Pregnant And Breastfeeding Support Thread

[asher and noël's mama]

please someone help me!!!  i am 10 weeks pregnant, nursing my 9 month old, and she has been waking at 5:-5:30AM for the last several weeks.  i am pretty sure by this point she is not getting enough good stuff from my milk, but she won't take formula or cows milk.  what do i do???  i can't get up this early anymore, i have horrible morning sickness, and i need help.  she is taking 3 solid meals a day, and i have been nursing her 4 times.  she doesn't seem every interested i my milk, she will take what she needs and no more.  she use to empty both sides at one feed, not she barely empties one, and i know she can't be getting enough.  but, what do i do.  i know she needs to be taking nutrition from another milk source before i wean her, right? 

the other thing, is that i get really sick with my pregnancy's and the doc has suggested full weaning.  i am not sure if i will wean fully, but something has to change.

any advice is welcome!

~kellie

[CaedensMama]

Oh Kellie - it's hard!
If you don't want to switch to formula - just keep nursing. If switching to formula is an option, then you'll just need to wean her onto that. You said she won't take formula - how "hard" have you tried?
They don't recommend weaning to cows milk completly before a year, so if you wean from the breast you'll need to supplement at least 2-3 feeds a day with formula. Will she drink at all from a sippy cup? Is that an option to put formula in there?
If you want to keep nursing - the advice I got to keep your supply up was NOT to drop any more feeds at this point and keep nursing. For many women there is a drop when pregnant and there isn't any thing you can do about it   But, if you keep nursing the 4 feeds a day she should be getting enough that you don't need to supplement. her needs may be changing too - hence why she is slowing down, maybe offer the 2nd breast 15-20 min later?
The biggest question is do YOU want to completly wean or keep nursing?
Have you read "adventures in tandem nursing" by Hilary Flower - its a great book, highly recommend.
Let us know what you are thinking and we'll try and help you thru either option!
(((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))

[asher and noël's mama]

jennifer, thanks for your reply.  i don't really want to switch to formula, and lo isn't at all interested in it, even in a sippy cup.  she drinks water fine from a sippy, but she takes one or two drinks of formula and she is done.  thanks for your point about not dropping a feed.  i have been tempted to do that, to see if she takes more at the others.  she doesn't take much from me it seems.  she will empty one side, in about 4 minutes, she has always been quick, but then she will only take a bit from the other and be done.  i have tried to offer the second a while later, sometimes this works, other times she refuses. 

i just feel at a loss.  she is waking so early, this morning 4:30!  why???  she has been such a great sleeper up until this point, it is just very confusing.

thanks for you input.  i definitely will keep up with this board these next few weeks/months.

~kellie

[CaedensMama]

Kellie - are you doing a dream feed? Maybe if you can "top her off" at 9-10 (I always just did it before I went to bed whenever that was, anywhere from 8:30-10:30!)  She will sleep thru better. Could she be teething? Have you tired to resettle her without feeding? Does she take a paci? Would DH be willing to try to settle her so she isn't "smelling" milk nearby? Just some thoughts for you. I did a DF and a 4-5:30ish feed until we totally night weaned all at once at 11 months. It's what worked for us, and it was easier for me to feed and be done then to fight him back to sleep or have him wake up again in 45 minutes. YKWIM!
How are her naps and day feeds?

[Jen-Jen]

Hi!  I am 9 weeks pregnant and breastfeeding my 6 month old.  I have him on solids twice a day; 2 feedings of 2 1/2 oz. of fruit or veggie (prunes, squash, peaches, etc.) and a little rice cereal mixed into the container for iron.  My concern is that he has been pooping "rabbit pellets" and ALWAYS seems to be hungry.  (I know I need to take him in but our insurance is screwed up and we are awaiting a re-instatement while they view our dispute.)  I have several factors here but I don't know where to start!  He is ravenous on the breast in the morning for his first feed and then throughout the day he becomes less interested and feeds for very short (10 mn) periods.  He does however become frantic when I finish his fruit or veggie or if he sees DH and I eating.  Should I feed him more solids?  He's peeing about 4-6 times a day and pooping every 1-3 days (even though it's little pellets)  HELP!!:)

[CaedensMama]

The change in poop is normal when you move to solids. I wouldn't be as concerned about the consistency of the poop as the regularity of the poop and pee staying normal. There could be an allergy concern if there are other factors besides a change in poop, but it doesn't sound like he's had anything that would be an allergy concern yet.
As for getting enough breast milk, the biggest thing to watch is the diapers are continuing to be wet and normal. There will be changes in how he is nursing as you add solids. And there is a chance that your milk supply will drop during pregnancy. If you know it is dropping or dries up completly, you will need to supplement with formula til he gets over a year. I would recommend if you can talk to a local LaLeche League leader or something close to you in town, they can help you try and maintain a good supply or work toward supplementing if needed. Are you in the US? Check out LaLecheLeague.org and see if anyone is close to you.
It totally depends on the person, some women notice no difference in the breast milk thru the pregnancy, and the other extreme is that the milk will go away completely.
Have you ever read "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hilary Flower. It has wonderful information on being pregnant and nursing, I would highly recommend it!

[Jen-Jen]

You're right, I need to meet with LLL, they have support meetings here and it's an AMAZING resource!  Things are actually looking up today...We took away the pacifier cold turkey night before last which made for a wonderfully unhappy 2 days but lastnight he slept the entire night through, woke up for a feed, went right to sleep with only 10 seconds of crying, then slept in until 8:30a.m. woke up to feed again for a long hearty feed! YAAAAAY!  Usually when he wakes up for the day he will only nurse for a couple of minutes but not today!  I feel like nursing must be more comforting now more than ever to him; memories of his paci!  YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!

[CaedensMama]

So glad things are better. That paci can make a big difference in their sleeping, so I am glad it seems to have helped. And everyone I have talked to says cold turkey usually works best at this age any way!
For go to LLL! They are great and many of those ladies have "been there and done that" and can offer some great advice. Not many ladies are pregnant and nursing at the same time, so it is a great resource! I still go to mine and I am only nursing 2x a day and more then likely weaning before much longer. How close will you LO's be?

[Jen-Jen]

They'll be 13 months apart.... whoever said bf is like birth control was sure wrong!:)  You have a nine month old and are almost 16 weeks pregnant right?

[CaedensMama]

They'll be 13 months apart.... whoever said bf is like birth control was sure wrong!:)  You have a nine month old and are almost 16 weeks pregnant right?

Actually he is 15 months now, but I was pregnant this spring. He was about 8 mo when I got pregnant that time. These 2 will be about 21 months apart. We didn't mind if they were close together as we are getting older so we haven't used any birth control, but you for sure can't count on breastfeeding for that. It works for some, but isn't foolproof! 

[asher and noël's mama]

jennifer, it is me again.  it has been two weeks on constant struggle.  noël is not taking my breast or formula, but is now having nw's and still early wakes.  she is getting 3 solid meals a day though, and drinking lots of water with those meals.  she was really fighting me on the daytime bf's.  so just today, i didn't offer her my breast for the daytime ones, but offered her her sippy with formula.  the late am feed she would have nothing to do with it, but the afternoon one, she probably took about an ounce of it.  when i went to bf her tonight, she emptied both sides and then went fast to sleep.  this was the best she had eaten in weeks!  i am still at a loss of what to do, but i am wondering if i should avoid bf's except the am one, right when she wakes for the day, and the late pm one, right before bed.  it seems to have worked today.  i know you said not to cut out feeds, but she wasn't taking them anyway.  maybe this could be a short term solution until she gets use to formula.  this is all just so frustrating.  but on a lighter note... we had an ultra sound today, and our 12 week lo is doing great and thriving, so that was wonderful news.

btw... do you live in colorado?  i am from the denver area, but now live in mn.

~kellie

[asher and noël's mama]

she gets one cup of full fat yogurt once a day at lunch, should i try to get in another cup? 

i will try the straw cup, someone else reccomend that also.  for lo's who have never had formula, and starting from a cup, do you suggest i give it to her warm, or cold?  she is use to water cold from her cup.  the few times i tried warm formula she spit it out, yesterday she took a few sips of cold.  my other dilemma, is that she just sips at the cup, but she doesn't treat it like a meal, how do i get her to take more in one setting?

thanks for your help!

~kellie

[CaedensMama]

I would try the straw cup too - like the kind that comes with the kids meal at restruarants. Caeden loves though and even though we have to sit with him cause he will pull the straw out and spill it, he does drink well from it. I would increase her yogurt and maybe ask your ped about adding cheese to her diet. It's a little soon I would think to be at only one feed a day, but maybe try first thing in the am and then before bed and see how she does.

Other thought - what kind of sippy cup are you using? We started with the Nuby kind from WalMart and then are a real soft top and was easy to get milk out of, more like a bottle then a hard sippy cup. Maybe try another style and see if she takes to it better.

Overall though - if she is seeming happy and sleeping okay I would think she is getting enough and wouldn't worry about it too much. Have you had her 9 mo check up yet? What does ped say?

We are Northeast of Colorado Springs - so not too far from Denver - was actually up at Park Meadows yesterday with the in-laws.

Glad to hear the babe is doing well!

[elsa and jethro's mum]

Hi kellie sounds like you're having similar problems to the ones I had getting elsa to take milk from a cup (at the same stage of pregnancy too!): She's 13months now, she was maybe 11months then. I was feeding twice a day still, morning and night. In the end we cracked it with a tommee tippee straw cup (the straw is kind of floppy and flexible): I only gave her milk from it and for ages she really wasnt interested (max she would drink was 1oz and often she'd spit it out) but then I started going in as she woke from her pm nap and sitting her up in the cot and holding the cup for her to drink while she was still a bit sleepy. She used to have a feed then, so she was a bit peckish but I hadn't BF her then for a few weeks. It took about 2 weeks of doing it every day and her just having about 3 oz max till she suddenly took a whole 6 oz one day! So I knew she could. I think having the fixed time and place away dfrom toys etc helped her get her head around sitting and having a big drink. Since then we've done the same thing with the am feed (and stopped doing it in the afternoon at all) and sometimes she has 3oz, sometimes 6oz: I figure I never knew what she was getting with BF so I don't worry if she seems to have finished after 3oz. I try and give her cheese (apparently 1.5oz=6oz milk!!) and a pot of yogurt a day on top of milk in her oatmeal at breakfast, so she should get enough overall.
I still BF at night (now 24w pg) but one day I know that will have to end too... 

Just in case this helps I wanted to just explain how we did it: I honestly thought it would never work but it's worth persevering.
Incidentally I still don't pick her up to do it: we dropped the am feed 2 weeks ago now, I still hold the milk for her while she drinks sitting up in her cot. she often wants to stand up and play for a bit part way through, and then she'll say please to have her milk back and I just make her sit down again before she has more. She seems to get it and doesn't pull at my top or anything now.

HTH

L

[elsa and jethro's mum]

here is the cup we used:

http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/shop/products/easiflow-insulated-12-months.html

it's actually a bit of a pain as the straw gets lost easily and they don;'t do replacements but she loves it and it works well!

L