Breastfeeding when pregnant Chatter Thread

[Heaven]

DD2 was very helpful in combating early engorgement especially.

True!! I have BF through two pregnancies now. Was so grateful each time to have the toddler for engorgement. This time it was pretty bad. I fed DD2 and DD3 off one side and it hardly made a difference. Who knows what it would have been like if I didn't have DD2 still feeding. Her little eyes wide when she had her first feed after my milk came in were so funny.

[Sterla]

Breastfeeding aversion strikes again this pregnancy .

I managed to day wean DD around Christmas time - almost out of necessity. I felt so awful from morning sickness, I just didn't have it in me to feed her. Luckily, she barely seemed to notice. She asks a few times a day, but is easily distracted with offers of food or drink, or a reminder that she can have it at bedtime.

Now, in the past week or so breastfeeding aversion has kicked in. It just feels so yucky! It's as if her sucking causes some feel-bad hormone to be released, instead of feel-good. I honestly want to cry when she is feeding - it just feels so awful. It doesn't hurt, it just feels really, really yucky. I had this with DS, and it was so awful. And now, it strikes again. I am not against DD weaning completely, but I don't know if I want to force the issue either. I guess you could say I'm gently encouraging it, but not if it's going to cause her distress. She seems to have started sleeping through the night recently too, so for now she has a quick feed to fall asleep at night, and a quick feed (as much as I can tolerate) first thing in the morning. My milk is already back to colostrum I think (it's very yellow), so perhaps the change in taste and volume means she is not as interested as she once was.

I have not had any good experiences breastfeeding through pregnancy yet. DS weaned when I was about 10-12 weeks pregnant with DD, but DD is still going at 12+ weeks and while she has cut back significantly, she is such a booby girl that I don't know if she'll wean on her own.

[meow]

I've hated feeding while pregnant pretty much from the start. I am very touch sensitive in any case and breastfeeding has never been a very 'pleasant' experience for me. Now I'm sick and tired that doesn't help. Past couple of weeks it's been painful too so I'm over it.

When I fell pregnant with DS2, DS1 instantly weaned. I was a bit sad but in hindsight I was kind of relieved. This time my DS2 was 3 and I was kind of wanting him to wean anyway but he didn't! I think my supply dropped though because he did start having shorter feeds and being more happy to cuddle to sleep rather than feed to sleep.

My DS2 has only been feeding morning and night and we seem to have night weaned and he just has milk from a cup then cuddles or whatever. He'll ask for it in the mornings most of the time though, though this morning he didn't. I think he's almost weaned! Which I'm glad about because he's old enough and I'm not loving it but it's still weird to think of it really being the end.

I hope it all works out for you soon Sterla xx

[Sterla]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. When DS weaned when I was pregnant with DD, I was sad about it because we didn't quite make it to 2 years (he was 21.5 months) which had always been my aim. But he weaned gradually and all on his own, so I was mostly happy with the way our breastfeeding relationship ended.

DD on the other hand is 2 years 8 months and was still breastfeeding like a newborn before I fell pregnant. It was bordering on ridiculous actually! I always knew she'd be hard to wean and ideally I'd like her to self wean... but breastfeeding is a two way thing! I hope the aversion either passes, or she stays with just 1-2 small feeds a day - I'm barely tolerating that right now as it is.

I really wish the aversion thing didn't have to happen... it makes something that DD found such comfort and joy in, something that makes mummy squirm and ask to stop after just a few suckles.

[HotI]

Breastfeeding aversion is the pits. I had it with pg #2 and again with #3. It didn't completely disappear after baby #2 was born, but it lessened. It was more manageable bc through necessity i had set more limits for DD during pregnancy that i continued.

There is a facebook group for ' nursing aversion / breastfeeding agitation support ' if you want more ideas or support, Sterla. That is great that she is starting to sleep through. She might surprise you and wean on her own.

[Heaven]

That must be really hard to deal with Sterla

[Sterla]

I *think* DD has weaned. 2 years, 9 months... gotta be happy with that!

It has been three and a half days since she had a feed, and even then it was only about 10-20 seconds to comfort her when she hurt herself really badly (got a big bump on her head). For a few weeks she had only been having a very short feed before falling asleep (short as in 30 seconds or so), but not feeding to sleep - instead I had been rubbing her back and humming a song. Then we had a few nights in a row where she didn't have that feed before bed, so I thought we would try without, and so far so good.

She hasn't self-weaned like I would have liked - but as my previous posts here have mentioned, feeding her was just awful. Pregnancy does weird things to me when it comes to breastfeeding, and I just could not stand the feeling of her feeding anymore. That awful feeling was incentive enough to slowly, gently wean her... enough to persevere through the occasional night time crying/asking for booby. I wish we had had a nicer end to our breastfeeding relationship. I don't think it has been traumatic for her in anyway, but she does still ask for it, so it's not like it was her idea to wean - but she is coping amazingly, and asking less and less as the days/weeks go on. I wish that breastfeeding didn't feel so awful for me through pregnancy. Hopefully in time the memories of how awful it felt at the end will fade and I can just remember those beautiful feeding moments we have had in the past.

For now I am happy about her weaning. I was so ready, and I'll be glad to have a little break from feeding before our next bubba comes along.

[~TT40~]

im offically in here! So far Spock hasnt seemed to notice any difference, or changed feeding habits. I'm feeding her 3 -4 times a day, first thing in the morning, before bed, and if we are home all day i feed her for nap time and more often than not she will nag me enough for another feed at some point, unless i'm working and she misses whatever feed would happen while i am at work.
Im not sure how I'm going to go though...I havent had morning sickness yet, but can already see that making feeding uncomfortable. I have noticed to my D-MER is getting stronger now I'm pg....atm I'm handling it with my usual coping mechanisms I did when it was really bad (first year), but i dont think i will be able to handle it AND morning sickness....but we will see how we go =)

[Jennifer13]

Yay TT! Well, on the pg at least. Hope the ms stays away. I think you're doing really well considering the DMER. I had no prior issues and struggled during pg in the first tri especially. But it did improve and tandem feeding is fine.

I've dropped DD2's nap time feed, so she's on two a day now. Wasn't happy about it today, but she's already not having it four times a week so figured it was time. She shows no signs of weaning though.

[Jennifer13]

How's it going, TT? Not in here for any reason myself! Just checking in on you.

[~TT40~]

It is actually going surprisingly well. It got hard there for a bit with the morning sickness but somehow I got through it and my sickness has eased. Feeling great =) still getting mild DMER....but able to handle it easily now there is no nausea... Just a pain in combination with toddler acrobatics! I am nervous about after bub is born...if it will stay mild, or be as bad as it was when Spock was little.
I actually got myself a little treat though (waiting for it to arrive), but it's a necklace of the dopamine molecule, maybe wearing it around my neck will help with the actual thing =p

Ps, thanks for asking Jen =)

[Jennifer13]

Aw nice, TT, the necklace sounds lovely. I keep thinking of what I should get when my milky days are over. I think one of those pendants that uses your bm will be significant. But then, I'm guessing since it'll be something like nearly a decade of bfing, a trip to France would be much more appropriate.

I found aversion worse during pg. Have had no issues at all bfing toddler and baby. Plus, I can now count to ten for the toddler when I want to finish a bf and she'll stop. How's your DD doing, feeling better?

[~TT40~]

She's still a bit snotty, but again didn't have a feed today, I worked out I think wed afternoon was her last...and even that was tiny compared to normal.
I got a kit to make a bm necklace...just don't know what to use as a base, I might use my dopamine one, but we will see..


Edit, hahahaha autocorrect changed bm to bum...hehe

[~TT40~]

Spock is still bf, I'm trying to encourage weaning, she's screaming for it, pg obviously hasn't changed the taste or anything...
Anyway, my bf her is triggering BH now though, is this something I should watch out for and actually make more effort to wean her? You would think I should know this....but nope =p I understand why it's triggering the BH I'm just wondering if there is potential for it to cause more than that

[Andie78]

it seems pretty quiet in here, but thought id pop in... currently 9 weeks pregnant & bf my ds (17mths). i had heard pregnancy changed the taste/might cause weaning but certainly not the case for my ds. he upped his bf's at the start, but is back to just 2 a day atm (before nap & before bed). im wondering if he will just wean naturally bc some nights he just drifts off to sleep without a bf. he's never been a 'booby' baby. just grabs the bare essentials & then he pops off. i was struggling last week, as it was becoming painful but seems to have backed off a bit. im ok with him weaning himself, and maybe if the pain comes back might even gently encourage, but don't want to make him upset at all. i guess im happy just going with the flow for now.

[tubbles]

Hi Andie, I'm having a similar scenario here, except DS is very much a booby boy, and about 2years 7months. I was hoping that my breastmilk might change soon because my boobs are so sore lately! We're pretty much only feeding off one side, as one doesn't seem to have much milk in it, probably due to me not using that side for a few days as it was so excruciating to feed him from.
My breasts haven't gotten bigger like my previous pregnancies though, and today I noticed they felt a bit lumpy in a section... Is it my breast tissue changing for pregnancy?

[Peace]

Hey tubbles I didn't know you were bfing too. I'm nursing my 18 month old. It's ouchy and I'm really getting over it but while I'm sick, it's great to be able to calm him down and put him to sleep without any effort. I am hoping he weans as he gets closer to 2 and hopefully before #2 arrives.
Andie how are you going? Still nursing ds? I see you are 14 weeks now wow!

[tubbles]

I didn't realise you were either Peace. It is so ouchy, but you are right about the ease of settling. I've found in the last week to week and a half he's wanting it more. We have had it down to nap and sleep time for a while now, with a few "booby for count of ten" when really unsettled (probably finished that before Christmas as we had so much family staying with us and I felt self conscious about breastfeeding such a "big boy"). And now I'm getting asked at least 10 times a day, and he's worked out that if he says he is tired and wants to go to sleep so we'll lay down and breastfeed, but then my nipples an boobs now themselves are so sore from that feed that I can't feed for long when he is actually tired, which draws out how long bedtime takes.