PG again! How long can I bf no.1?

[Keren]

I have just found out I am pg again (3 weeks) but I am still bf my 10.5 month old. How long nutritionally can I bf him for? I would like to wean him at some stage so he doesn't get jealous about no.2 taking his boob. Does this process take long? He takes a little water from a sippy but not much and I am worried that he won't take enough milk during the day from a cup.

Keren

[rachelle]

You could bf throughout your pregnancy if you wanted to...as long as everything is normal with the pregnancy.  At this point, more and more nutrients are coming from food (although the breastmilk is still important!), but it should be fine.  I breastfed my first for 4.5 months, at which point she was 10.5 months.

HTH

[Bryony's mum]

I bf dd until she was 21 months (and i was 7 months pregnant).  It was a bit of a labour of love in the early stages - i was sick anyway, and I think breastfeeding made me more tired and nauseous than i might otherwise have been.  I don't think dd was getting much nutritionally, but i felt bad that she shoud miss out on something she loved because I was pg.  I was nly feeding morning and evening when I got pg, and then dropped to just evenings - i can't remember when, exactly.  I think dd got more fussy as there was less milk, so it seemed easiest to drop the feed.  It only really took about 5 days when we decided to wean completely for dd to settle into new routine.

HTH

[annamum]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Your breastmilk has and still will have a lot of nutrients for your little one. It still provides him with proteins, fats and immunity and actually the older he gets, the more antibodies can be found in bm. It is of course up to you to decide if you want to continue but as long as your pregnancy is healthy you may continue nursing. The best thing you can do is to make an informed choice by learning about benefits of extended nursing and/or tandem nursing. You can find a lot of info here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/tandem/index.html

Some women continue nursing their first one during pregnancy even though they report discomfort while breastfeeding, others who do, don't experience any nipple soreness. Sometimes milk changes its taste and a toddler decides it is not good for him anymore, sometimes milk dries up, especially in the 3rd trimester.

Also, if you wean now, he won't probably remember his nursing experience when you get your new baby. If you continue to nurse him and decide to tandem nurse, he may actually be fond of a new baby as his needs (nursing needs) will still be met by you and he won't resent a new one.

There are lots of things you can find out on this subject and only you can make decision that is the best for your family. Good luck!!!

[GraceKellysmom]

I nursed my first through 20 weeks pg with #2, she was a year old then. She didn't have much interest at that point and I didn't force it. She still drinks ebm, at 2.5 yrs old!

Congrats on your pregnancy!

[Keren]

Thanks everyone for your replies. My original intention was to feed him until he was one and then move to normal milk so I am pleased I can still go ahead with this plan.

Thanks
Keren