La Leche League (TMI for some, Breastfeeding support)

[Yosemite Joy]

I have looked everywhere and can not locate a LLL advocate in the Oakhurst area.. Madera area... Yosemite area..

My midwife recently had major concerns about my nursing while pregnant, and I feel I have little support. Though I love my midwife, she delivered my third baby,
I feel critisized and put off. I feel that I am well versed in the pros and cons of BF while PG, and have made a sound decision with everyone's health in mind.

I have read many, many articles, books (AP and/or Tandem nursing books), personal accounts of nursing while pregnant. I nurse my son on demand, throughout the day and at night (we co-sleep too, but that is another horror Pediatrician story). I plan to BF my 11 1/2 month old until he weans himself and/or tandem nurse him with the baby. Now I feel alone and discouraged. I doubt that I am doing the right thing, and though the only medical study I could find was done in a third world country, it does conclude that the infants born to mothers who kept BF while pregnant were malnourished, underdeveloped and sometimes premature. This is no 3rd world country, and I am well nourished. I have actually begun gaining weight at a higher rate because of nursing and pregnant. I drink plenty of water, and juice, milk, etc. I eat quite well, though sometimes crave chocolate/carmel apples, and frozen yogurt (TCBY, where are you when I need you?). I have gained 6 lbs in 12 weeks, but feel fine. Very concerned now that I am wrong.

Anyone have any experience in this?

Does anyone know of a present or former LL League advocate in the area? I am thinking about calling a new store I found in Fresno called Mommy Matters and asking them to refer me to someone because I feel desperate. Beginning to hope that when my colostrum comes he weans himself. Stress while pregnant seems more detrimental than nursing to me, but I am not a DR, CMW, or RN.. Help!

[Dodgergirl]

Personally, I believe if you're well nourished, there shouldn't be a problem to nurse while pregnant. As for tandem nursing, just keep yourself healthy & continue your vitamins. We have a friend who nurses her daughter, and pumps for two nieces. Her only problem is the discomfort of large breasts.
Have you asked Helping Hands for a referral? They should have some information. I also know a local Doula, but cannot find her phone number. I'll keep looking, she is a plethora of information.
I cannot understand your mid wives reasoning, unless there are factors not included in this post. If the baby is developing at a normal rate, and the infant is also, what are her concerns? Maybe she is just concerned for your well being... Doesn't want you to be tired, etc.,
I would think the stress of telling you not to do something you believe in is worse for the development of both children, as well as yourself, than the possibility of a currently phantom issue (which will present itself if it becomes a problem).


I'm sure you have all of this, but...

http://lalecheleague.org/vbulletin/ (Forums)

http://www.lllusa.org/NCAHI/group.htm (general info) (if you register on this site you can get access the Leaders in our area. I don't see a Madera Co, but there is a Fresno Co.)

http://www.lllusa.org/NCAHI/FresnoCountyCA.html (Meetings)

[Yosemite Joy]

There is absolutley nothing that I have left out. There are no underlying issues that the Midwife gave me as to her "concern" for my fetus and pregnancy. It all sounded quite generic to me. She said that the hormones released while nursing can start contractions later in pregnancy. (to which I replied, that I am only almost in 2nd Trimester and don't know if Lin will wean himself with the colostrum, why worry about 5 months from now?). None the less she believes that nursing is detrimental to the fetus and myself. She never mentioned my mental well being and comfort. (ouch! it does hurt now, but feel it is worth the pain).

I would love to talk to a Doula. I looked for one when I was pregnant with Lin and couldn't find one up here.

I found the Fresno meetings....I may be able to do the night one.

Argh.

Thanks for the advice DG..

[candyappleisland]

wow! Thats really hard to have that happen. None of us mothers have medical degrees. But we do know our bodies and our children. So its always scary to go against the advise of someone in the medical field even if it feels like the right thing to do.

I nursed my 2.5 yr old till my 7th month. I was more sensitive, but no problems. I have a friend who nursed through her pregancy with a young baby and tandem nurses now. I'll ask and maybe you can talk to her. She also worked as a ped nurse.

LLL is a fabulous resource, you should go if you can manage.

Sometimes people just have issues and they advise people accordingly. One ped we saw was continually worried about sleep. Another was continually pushing me to start solid foods. No other reason than they "felt" it was the best thing. Not from research or observations, but more personal reasons. We sometimes forget medical proffesionals are people too. They care and they want to help and sometimes they step over the line.

A great (and I mean absolutely the most wonderful person in the world) mid-wife is Marilyn Steinberg at Creekside in Coarsegold. She does home births in the area.

Good luck! Please share what you find out.

[oakhurstleaf]

I have experience with this. I nursed both my first two children during subsequent pregnancies. They both naturally weaned with a little push on my part while I was in about the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy... due to the milk changing and reducing and it just getting a little too painful for me. If you wanna talk or PM me...feel free. I too came acros an OB who advised me to wean early in the pregnancy, but I retorted my LLL information. As long as you don't have a history of high risk pregnancies, no worries.

Fetus will take all it needs, nursing baby second, and mommy last. So eat well...for everyone.

Sex can cause contractions too...did she tell you to stop that? http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif Anyway...both my children (my boys) who I was pregnant with while nursing...were full-term, babies (both 8 lb'ers). Totally complication-free pregnancies. I nursed my first two about 18 mo each...if I had weaned them when I became pregnant, they just weren't anywhere near ready.

Doctors are not infallible...you'll find this a lot.

[Yosemite Joy]

Thanks so much for the replies! I am thrilled to find that I am not alone in my plight. I feel that Linus (especially with his three new teeth coming through) would get a bum deal if I forced him to wean (at all). My children all nursed until they weaned themselves, around 20 months give or take.

I may support Linus weaning when my colostrum comes because I feel that nursing him now is making me physically exhausted. I take extra iron, plus a prenatal and a DHA supplement a day. I have never been so exhausted in my life, and I am negative for anemia.

I am just going to take it one day at a time. And go by the information I have read about nursing while pregnant, damned by my Middie or not.

If something were going wrong I think that I would feel it instinctively. I feel terrific other than the tiredness (in addition to Linus I have two other kids, a 3 1/2 year old boy, and an almost 6 year old) which could be the reason as well.

I fully agree that Docs are people with opinions... I had an incident with a pediatrician in town who told me I must start my child on solids at 4 months, and I told him no way. He listened to my reasons, and decided that it would be fine in my situation to put off solids. That is the kind of communication I desire in a doctor. My midwife was short and to the point with no real talking being done on my part. Next appt I will take the opportunity to state my case, maybe print some things out that she is unaware of, and she will back off a little. Otherwise it may be in all of our best interests for me to seek out another middie before I get too far along.

[oakhurstleaf]

That just blows me away. My first was born in 1996 and even then the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was recommending that solids not be introduced until 6 months of age. "4 months" is old school and outdated...long outdated. Goes to show that there's not only a lot of opinion, but also a lot of outdated, possibly detrimental information being handed out on a regular basis by medical "professionals". So, as I've come to believe...and this happened pretty much when I was a first-time expectant mother. Read lots and learn much and then ask questions. Do not take anything and everything as the gospel. They don't all know what they're talking about, and in some cases, they just haven't taken time to learn and absorb the latest medical findings and even recommendations and guidelines set forth by their own expert peers.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Yosemite Joy: I fully agree that Docs are people with opinions... I had an incident with a pediatrician in town who told me I must start my child on solids at 4 months, and I told him no way. He listened to my reasons, and decided that it would be fine in my situation to put off solids. That is the kind of communication I desire in a doctor.
QUOTE]

[candyappleisland]

Maybe getting some extra protein will help your energy level, you can get it in a wonderful powder form (glop flavored, YUM!)

and a nap will do you wonders! try to make that happen.