nursing while pregnant

If you become pregnant again while still nursing your baby or toddler, you do not necessarily have to wean her. Your baby will still benefit from breastfeeding while you are pregnant. If you are having a normal pregnancy, there is no evidence that there is danger to your unborn child or you. Your Doctor may encourage you to wean, but there is no medical reason to do unless you are in danger of premature delivery. For more information, I highly recommend Adventures In Tandem Nursing, a book full of info and stories of women who nursed during pregnancy and beyond.

Why might you want keep nursing during a pregnancy?

You might consider continuing to nurse your baby or toddler even during your pregnancy for several reasons.

Your baby may be very attached to breastfeeding, and you know that abrupt weaning will cause her and you a lot of unhappiness. Since breastfeeding has been an important tool in your mothering toolkit, you may not want to lose it. Nursing an older baby or toddler makes life easier since it helps her fall asleep, calms her when she's hurt and nourishes her when she's sick. Deciding to breastfeed a baby during a pregnancy is a personal decision, and you may want to just take it one day at a time.

Keep in mind that your milk won't endanger your child. The tiny amount of hormones that your nursing child will be exposed to are in much smaller amounts than your fetus is being exposed to in your womb.

You may notice that your milk decreases around month four or five so make sure your child is getting adequate nutrition and enough liquids. Some babies self wean during this time or they may just nurse less often. Some babies don't seem to mind the change at all.

If your baby self weans during your pregnancy, they may wish to nurse again after the baby is born. Should you not want to nurse the older baby, give her a taste of breastmilk in a cup. They may want to try to breastfeed but have forgotten how to nurse or they may not like the taste, having grown accustomed to cow's milk. Keep this in mind as not nursing and having a new sibling around are big changes for the child.

The risk of miscarriage does not increase if you continue to breastfeed, nor is it an issue if you experience mild contractions when you nurse. Contractions also occur throughout pregnancy during exercise and sex, activities couples continue under normal conditions. In addition, the uterus doesn't react to nipple stimulation during the first 3 months of the pregnancy, when strong uterine contractions could be problematic.

You may experience tender nipples during your pregnancy. Some Moms ask their nursing toddler to breastfeed for shorter periods of time. Using a nipple cream may help. Try different breastfeeding positions too.

Nursing during pregnancy will continue to give your baby nutrition and does not take nutrition away from your growing baby inside of you. Your breasts will start making colostrum again later in your pregnancy, and since it has a mild laxative effect, your child may experience looser stools, but the colostrum won't harm him, neither will it "run out" and deprive the baby.

You may find yourself with a toddler who has not weaned when your pregnancy comes to an end. Some Moms choose to continue nursing the older child right alongside the baby, called tandem nursing.