How long were you able to continue nursing? Did your supply take a hit?
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It took a real hit. Got pregnant in late July early August and I was done by early October. My LO wasn't getting enough milk from nursing and my pumping outputs went down drastically.
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I'm about ten weeks pregnant and nursing my almost 6mo and I would say my supply has about halved.
We had to start supplementing with formula about 3 weeks ago.
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It went downhill pretty fast. I weaned a couple of weeks after I found out.
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This is really good to know. I had no idea that this happens. I'd like to get pregnant again when my LO is about 15 mo or so, but want to keep nursing til he's about 2. Definitely something to think about...
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I got pregnant when DS was 10 months old. I'm still breastfeeding now at 15 months. My milk supply dropped after I was 12 weeks pregnant but he still wants to nurse.
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@Dagny: I know some people who were able to nurse for their entire pregnancy!
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@autumnlove: @coopsmama: @MamaChin: @Beyond2: How did you all even get pregnant??? I'm BFing and want to get knocked up so badly, but AF has yet to show up!! Xander's 9 months already and I wanted to start TTCing 3 months ago...
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@AUTUMNLOVE - that's encouraging! It's seems like such a tough decision (when to try for another) because I don't want to cut off my LO early if he wants to keep nursing, but I'm glad to hear its possible! I'm storing as much as possible now, so hopefully I'll have a large amount in the freezer.
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@Adira: I guess I was *lucky*?! AF was back for me at 4 weeks PP. I was really annoyed because I thought it would stay away for several months.
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@Adira: My period came back around 7 months postpartum. Maybe once your son drops some feedings your body will start cycling again?
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@autumnlove: haha, don't get me wrong, I've been happy to not deal with AF, but after six months, I was kind of hoping she'd make an appearance! Now I'm thinking I would've rather been dealing with her all along so I can get started on baby-making!! So to me, you ARE lucky, haha. Though I totally understand if you don't see it that way!!
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@Beyond2: Well... he HAS dropped some feedings... but I'm still pumping during them because my supply seems to have diminished a bit and I need to do the extra pumping sessions to have enough milk for the next day! Gahhh!
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@Adira: I had LO in June and AF came back in September... even though my LO is nowhere near sttn and we're still breastfeeding multiple times a night! I was shocked and even more shocked to get pregnant right away.
I hope AF comes back soon for you! I think it really just depends on the person. My cousin's period came back like autumnlove's at 4 weeks pp (with both of her pregnancies, actually, despite nursing round the clock!) and her sister's hasn't come back until a year + pp (when she weaned) with both of her LO's! I was actually hoping to be in the latter camp.
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DS1 weaned when I was 7 months pregnant. My supply was gone. About 2-3 weeks after he weaned I started producing colostrum.
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@coopsmama: I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones that doesn't get her period while BFing! It just isn't working with my plans!!!
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My supply went away altogether by around 12 weeks pregnant. Ellie continued to nurse until the end of the pregnancy. She self-weaned about a month before Lorelei was born.
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@Adira: I hope it comes back soon!
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I nursed until about 13 weeks but I wanted to wean. My supply was great still though!
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@Adira: I don't know if it's "lucky" or not... My AF returned at 7 weeks PP. If your mom BF, you can ask her about her experience - I think genetics matter here. My grandmother had 4 kids in 4 years, so, yeah, I was expecting a quick return.
Also, are you sure Xander needs the extra milk? My supply dropped significantly after DD started really eating solids and my ped told me to just leave what I pumped even though it was way less than what I was used to leaving. Now, at 10.5 months, DD gets about 9 oz. of BM while I am at work + 2-3 nursing sessions + 3 good solids meals. Some days she will drink another ounce or so of cow's milk, but that's more for fun at this point.
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@septca: Sorry I threadjacked your thread! I do agree genetics play a part. My mom got AF back at 6 months, when my older brother started eating solids and apparently wasn't drinking as much (and then she got knocked up with me right away). But Xander's still not really eating THAT much in the way of solids. He only consistently has one meal a day of only about 5 oz, so I'm not really sure that covers the amount of BM he was getting in the two feeds he's dropped. Plus, he's on the lower end of the weight chart (~15th percentile), so I really do want to give him as much milk as I can!
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@Adira: No worries at all re: threadjacking, and re: pumping, I get it. I was terrified to leave less when my ped suggested it, but then I decided I would give it a try because I was putting way to much pressure on myself to pump. DD never complained and started STTN, so we kept on. BTW - I think 5 oz. of solids for one meal is a lot (in a good way!) - DD eats maybe 3 oz. per meal.
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@septca: Oh really?? Maybe that's why Xander usually only has one meal a day, because he's getting all he needs in that one meal! Sometimes he'll even get 7 oz if I feed him two of the 3.5oz Gerber packages.
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@Adira: AF came back as soon as N started sleeping through the night. I only had it twice so I didn't know exactly when I was ovulating. The pregnancy was quite a surprise, DH and I have had unprotected sex during ovulation 3x ever in 11 years!
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@Adira: I'm in the same place. I see everyone getting pregnant with number 2 and I wonder how it happened. I actually did get my period back at 6/7 months pp but it's been so irregular it's driving me crazy.
hope you have better luck than me, LO is 1 this month!
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@septca: not to threadjack more, but I'm happy to read that you are just leaving less now that your LO is getting older. My LO is 9.5 months and I was wondering how that transition works...he definitely eats three solid meals a day, so could probably stand to drink less milk.
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@sotofamilia: @Adira: Since you both seem interested (and feel free to tell me to SU if you're not), here is what my DD eats (same basically since 9.5 months):
Wake up (7:30 am) - BF (a lot! I am usually close to bursting, so I estimate that she gets 5-6 ounces during this one feed)
Breakfast (8:30 am) - 1 oz. fruit puree + 4 T. baby oatmeal, mixed with water
Day time milk (3 bottles) - 9-10 ounces, depending on what I pump
Lunch (noon-ish) - 3 oz. pureed vegetable
Snack - about 2 T. Cheerios + a little bit of whole cow's milk, if she is interested (about half the time, and usually 1/2-1 ounce)
BF (about 5:30 pm) - normal feed (maybe 3 ounces???)
Dinner (6:00-ish) - about 1/2 cup of table food (last night was leftover turkey and stuffing + some defrosted sweet potato cubes) + whole cow's milk if she is interested
Bedtime (7:00 pm) - BF (very small amount, maybe 1.5-2 ounces)That all adds up to a good deal of solids + about 20 ounces of BM per day.
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@septca: thanks for typing that out...that's pretty similar to our schedule except mine just eats table food, but I can probably start leaving less milk. Yay, less pressure to pump so much!
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@sotofamilia: Yay! I really hope it works for you. Switching to this model alleviated so much of my pumping stress and mommy guilt.
My DD eats almost all table food on weekends, but I don't feel super comfortable leaving table food for my nanny. I trust her absolutely, but she has two babies to care for and I know the purees are much faster for her than sitting with DD while she eats, plays, eats, plays some more...
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@septca: Yeah, that makes total sense! Thanks for the tips
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I got pregnant when LO was 10 months old and still nursing four times per day, plus two meals of solids. My supply didn't take a hit but my levels of exhaustion were unbelievable. Trying to feed one baby and grow another was too much for me to handle so we weaned at 13 months (12 weeks pregnant). The supply was still going strong but dried up very quickly once I weaned, which was nice!
As for AF, I got it back at 8 months pp and had two very long cycles before getting pregnant again. I honestly didn't think I had any chance of getting pregnant because of its irregularity and the fact it was just coming back....but clearly not the case!
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@MamaChin: Oh wow, that's crazy!!
@hellocupcake: Awww, happy birthday to your LO! I hope you have some luck soon!
@septca: Thanks for detailing that out! My guess for Xander is that he gets around 24oz BM + 4-7oz of solids. He just gets all his solids in one meal, haha.
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I'm currently 13w5d and have an almost 16-month old...I think my supply has definitely dropped lately and dd is using her teeth to suckle to compensate - I will be weaning over the next 2-3 weeks. I can't take the pain anymore.
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@Adira: AF didn't return for me until 2 weeks shy of dd's 1st birthday.
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@Chastenet: AGGHHHHHH! I am so excited to see you here. Funny when things take so long with #1 and then just happen with #2. SO excited for you!!!
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@septca: I'm happy to see you here, too!!! It's so true - #2 took 2 cycles once I got AF back was much easier than the first time around
Good luck trying for #2!
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I nursed through my whole second pregnancy, DD was 18 months when I got pregnant. I tandem nursed for a long time too. It can be done but I think it depends on the kid and the mom/supply, I don't think my second would have nursed through a pregnancy.
We had to start supplementing with formula about 3 weeks ago.
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