Tandem nursing mummies!

[stellarella]

Just want to hear your experiences if you have been a TNM (Tandem Nursing Mum) or are a TNM now.

Did you have sore nipples? Did you have a drop in supply/lose your milk? Did you have BFing aversion? Were you BFing through the night?

Basically everything...any experiences you had.

We are TTC now and I have no intention of weaning but I want to prepare myself for all the inevitable hiccups we will encounter.

Thanks :D

ETA: By tandem nursing I also mean nursing through pregnancy.

[AM]

when I was pregnant I did get the breastfeeding aversion, but just gritted my teeth and kept going. It was not much fun, but we got there. My milk ran out about 20 weeks and Ty just kept on comfort nursing, he wasn't stopping for anything! :)

I didn't get sore nipples really, just that irritable feeling.

I tandem night nursed for over 18 months, and finally night weaned my 3 and a half year old when I found out I was pregnant, as I freaked at the thought of night nursing 3! (pregnancy didn't last) But it was all good though, tandem night nursing is a little tiring at times.

You know, I could ramble on for pages, but I might just keep coming back every now and then with a snippet, as I think of it. :)

Ella - what age gap are you thinking of? That really does make a difference I think.

[Pixie]

Not yet TNM but nursing while pregnant.

The first 4-10 weeks I hated it I think I even posted a thread at one point. I was almost at the point of cutting my breasts off I was so bloody over it. The pain was horrendous I started to get blisters on my nipples that went pretty quickly thank god. It was exhausting she was frantic about feeding one night she fed for 2 hours 10 mins on 10 mins off it was like a drug she could not get enough she started to wake more and more and then during her day naps which I also slept she stayed latched on and drank the whole time.

At around 10 weeks pregnant she eased off and went back to normal and started to sleep better again. Now at 15ish weeks it's normal and she is feeding but she swaps sides very often, and tells me booby gone, she has now started to realise it's milk she's drinking lol and says milk gone other booby mimi somehow within 5 mins she is back on the other boob which was apparently gone and drinking and I can hear her drinking very fast so I think she is sucking and sucking and not getting much then goes to the other one does the same all the while twiddling the other nipples swaps quickly over and drinks and then does the same for the other one.

It's annoying at night!!

I think my supply is dwindling though I actually at times hope it does stop and i get a break. I some how can't see me doing extended BF with the next one, I am sure I will but you know it's like wow another 20 months of this lol and two of them, it's daunting!

I'd like to tandem feed though just to say I do and really freak people out :sunshine:

[ShadyCharacter]

I posted in the other thread, but here is a brief run down for me.

I am not tandem nursing yet, and at the moment, I hope not to be. I am 28 weeks pregnant and feeding my 3 year old.

I didn't find out I was pregnant until about 11 weeks, and once I found out it was only in hindsight that I realised everyone had been commenting on how much my boy was eating. He never ate much before, but my milk had completely dried up without me even noticing at all - so he started eating more. Also, my boobs had been quite sore, but I also hadn't made the connection.

Breastfeeding has been hurting a LOT, steadily more and more since early pregnancy. I also now know that I do have breastfeeding adversion, but I had never heard of it before today, and really want to read more about it. I used to like feeding, now I HATE it. I know that sounds awful, but feeding makes my skin crawl 95% of the time.

So after a lot of soul searching, the pain, combined with the adversion, combined with the fact that DS is getting NO nutritional benefit whatsoever (as there is NO milk whatsoever), I decided to try and wean him. I figure 3 years and a few months is a pretty good innings. That said, I won't do anything to make it traumatic for him either, so I am just gently encouraging him. So far we are down to just one feed most days (first thing in the morning), and I think I could get rid of that one via distraction if it didn't give me an extra half an hour in bed in the mornings
:sleeping: :o

So yeah, I am not sure how common it is for your milk to completely dry up in early pregnancy, but mine did - I don't have even the slightest bit of moisture there anymore.

I have two friends who had similar experiences, thought their milk dried up later.... one of their DS's was back feeding with a vegance, absolutely delighted when her milk came back, and the others DD got one mouthful of colostrum and never came back... kind of hoping that is what happens here!

[ShadyCharacter]

Oh, and I was nightfeeding, but since my milk dried up the night feeds have cut out (his doing) - thats been a bonus!

I keep thinking he sleeps through the night now (we cosleep), but realised recently he doesn't... its just that now he relies on cuddles as a sleeping aid rather than boob, so if he wakes in the night he just snuggles close to me and goes back to sleep without waking me. If I am not in bed with him, he will wake up and call out.

So its not really sleeping through, but its near enough because I am not disturbed :thumbsup:

[stellarella]

Pixie - Eliza sounds so cute!

AM - Oscar is almost 17 months now and I hope we conceive now...so he will be 2 and a few months old.

Shady - I am kinda concerned about the night feeds through pregnancy because Ox relies heavily on them. He feeds at least twice a night and up to 6 times. He has never not had a night feed since he was born. I am thinking if i do lose my milk he will probably just lose interest anyway but I also really want him to have the benefits of BM a bit longer.

[Oscar's mum]

Did you have sore nipples? Did you have a drop in supply/lose your milk? Did you have BFing aversion? Were you BFing through the night?


I had incredibly painful nipples - at times I would just grit my teeth together to try and get through the feed.

My supply did drop but Ozzy didn't seem to mind. It dropped when the milk changed which unfortunately Ozzy preferred (the colostrum) so he began feeding like crazy (no less than 20 times he was snacking at the breast each day).

I occasionally would breastfeed at night too, but it wasn't every night.

When Isla was born Ozzy still loved feeding and was crazy feeding still but when the milk came in he dropped right back to only 3 -4 feeds per day.

[Pixie]

Ella, Eliza is cute ;) Seriously she still feeds to sleep for every sleep, she wakes 2-4 times as well I was very worried about drying up then what would I do? I even though my supply is dropping (I think) let her comfort suck or even just holding my boobs she has settled twice like that in the past fortnight she stares and stares are me as she goes to sleep though. I feel so bad for her!

[cheezelkat]

I'm not tandeming yet but nursing and 20 weeks pregnant. Liam is 22 months.

Liam still feeds through the night. It hurt to feed him in the beginning buts its fine now - just a little frustrating for him as my supply is dropping quickly.

He's obsessed with breast massage and nipple tweaking to try and get all the milk out. I hope he cuts down on the feeds actually, I find it really uncomfortable to lie on my back which is his preferred feeding position at night, draped over me.