Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 8/14/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi, i have been breast fed for 17 months,  my milk is gradually lower and lower.   One day, my menstration comes, but the milk continues.  Could you pls tell me
1) if my milk will stop after menstration
2) is that better to have any baby even breastfeeding continues

ANSWER: Dear Bobo,

First, congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding!

1) No, your milk will not stop after you resume menstruating.

2) Some people do have another baby while they continue to nurse the first baby. This is called "tandem nursing." I'm enclosing an excerpt from my book (see below) about this.

Good luck!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
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  NURSING THROUGH A PREGNANCY AND TANDEM NURSING AFTERWARD
If you become pregnant while you're nursing, your baby may decide to wean, either because your milk tastes different or because there's less of it. Or you may take the initiative in weaning your nursling because of breast or nipple pain, because you're tired, or because you're uncomfortable with the idea. Around the world, a new pregnancy is among the commonest reasons for weaning. Some women do, however, continue to breastfeed throughout pregnancy, and continue to nurse both the older child and the infant afterward. This latter practice is known as "tandem" nursing.
  Why do mothers do this? They cite the continued needs of the older child, whose emotional need for nursing is heightened rather than lessened by the arrival of the new baby. Then, the mothers themselves sometimes find that they're not ready to sever the nursing tie. Still, tandem nursing mothers often have ambivalent feelings, sometimes resenting the older child, questioning the wisdom of what they're doing, and dealing with the doubled demands on their body.
  Some of the challenges facing such a mother include the need for extra nutrition and extra rest, which she needs first because of the pregnancy and then because of the nursing infant. While she's pregnant, she needs to find comfortable nursing positions and maternity clothes compatible with nursing. Women with a history of miscarriage are often advised to wean their nursing babies before becoming pregnant again, since some reports have indicated that nipple stimulation can induce labor.
  After the new baby is born, the mother needs to ensure that the new baby gets his rightful share of the colostrum and the milk and she needs to be aware of the danger of cross-infection between both children. Most women who nurse a baby and a toddler take pains to nurse the infant first. Many use explanations, agreements, and delaying tactics to lessen the number of times the older child nurses. (Some of these are suggested in Chapter 18.)
  Tandem nursing is not a decision to be undertaken lightly, and it is not for everyone. There's no evidence, however, that the practice is harmful to the new baby, either while in the womb or after birth, if his needs are kept paramount.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, expert.

Could i know the percentage of having a healthy baby in the stage of tandem nursing ?

How to ensure if the mom has the full nutrition esp. during colostrum ?   how does it harmful to the womb ?

My first baby was delivered while operation.

Answer
Dear Bobo,

I don't know of any research that gives the exact percentage of having a healthy baby during tandem nursing, but I do know that the chances are quite good -- assuming you do not deprive the new baby of breast milk.

Mom's nutrition during the colostrum stage will be fine -- even if you're not very hungry right after delivery of your baby. The colostrum has been developed during the late stages of your pregnancy.

Breastfeeding is not harmful to the womb. In fact, it is helpful in that it helps to shrink the uterus.

Regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.