Nursing while pregnant

Noah was breastfed since birth. Actually, I think he had 1 once of formula at 5 weeks or so, but really let’s say he was 99.2% breastfed. I was really devoted to breastfeed him as long as I could, so when I learned that I was pregnant with Emma, I kind of freaked out. You read all those articles about your milk changing flavor and your baby rejecting your breast and it really scared me. I think one big advantage was that Noah was really young, so he kind of grew into the “mommy is pregnant and producing different hormones and her milk tastes this way from now on.”

In case you happen to be wondering what it’s like to nurse while pregnant, here are some pin points to know/remember.

•          It’s demanding. Depending on how young your baby is and how frequently your baby nurses, you might be very tired. My mornings consisted of throwing up, nursing, throwing up some more, nursing, throwing up while nursing, lying around until nausea would pass. So if you have the chance to, please nap while your baby naps.
•           Sometimes you’ll feel like stopping. Every breastfed baby goes through some weird phases. Like, suckling just for the hell of it without getting milk out or putting your nipple in between their front teeth and kind of playing with their tongue in it. Yeah, you get it- you’ll feel like it’s no longer worth it and just want to stop. I guess you just need to remember it’s a phase and that your newborn will go through the same phase.
•          By the end of your pregnancy nursing will be quite the challenge. I really encourage you to try out new nursing positions while your tummy is growing so that you can find whatever really works for you when you can barely end over and get up.

Then, there is the FAMOUS question. What happens to your milk when your new baby is born? Do you still have colostrum? Do you have milk right away? Okay, the day I gave birth was THE day I went without nursing Noah for the longest time ever. So, my breasts were FILLED with milk. Then, after birth, Emma went to the NICU, I didn't get to see her for at least 6 hours. I asked the nurse if I could pump some milk to give to Emma. They gave me a little plastic container to get some milk… Ha! I filled it up like there was no tomorrow. The look of the nurse was priceless. My doula had to tell her “She’s still breastfeeding!!!” So, no, I didn't have colostrum. I had milk right away. It was white and had the same consistency as regular milk. Perhaps my body didn't get the memo OR perhaps it WAS colostrum (nutrients wise) but tasted like regular milk… we’ll never know.

Either way, that liquid coming out of my boobs was fattening, that’s for sure. Emma was gaining weight like crazy… and that girl was a GOOD nursed baby. She latched on right away, found the nipple herself and tra la la… She was good (she still is).

So to all you moms out there that are considering nursing while pregnant, kudos to you, you can do it… I know it gets overwhelming at times but it’s doable and it sets you up nicely for tandem nursing.