(Question: Hi Mothersbond, I am nursing a three month old baby and it seems I am pregnant. Would this affect any of my babies in anyway? Am I putting either of them at risk? Please share my story for others to contribute but don’t disclose my details.)
Most women get alarmed to discover that they may be pregnant when breastfeeding/nursing a really young baby. In this post, we would be discussing how to cope and letting you know that there isn’t any dangers, as long as your pregnancy is going on as it should.
Breastfeeding during pregnancy is perfectly safe. As long as you eat reasonably well, then your unborn baby will not be deprived of nutrients. Even if you suffer from morning sickness and find eating very difficult, please try to get enough nutritious food. Drink enough fluids.
In this early stage of your pregnancy, you wouldn’t really need more food than normal, but from your second trimester you would need a little more food than normal to complement for breastfeeding and the growing baby inside you. As your child grows older, maybe above six months and starts eating other foods, it would make things easier on you.
If you are tired, or feeling “lazy” (a normal factor of all pregnancies), it may make you more reluctant to breastfeed, fearing it is a drain on you physically. Be assured that there is nothing really draining about breastfeeding, and you could go ahead and sit down (or lie down) to nurse, just to ensure you get to rest.
Your milk is safe for breastfeeding your child. Although very small amounts of pregnancy hormones pass into your milk, they are not considered to be harmful. Morning sickness and breastfeeding may make you uncomfortable, but it will pass. Another, more common complaint is sore nipples. Indeed almost three quarters of mothers will experience this. Some moms find this more difficult to deal with than others. (We already treated this subject previously).
Your body will carry on making milk while you’re pregnant, so you will be able to breastfeed. And after the birth you can breastfeed both your babies, if you’d like to. At some point though, naturally, your older baby would notice some changes in the taste of your milk and he may not enjoy it as he/she once did. The taste maybe different, and on his own, he may stop breastfeeding and prefer something else.
Not all women have this high degree of fruitfulness, such that they can get pregnant at this point. So if you do have it, then you are indeed special.
In a nutshell, if you’re having a normal pregnancy and are healthy, then there is no physical or medical reason not to breastfeed when pregnant. If you are unsure, take each day as it comes and see where it leads you, and if in doubt please consult your doctor.
(This question/post is open for other experienced moms to comment/contribute.)