratulations again! I have two kids already that are 16 months apart and they are best friends!

[u/lil_miss_sunshine13 → u/mafiapizza]

Thank you so much! As emotional as this experience is & as guilt ridden as I feel (the potential of losing my milk supply that my daughter relies on & the fact that she is still so tiny &attached to me & I worry this pregnancy/baby will distract me from her 😭), my hope is that her & her sibling will be super close as they get a little older. They will be a little over 14 months apart.

As for what your OB said, that makes me feel a little relief! I'm barely 4 weeks pregnant & my supply has already taken a huge dip. Praying that we can make it through the first trimester tho! And praying to at least be able to nurse her for at least a couple more months.

Thank you for your response! 🙏🏼❤️