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Jess
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 8:07pm | IP Logged
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We just found out we are expecting baby #6  We are very excited!
I am still nursing our 22mo old dd and she still mostly just nurses. We have been working hard to get her to eat more but to no avail. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on nursing while pregnant? I have already been waking up shaking, so I know I need to eat more. Also our dd co-sleeps with us and I am wondering how I am going to be able to get enough sleep if she is still nursing alot during the night. Also I am worried I will lose my milk at some point and I'm not sure how well she will do with that since she depends on it so much for nutrition, not just comfort.
Basically I would love to hear any tips, stories, anything about nursing while pregnant. I have never nursed during a pregnancy before.
Thanks!!!
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God bless,
Jess
+JMJ+
wife to dh('96)
mama to dd(13), dd(11), ds(9), dd(6), and dd (2), and baby girl born Sept 14!
star cottage
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 8:13pm | IP Logged
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you definately need to watch your nutrition and yes you will eat tons  I've described it as eating like "a teenage football player". 
I would think that she'll take more to food as/if nursing doesn't give her as much as she wants. So basically I wouldn't borrow trouble there.. just keep a close eye on her..
I think the first shift in milk is usually around the start of the second trimester.. and then again about a month before the end of the pregnancy.
Most of mine have weaned themselves partway through.. but I had one that wouldn't give it up even though she was eating.. but she did not like that second change.. she'd come and want to nurse about every 3 days.. until she got a good taste and then she was done.. and she picked it right back up as soon as baby was born and it tasted good again.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Angi
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| Posted: Jan 09 2009 at 9:59pm | IP Logged
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I nursed through 2 pregnancies, including 6 months of a twins pregnancy.
Eat a ton of protein. I will help to fill you up so that you do not get light headed every hour, just every hour and a half. Also drink a ton of water, keeps the contractions to a minimum.
You may feel uterine tightening during nursing. Some OBs would want you to wean. Mine said that as long as the contractions stopped at the end of the nursing sessions not to worry.
Keep a healthy snack next to the bed. You will prob be hungry at 2 am (or whenever) and getting up is a pain. I always kept bananas next to the bed. Easy to eat 1/2 asleep, healthy, and hard to choke on.
As your milk decreases, you dd will prob start asking for drinks or foods. Mine always wanted to replace nursing with drinks. If you have no allergies, you could offer a nutritional drink like Boost or something so that dd is getting some nutrients.
I was always able to sleep through night nursing, hopefully you will be able to also.
HTH
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SaraP
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| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 1:20pm | IP Logged
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I have nursed through all of my pregnancies except the first and my oldest two are 16 months apart so my oldest was definitely still nursing for nutrition when I became pregnant again and he still did fine. I have seemed to lose my milk supply when I have been pregnant and nursing toddlers who didn't nurse all that much (though one of them didn't care and kept nursing anyway), but when I had one who was really still dependent on breastmilk I didn't.
kellymom had good information, but basically just take very good care of yourself and trust that your body was made for pregnancy and nursing (even simultaneously) and usually everything will work just fine.
That said, sleep was not an issue for me during the nursing pregnancies - honestly nursing was a huge help in that department because nursing a toddler is the only sure way I know to get him to lay still for a while so that I can doze - but after the new one was born I found that trying to nurse two at night was simply too exhausting so I do night-wean before the new baby is born. We keep co-sleeping, but there is just no nursing for the older one "until the sun comes up".
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Mama to six on earth, two in heaven and two waiting in Russia. Foxberry Farm Almanac
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 3:37pm | IP Logged
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I have nursed into the last six pregnancies. I only made it to the end with one. They have all co-slept and nursed at night. Somewhere around 4-5 months my milk runs out. Most of the toddlers weaned pretty easily and it was just a natural process. One of them, my 5th, was only 14 months when my milk went totally dry pretty quickly. I actually put her on a bottle because she still needed to suck and be cradled.
I think the better your nutrition and fluid intake, the longer you can continue the nursing. I never felt like the nursing toddler was a drain on me and would have kept nursing if I could have. Tandem nursing was hard on me though and I wouldn't want to that again.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Maryan
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| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 3:45pm | IP Logged
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Ditto Molly's milk disappearance here at the exact same time. The age of my toddler doesn't matter. Whenever I'm 4 -5 months pregnant, they wean.
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
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LisaD
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| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 9:25pm | IP Logged
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I've had two wean mid-pregnancy (when they were each about to turn 2 years old). They just told me the milk was all gone! One nursed all the way through the pregnancy and tandem nursed for nine months after. He finally weaned at 3 years old. I don't remember being hungrier while nursing and pregnant, but I do remember being thirstier. I kept a big water bottle by my bed to sip on during night nursings (I had to get up to use the bathroom anyway, so what was a little more water? LOL).
The ones that weaned during pregnancy suddenly decided that cow's milk, soy milk and food wasn't all that bad. They discovered that Mama could keep filling up a sippy cup, whereas when the breast milk was gone, it was gone!
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: nursing during pregnancy
