Breastfeeding discomfort during pregnancy?

I only had this problem at the end (like the last month) so there wasn't much milk anyway.

Always go to a dull place to nurse, and nurse in whatever position minimizes playing. And don't feel bad if sometimes you have to cut a session short, you have to do what you have to do. Putting a breastpad over the other nipple can help protect it.

You might consider some red raspberry leaf and alfalfa teas or pills to help maintain your supply. These are both safe during pregnancy though their usefulness as actual galactagogues is questionable. They are however excellent pregnancy herbs to nourish the body and uterus in particular. I have tonnes of references if you want them, let me know.

Also I have recently heard that chamomile is numbing, maybe you could put cold chamomile tea bags on your nipples before nursing? Chamomile is considered safe during pregnancy, lactation, and for children as per the FDA.

You could also try a Bach's flower remedy before nursing. Though I would speak to someone who is qualified to mix custom ones rather than just buying rescue remedy.

Take care! You will get through this! Nursing two is totally worth it, I can't imagine how jealous my son would be if I was nursing the baby and not him.

-------------------

(Not for you, but for the other answerers who don't have a clue)

American Academy of Family Physicians

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies...

Nursing Beyond Infancy

Breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is currently not the cultural norm and requires ongoing support and encouragement.85 Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help to provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child.61

http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/faq/01safety.html

Breastfeeding Contractions

Although uterine contractions are experienced during breastfeeding, they are a normal part of pregnancy. Similar contractions often occur during sexual intercourse, which many couples continue throughout pregnancy.

Miscarriage/Preterm Labor Risks

This is a common worry, but it does not appear to have a strong foundation. A recent review of research on the pregnant uterus reveals that there is actually no theoretical basis for the common concern that breastfeeding can lead to miscarriage or preterm labor in healthy pregnancies. Instead the uterus has many safeguards preventing a strong reaction to the oxytocin that breastfeeding releases.

Interestingly, experts on miscarriage and preterm labor are not among those who see a potential link between breastfeeding and these pregnancy complications. Miscarriage expert Lesley Regan, PhD, MD, quoted in Adventures in Tandem Nursing, saw no reason that breastfeeding should impact pregnancy, even if the mother has a history of miscarriage or is experiencing a threatened miscarriage.

Mother's health

There is no evidence that a well nourished mother who nurses during pregnancy is at risk nutritionally. Breastfeeding does not increase a mother's risk for osteoporosis, even when the mother nurses during pregnancy. Breastfeeding reduces the mother's risk of breast cancer.

Nursling's health

Your child will benefit from breastfeeding into the second year and beyond. The milk is just as safe during pregnancy, but pregnancy can cause milk to dwindle and can also motivate mother and child to wean. Thus if pregnancy does cause a child to receive less milk, the child will receive proportionally fewer of milk's health advantages. Indeed, weaning before two years increases the risk of illness for a child, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/articles/bfpregnanc...

The well-protected uterus

The specter of breastfeeding-induced preterm labor appears to spring in large part from an incomplete understanding of the interactions between nipple stimulation, oxytocin, and pregnancy.

The first little-known fact is that during pregnancy less oxytocin is released in response to nipple stimulation than when a woman is not pregnant.5

But the key to understanding breastfeeding during pregnancy is the uterus itself. Contrary to popular belief, the uterus is not at the beck and call of oxytocin during the 38 weeks of the “preterm” period. Even a high dose of synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin) is unlikely to trigger labor until a woman is at term.6

Instead, the uterus must actively prepare in order for labor to commence. You could say that there are two separate states of being for the uterus: the quiescent baby-holder and the active baby-birther. These states make all the difference to how the uterus responds to oxytocin, and so, one can surmise, to breastfeeding. While the baby is growing, the uterus is geared to have a muffled response to oxytocin; at term, the body’s preparations for labor transform the uterus in ways that make it respond intensely to oxytocin.

Many discussions of breastfeeding during pregnancy mention “oxytocin receptor sites,” the uterine cells that detect the presence of oxytocin and cause a contraction. These cells are sparse up until 38 weeks, increasing gradually after that time, and increasing 300-fold after labor has begun.6,7 The relative scarcity of oxytocin receptor sites is one of the main lines of defense for keeping the uterus quiescent throughout the entire preterm period—but it is not the only one.

A closer look at the molecular biology of the pregnant uterus reveals yet more lines of defense. In order for oxytocin receptor sites to respond strongly to oxytocin they need the help of special agents called “gap junction proteins”. The absence of these proteins renders the uterus “down-regulated,” relatively insensitive to oxytocin even when the oxytocin receptor site density is high. And natural oxytocin-blockers, most notably progesterone, stand between oxytocin and its receptor site throughout pregnancy. 8,9,10

With the oxytocin receptor sites (1) sparse, (2) down-regulated, and (3) blocked by progesterone and other anti-oxytocin agents, oxytocin alone cannot trigger labor. The uterus is in baby-holding mode, well protected from untimely labor.4

I became pregnant again when my firstborn was around 13 months. I needed to wean her about halfway through the pregnancy because my milk dried up and it became physically painful to breastfeed her. I felt bad about pushing her away, but there wasn't any choice. Sometimes I think that is nature's way of telling us it's time to prepare for a new baby. When the baby was born, he had latch problems and we had a difficult time establishing breastfeeding. During this time, it was suggested to me to re-establish breastfeeding with my toddler to help ensure my milk wouldn't dry up while I was working with a lactation consultant on my baby's problems. I had never planned to nurse two at once, but it worked for us. The younger baby's needs come first of course, but breastfeeding my toddler helped her feel more secure and less jealous of the baby since she knew she wasn't being "replaced". Even though she hadn't breastfed for maybe 3-4 months prior to his birth, she hadn't forgotten how so it was no problem re-establishing that relationship.

how many times a day do you nurse him? you can make those sessions as calm as possible. make sure there is no loud noise or a whole bunch of activity going on. you could also take the amount of times you breastfeed down if it gets really bad. i respect your decision not to ween but you can just do it once or twice a day if it becomes too much. you could also exclusively pump and feed the bottle. good luck.

Ignore people. Breastfeeding while pregnant as long as you have the supply is safe,great and very rewarding. I know I couldn't do it, don't know how you get the energy,lol. I don't have any real suggestions I just wanted to encourage you to keep trying. Good luck

Ok can I just say, for the first 9 months after you have a baby your uterus contracts but 14 months after having your baby is has completley contracted so I dont think there is any harm in it at all unless you are under nourished or something. I tihnk good on you!

why don't you try puttin on a nice set of headphones and play some of your favorite music to keep yourself occupied and relaxed or just play some soothing music for your baby to keep your son relaxed so he doesn't play around as much, other than that i can't think of anything else,,,,sorry.

I would try to use a pump until your breast tenderness goes away a little bit. It also can be unhealthy to keep breast feeding for the un born child if you plan on continuing to breast feed you should talk to your doctor about breast feeding while pregnant. I breast fed my daughter until she was about 20 months so I understand how you feel about quitting breast feeding.

I gotta say this, my sister was in the same position and she was told to stop. The doctor told her breast feeding contracts the uterus while the pregnancy is expanding the uterus. She was told to stop because of the risk of miscarriage. Sorry had to say it. I breastfed so I do understand I've been there just something for you to think about or ask your doctor about.

your uterus contracts as your breastfeeding, so you really do need to stop.

ikm surprised your doctor hasnt told you this.