[jlgoinggreen]

Hi,
I am new to your forum and not sure where to go to introduce myself. I'd like to ask a question about breastfeeding and I hope it's OK for me to just jump in here.

I have a 2 year old daughter who I am breastfeeding. I do not believe in weaning and allow my children to breastfeed until they want. I just found out I am about 5 weeks pregnant. My family (who are very mainstream) are very upset with me because I am still breastfeeding. They are telling me that this will hurt both babies. Is this true?

[bydesign]

Many of us have nursed while pregnant. It never caused any problems for me, and I think if it was a real problem then God would have designed us so that we couldn't get pregnant while lactating. :D

Additionally, there is no scientific evidence that shows breastfeeding while pregnant to be dangerous.

[cindahomaker]

I've breastfed several while pregnant too. Don't let their fear and misinformation derail your mothering.

Here are a few resources http://breastfeedingbasics.info/

http://www.mothering...com/whatgod.htm

[jlgoinggreen]

bydesign, on 16 June 2010 - 09:11 PM, said:

Additionally, there is no scientific evidence that shows breastfeeding while pregnant to be dangerous.

Thank you. That's what I needed to know. I have googled, but can not find scientific evidence stating it's dangerous. I have found lots of opinions on why you shouldn't, but no facts on it being dangerous.

If anyone finds anything or knows of anything please let me know. My family is not aware, but I will be doing this baby mostly on my own. I have NO OB and a midwife who respects my choice of her being a very hands off and distant midwife. I don't feel comfortable going completely UP/UC, but want my midwife to be completely hands off unless I need her and only want her as a back up in case of emergency during my pregnancy or birth.

[jlgoinggreen]

cindahomaker, on 17 June 2010 - 06:14 AM, said:

I've breastfed several while pregnant too. Don't let their fear and misinformation derail your mothering.

Here are a few resources http://breastfeedingbasics.info/

http://www.mothering...com/whatgod.htm

Thank you. This helps a lot.

[Gentile]

welcome. can't answer your q about this subject...b/c i'm currently nursing my eight month old, and that is the longest i've nursed any of my babies... :(

[Cara]

Congratulations!

One thing I watched for was spotting/cramping associated with nursing. I didn't have any, so I too nursed through my whole second pregnancy. If nursing did give me contractions, I most likely would have stopped.

[Sombra]

I nursed Janney 14 weeks into Asher's pregnancy.. but she was hurting me and I was feeling annoyed and antsy instead of it being relaxing. I cut her off at that point (there was no milk left).. but after Asher was born, I reintroduced, and she nursed again for another 6 months.. so off at about 15 months and back at about 21 months.

So - you can do anything you like... your body and your mind have to be your guide. I cut off Elias at about 21 months, I was getting tired of being awakened every night and I pushed him off.. but last week he was sick and wanted to nurse again.. I let him, but it did hurt.. but he's interested again now.. I'm considering letting him again.. he'll build back my supply as he suckles.

[jlgoinggreen]

Thanks everyone. I think I will just continue to nurse as I listen carefully to my body.

[Sombra]

You know what, I have a 2 year old horse who's still nursing.. she's as big as her mother, and she still sneaks under there for a healthy drink

[jlgoinggreen]

You know I woke up this morning also thinking about our farm animals. We raise mini nubian dairy goats and also have a family milk cow. In order for our family milk cow or dairy goats to give us milk we have to make sure we get them pregnant at the right time. Once they are pregnant we continue to milk them and enjoy their delicious milk. We only stop milking a few weeks before they are due to birth to give their body time to prepare for the upcoming birth, but soon after they give birth we start milking again. Of course we don't drink the first few milkings as it is still colostrum. Although I have a few friends who make a great custard from it. I might try it next time.

Thinking of colostrum has brought me another question and please excuse my ignorance. All of my children were born very far apart in age and I never have nursed two at once. This will be my first time. My question is, once my baby is born would it be OK for my little girl (hard for me to state "toddler") to drink the colostrum my body will produce for the new baby or should I stop nursing her for a few days?

[Jewel]

jlgoinggreen, on 18 June 2010 - 08:10 AM, said:

You know I woke up this morning also thinking about our farm animals. We raise mini nubian dairy goats and also have a family milk cow. In order for our family milk cow or dairy goats to give us milk we have to make sure we get them pregnant at the right time. Once they are pregnant we continue to milk them and enjoy their delicious milk. We only stop milking a few weeks before they are due to birth to give their body time to prepare for the upcoming birth, but soon after they give birth we start milking again. Of course we don't drink the first few milkings as it is still colostrum. Although I have a few friends who make a great custard from it. I might try it next time.

Thinking of colostrum has brought me another question and please excuse my ignorance. All of my children were born very far apart in age and I never have nursed two at once. This will be my first time. My question is, once my baby is born would it be OK for my little girl (hard for me to state "toddler") to drink the colostrum my body will produce for the new baby or should I stop nursing her for a few days?

Your body will start producing colostrum at 6 months into your pregnancy. And your nursing toddler will be getting the colostrum then and after baby is born put the new one on one breast and the toddler on the other and let them nurse away. Your breasts will make as much milk as they suckle and the colostrum will stick around until your milk comes in and be enough for the new one and your older babe!

I have nursed through almost all of my pg's and with this most current one. My newest blessing was born may 17th..My 2 1/2 yr.old nursed the entire pregnancy and is still nursing now..he nurses as much as my newborn! :) They are both getting enough and the newborn is growing and doing well!! Breastfeeding is G-d designed! :)

[jlgoinggreen]

Jewel, on 18 June 2010 - 03:27 PM, said:

jlgoinggreen, on 18 June 2010 - 08:10 AM, said:

You know I woke up this morning also thinking about our farm animals. We raise mini nubian dairy goats and also have a family milk cow. In order for our family milk cow or dairy goats to give us milk we have to make sure we get them pregnant at the right time. Once they are pregnant we continue to milk them and enjoy their delicious milk. We only stop milking a few weeks before they are due to birth to give their body time to prepare for the upcoming birth, but soon after they give birth we start milking again. Of course we don't drink the first few milkings as it is still colostrum. Although I have a few friends who make a great custard from it. I might try it next time.

Thinking of colostrum has brought me another question and please excuse my ignorance. All of my children were born very far apart in age and I never have nursed two at once. This will be my first time. My question is, once my baby is born would it be OK for my little girl (hard for me to state "toddler") to drink the colostrum my body will produce for the new baby or should I stop nursing her for a few days?

Your body will start producing colostrum at 6 months into your pregnancy. And your nursing toddler will be getting the colostrum then and after baby is born put the new one on one breast and the toddler on the other and let them nurse away. Your breasts will make as much milk as they suckle and the colostrum will stick around until your milk comes in and be enough for the new one and your older babe!

I have nursed through almost all of my pg's and with this most current one. My newest blessing was born may 17th..My 2 1/2 yr.old nursed the entire pregnancy and is still nursing now..he nurses as much as my newborn! :) They are both getting enough and the newborn is growing and doing well!! Breastfeeding is G-d designed! :)

Thanks so much for this. I just spoke to someone who just finished a course to become a Breastfeeding Educator. She admitted to me that there really is so much controversy on the subject (which is what I am finding on the net), but her advice to me was that I should stop nursing when I enter my 4th month of pregnancy. She stated that once I get close to 20 months I (one) could run the risk of entering early labor (two) have current baby take all the colostrum (which starts around 7th month) and by the time the new baby is born my body will only be producing "regular" milk and the baby will not get the much needed colostrum.

Now in her defense, like I stated before, she just finished her course and admitted with all the different controversy she is still trying to figure out what would be the best advice she can give her clients.

As for me, like with lots of things I research, I prefer to take advice from those who have actually experienced this and were successful with it. Thank you. Your advice really makes more sense to me from all I have read.

This post has been edited by jlgoinggreen: 18 June 2010 - 06:50 PM

[Sombra]

but other mammals don't.. I mean the horses will allow the "toddler" horse to nurse until the new one is born, and then kick them off... they don't tend to nurse tandem..

Your body will tell you what to do.. if you're happy and healthy, keep going, don't be concerned with other people's views or stats or science or what not.

Just think, if you had no one to ask, and had no pregnancy test strip to tell you you were pregnant, you wouldn't know until your belly started to swell.. .. and by that time you've already nursed through 1/4 of your pregnancy.. and that's the time when life is most precarious in the womb..

I try to think of what people did in the time of Yeshua (Jesus) - or Moses.. can you imagine, some of those women walked 40 years through the desert, conceiving, carrying, nursing, moving, eating only Mana and drinking only water for 40 years.. - or what indigenous peoples do today - what about African tribal people or people in the Brazilian jungle along the Amazon.. people who don't have internet to ask these questions.. people who aren't "smart enough to follow WHO standards" - what do they do? They do what their bodies tell them to do, many of them nurse tandemly - even providing for the whole family - until they lose their milk teeth.. (there's a reason they're called Milk Teeth.)

And - even though I know that I could nurse for 4-5 more years - I DON"T WANT TO - and that's ok too. I nursed Elias 21 months and then "I" quit. and that's OK too, because my body was telling me - I"M TIRED OF THIS!.. and that's OK I have a friend who has a weaning party at 5 for her kids.. and we've been to both of them!

[jlgoinggreen]

Sombra, on 19 June 2010 - 08:27 PM, said:

but other mammals don't.. I mean the horses will allow the "toddler" horse to nurse until the new one is born, and then kick them off... they don't tend to nurse tandem..

Your body will tell you what to do.. if you're happy and healthy, keep going, don't be concerned with other people's views or stats or science or what not.

Just think, if you had no one to ask, and had no pregnancy test strip to tell you you were pregnant, you wouldn't know until your belly started to swell.. .. and by that time you've already nursed through 1/4 of your pregnancy.. and that's the time when life is most precarious in the womb..

I try to think of what people did in the time of Yeshua (Jesus) - or Moses.. can you imagine, some of those women walked 40 years through the desert, conceiving, carrying, nursing, moving, eating only Mana and drinking only water for 40 years.. - or what indigenous peoples do today - what about African tribal people or people in the Brazilian jungle along the Amazon.. people who don't have internet to ask these questions.. people who aren't "smart enough to follow WHO standards" - what do they do? They do what their bodies tell them to do, many of them nurse tandemly - even providing for the whole family - until they lose their milk teeth.. (there's a reason they're called Milk Teeth.)

And - even though I know that I could nurse for 4-5 more years - I DON"T WANT TO - and that's ok too. I nursed Elias 21 months and then "I" quit. and that's OK too, because my body was telling me - I"M TIRED OF THIS!.. and that's OK I have a friend who has a weaning party at 5 for her kids.. and we've been to both of them!

This is so true. Thank you Sombra. I honestly don't want to stop yet. I'm not sure why and Greg really does not understand. I guess to me it's a bonding thing for us that neither of us is ready to let go of. At the moment she only nurses when she first wakes up, afternoon nap, to go to sleep at night and sometimes through the night (doesn't bother me as we co-sleep).