My Breastfeeding Story: Part II–Breastfeeding While Pregnant
December 19, 2006 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding stories, extended breastfeeding, pregnancy, toddler nursing
My story continues after Part I with the description of how I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and kept breastfeeding while on medication. Then:
When my daughter’s first teeth finally started coming in, they contained pitting and staining. The first dentist to examine her informed me that the damage was due to breastfeeding and night-nursing. I immediately found another dentist, who determined that actually the discoloration was due to hypoplastic defects in the enamel caused during the 4th to 6th weeks of pregnancy.
(At four-and-a-half years of age, my daughter remains cavity-free.)
Just before my first-born turned two, I conceived my second daughter. My pediatrician raised concerns about the fetus having enough nutrients and recommended that I wean my toddler. Fortunately I had read the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond by Hilary Flower, and knew that with appropriate nutrition for me it was safe to continue nursing.
When nursing during pregnancy became painful, I practiced breathing techniques during the initial latch-on. I thought my daughter might wean when my milk supply diminished during the second trimester, and when the milk tasted salty, but she remained an avid nurser.
Toward the end of the third trimester, when my daughter was just over two-and-a-half years old, I decided it was time to night-wean her. I was not getting adequate sleep, and I worried about how she would handle the separation when I stayed overnight at the hospital for the baby’s birth, as well as how I would cope with getting up at night with two children. Fortunately, she was ready to accept being comforted by her daddy during the night, and night-weaning went smoothly.
Click here for Part III: Tandem Nursing!
I nursed during pregnancies 2, 3 and 4. It became somewhat painful as my milk supply diminished but I found it a lifesaver during awful morningnoonnight sickness. I could get some rest and get the older kid to settle down for a few minutes!
Carrie – I have pictures of me sitting in the rocking chair with my toddler curled around my pregnant belly after she nursed to sleep. Nursing during pregnancy is not for everyone but it has distinct advantages!
Because I was breastfeeding, I thought I was OK but I reckon I fell the first time we had sex after our little baby girl was born. Because I was feeding her I thought all the feelings I had (like sore boobs and that ) were due to the breastfeeding until I noticed that my belly was getting bigger. I am now about 5 1/2 months and really showing and when I am out shopping, I do get some funny looks from some women. I know that having (and feeding) two babies, about a year apart, is going to be difficult, but t now there is a big, big plus. When my husband sees me feeding with our daughter perched on my bump, it makes him very, very sexy!