Hey all- not sure if there is already a thread for this (would the breastfeeding thread have been an appropriate place to ask?), but I am wondering; have any of you continued nursing through pregnancy, tandem nursed a toddler and a newborn, or both? SO and I want to try for another baby in [name_f]September[/name_f], but I am not wanting to wean DS until around age 2 if possible. I have heard that your supply can drop around half way through pregnancy, which can lead to self weaning, and I think I would be ok with that (I plan on building up a big stash of breastmilk before we start ttc and during early pregnancy just in case)… I would love to hear about other people’s experience with this. Advice is welcomed!
Good on you for considering tandem nursing! I haven’t done it myself, unfortunately (I don’t ovulate while BFing), but I highly recommend the Kellymom website for all BF-related queries. I’ve found the info there to be very thorough, reliable and accessible.
Good luck!
@katinka, yes- kellymom is great, thanks! I think I will try the la leche league forums also. It would be helpful to hear from others on their experience with it (pros, cons, etc) while I try to sort through our options and come up with a plan of action!
[name_f]Glad[/name_f] to see a post about BF!
While I was pregnant with the twins, I still breastfed [name_f]Vali[/name_f]. Always complemented with whole food, but she loved to nurse to sleep naps! During the pregnancy, the breasmilk changes in flavour, which made [name_f]Vali[/name_f] slowly start to lower her demand, until she just stopped asking for it. When [name_u]Theo[/name_u]&[name_m]Leo[/name_m] were born, we started our journey with tandem breastfeeding, and I have to say it is SUCH an adventure. I had trouble with both of them latching at the same time, sometimes I’d make one of them latch and just wait until he finished to nurse the second twin, because it was just so overwhelming to watch both of them in discomfort… But right now i’ve got my technique on point lol. I use a cushion that wraps around my torso, so I can have them both laid down but high enough to have them nurse properly.
Also, when the twins were born, [name_f]Vali[/name_f] was suddenly all about breastfeeding again. To be honest, I loved that. I feel that in a way, nursing her too makes her not feel jelous about her siblings (or maybe just feel less jelous lol).
I just don’t know how to explain it but it makes my bond with my children so much stronger (and the bonds between them!)
I hope I helped, feel free to ask any further questions if you wish!
Thank you for the response! That’s kind of what I’m afraid of- if we conceive at 9 months I worry that he will stop wanting to nurse; possibly even before he is a year…how far into your pregnancy with your twins did she stop? I really love breastfeeding and don’t want my son to lose out on the experience esp early on. Perhaps we should hold off a bit longer if we aren’t willing to risk it…I would hope that if we did conceive at 9 months, and he did stop nursing, that, like your daughter, he would pick it up again. I think it’s so great that you kept nursing her through pregnancy and beyond, with a set of twins to boot! I really think it does help older babies feel more comfortable with the new divisions of attention that come with having a new baby (or babies) around. Thanks again 
I gave birth at 34 weeks and it wasn’t up until a few weeks before that, that she decided to stop. She was about a year & a half (maybe a bit more). By then it was a bit uncomfortable for her to nurse because I was quite big myself and it just wasn’t the best experience for her. Then the twins were born and she was back into it again. In my case she just stopped for about a month or two. But we had been weaning for a long time, so she had no problem with that.
I really didn’t feel like bad for her. She made the decision herself to stop nursing and then just felt she needed it back. But I must admit that the period of time where she stopped was quite short in my case. I haven’t had a chance to speak to any other moms with the same experience. And I don’t know if most kids want to retake breastfeeding either.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] follow your ‘mom instinct’ and do what works best for you. I just knew my daughter wouldn’t just leave nursing that easily (I can’t emphasize enough how much she loves it!), and idk I just imagined them all breastfeeding until they decide when to stop!
@stellarvra99- thanks for the advice/perspective! Idk how common that is, either- but I think you’re lucky that it was a very short period of time where she took a break from nursing (at least imo lol! I’m sure some would welcome a longer or permanent break haha).
PS you are kind of a rockstar for nursing twins and a toddler ! 
Aww thank you! I wish you and your family the best of luck!
This may not be very helpful, but I was only able to nurse my daughter for about 3 months while I was expecting baby #2. I’m not sure if my supply just naturally decreased because of the pregnancy or perhaps the change in hormones made it taste different which lead my daughter to lose interest. Either way, I didn’t think it was worth trying to continue nursing because I had met my goal of 12 months and she didn’t seem to miss it.
@cyoung325 thanks for sharing! I think those are both pretty common reasons why LOs stop nursing while mom is pregnant. It definitely could have even been a little bit of both! [name_f]Glad[/name_f] you met your goal before that happened. Here’s hoping we make it as far as possible!