17 month old "still" nursing, and newly pregnant! Worried about supply....

[sstarfish]

My 17 month old is not ready to wean any time soon.... he still nurses 5-7 times per day (but STTN), and I have letdown pretty much every time. I just found out I'm pregnant (about 4-5 weeks at this point) and I don't want to lose my milk! I want to nurse him till he's at least 2.

What supplements can I take to help me out? I know I can't take fenugreek while pregnant, but what else can I take? Links??

Thanks!

[Br2me]

Someone posted something from kellymom that ii really liked... It talked about how at some point the supply isn't based on supply and demand but on hormones alone... It also had several links for good info... I will try to find it or maybe they will post it again... I am a eper for my 9month old and I was pg... My supply is already shot... I am also dealing with some sore spots a ruff dry itching spots so not getting alot of love from my pump right now... I have come to terms that I am only pumping a few times aday and its not enough to keep up with her... But it's OK... She was given ebm for 8months... And still gets ebm a few times a day... That's way more than dd1 got and she turned out just fine! I hope do know several moms who were able to bf their lo during a whole pg!! I so it can be done... Just drink lots lots lots of water and eat well... Your feeding 3 now!

[VeganCupcake]

Pretty much there is nothing you can do--your body will do what it's going to do. The PP is right--it's a hormonal issue. Your body will either keep making a fair amount of milk, or you will have a dramatic reduction in your supply at some point. Also, pretty much right from conception the taste and composition of milk changes, so your toddler is already getting that milk. Some kids don't like the taste, but some don't mind it at all.

My DD was about 22 months old when I got pregnant, and she nursed throughout my pregnancy. I don't really know how much milk I had, if any. She always said there was milk, but she was not a very accurate source of information at that age. My DD is still nursing now; she was so excited when her brother was born and suddenly there was an abundance of sweet yummy milk again!

Adventures in Tandem Nursing is a great book about nursing in pregnancy. It has the best information out there about the subject.

[songbird516]

I felt like my supply dropped some when I first got pregnant, so I started eating more, and eating oatmeal with lots of butter, but I also made a conscious effort to nurse less. I'm not sure now successful I've been in that, but I no longer feel like I don't have enough milk for her, so I'm feeling like everything has evened out. I am planning on weaning her before March, because I don't think that my husband will be super enthused about tandem nursing, and I do want the maximum amount of my nutrition to be going to the new baby.