Tandem Nursing - Anyone else with me...?

[kep]

I am nursing my just turned 3 (!) year old and my 10 month old. I am just starting the process of weaning the older one, who is very attached to nursies. I'm sure I'm not the only mama here nursing two!

For the record I weaned my oldest right after he turned 3 as well, although it helped that I was preggers at the time and had a decreased supply. I never planned on nursing for so long, in fact, I almost quit during the first six weeks with my first baby. Nursing was just SO hard. It took everything I had to keep going. We had a difficult labor/delivery followed by thrush and mastitis. It took a good LC and simply taking it one week at a time, and suddenly here we are. I have been nursing for almost 7 years, with the exception of about 5-6 mths somewhere in the middle.

I am very ready to wean my toddler, but it is so bittersweet at the same time.

[hellokitty]

Good for you! I am not tandem nursing right now, but I think it is great that you are. I too would never imagine myself nursing for this long. I almost quit nursing my first baby, b/c we had so many issues (tongue tied and I had severe ductal thrush), but we eventually got over the hump and now I'm on baby #3 and a huge BF advocate. It's one of those things that if you would have told me as a teenager that I would feel so strongly about BFing, I would have rolled my eyes and blow it off.

[goldenpig]

I'm still nursing 2.5 yo DD (3x/d) and DS is due in 3 weeks so I'm planning to tandem nurse. She is so cute. She says, "Baby brother can go first. We can share. He can have this side and I will have that side." We'll see if that actually holds up. It was a rough start with her (jaundice, shallow latch, nipple pain, having to supplement with formula briefly due to weight loss, refusing bottles of pumped milk, refusing to breastfeed due to reflux, biting sores, etc. etc.). I'm kind of amazed we're still going despite lack of milk from pregnancy. Anyways I'm hoping this time around will be easier and that tandem won't be too tiring.

[craftysierra]

Been there done that. I have been nursing for almost 6 years next month. At this point only nursing the baby is a bittersweet experience, but I am looking forward a year or so and allowing myself to but new bras after weaning

Sierra

[DrSally]

Wow, 7 years, Congratulations! I've been nursing 4 years. I nursed DS throught my preg with DD and then tandem for about 6 months before he weaned at 3 yo. I had gotten him down to just the morning feed before DD was born b/c I didn't want him to think he could nurse whenever the baby did. It worked out fine, but I was never able to nurse both of them at the same time comfortably. It was cute how they would hold hands the few times I was able to do it.

[kep]

The baby will come up while I am nursing with the toddler. She will climb up and dive-bomb herself into the "nursing position", usually trying to knock DS out of the way. She's almost as big as he is, so it's funny to see.

I do nurse them together on occasion, but it's not my favorite thing to do, and I'm sure I look like the Amazonian woman, especially with my big ole boobs.

[kep]

I'm still nursing 2.5 yo DD (3x/d) and DS is due in 3 weeks so I'm planning to tandem nurse. She is so cute. She says, "Baby brother can go first. We can share. He can have this side and I will have that side." We'll see if that actually holds up. It was a rough start with her (jaundice, shallow latch, nipple pain, having to supplement with formula briefly due to weight loss, refusing bottles of pumped milk, refusing to breastfeed due to reflux, biting sores, etc. etc.). I'm kind of amazed we're still going despite lack of milk from pregnancy. Anyways I'm hoping this time around will be easier and that tandem won't be too tiring.

This was us a year ago. I'm sure I didn't have much milk while I was preggo, but apparently it was enough to keep DS interested. And once I got past the first trimester, it wasn't horribly painful. When the baby was born, my tiny underweight son gained over 4 pounds in two months. The ped was shocked! He went from hovering around 19-20 pounds (where he had been for almost a year) to just under 25 pounds. Go mama's milk! It was one of the blessings of having an abundant supply.

The baby has definitely been getting enough milk, at 11 months she weighs 19 pounds. DS is now 26 pounds at 3.

[goldenpig]

This was us a year ago. I'm sure I didn't have much milk while I was preggo, but apparently it was enough to keep DS interested. And once I got past the first trimester, it wasn't horribly painful. When the baby was born, my tiny underweight son gained over 4 pounds in two months. The ped was shocked! He went from hovering around 19-20 pounds (where he had been for almost a year) to just under 25 pounds. Go mama's milk! It was one of the blessings of having an abundant supply.

The baby has definitely been getting enough milk, at 11 months she weighs 19 pounds. DS is now 26 pounds at 3.

Awesome! Good for you!

I can only hope mine will gain weight too. She's been 22 lb forever, just made it to 23 at 2.5. She's consistently less than 1% for weight. That first year when she steadily fell off the curve I kept questioning my milk supply, but it turned out to be silent reflux. I would pump plenty of milk that she never finished. She used to hiccup in utero several times a day (and when she was a baby too), but I don't think he's hiccuped at all yet. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that DS won't have the same problem.

[TwoBees]

Can I just ask, those of you who only nurse one or a few times a day, do you pump in between to keep uo your supply, or does your supply jsut adjust to those one or few times a day?

[DrSally]

Can I just ask, those of you who only nurse one or a few times a day, do you pump in between to keep uo your supply, or does your supply jsut adjust to those one or few times a day?

Are you talking about tandem or just one kiddo. Either way, your supply adjusts. I found that as they reach toddlerhood and reduce the number of feedings, I just went with that instead of trying to pump. I didn't want to add the hassle, for what? Since I'm SAHM, I'm never away from the kids, so I wouldn't need the stash. Also, a 2-3 yo isn't going to really "need" that BM if I'm gone for the day. Also, I didn't really respond to the pump past 1 yo enough to produce anything via pumping.