Pregnant and Nursing
I am nursing a 20-month-old and am five weeks pregnant. My daughter nurses often at night, especially lately. In the last few days, I have noticed that my breasts seem to have shrunk back to pre-pregnancy size. They are not just empty, they are tiny! Has my milk supply decreased already? I try to eat a lot, but I have no extra fat left after nursing this long. I would like to get my daughter to nurse less, especially at night, but I do not want to wean her until she is ready to wean herself. Thank you for any advice you can give me.
-- momjoy
Question:Many moms find that their breasts do go back to pre-pregnancy size. Breast size has nothing to do with the amount of milk you are making. It is actually a sign of body fat. It sounds like you are having a hard time keeping fat on your body (you must be the envy of all your friends), which would be the reason for the decrease in breast size.
As for nursing through the pregnancy, you will have to be especially careful that everything you eat is high in nutrition. Leave the junk food at the grocery store. And since you have no extra body fat from which your body can draw when nutrition is lacking, you must be sure to eat a variety of foods, including some higher in fats and calories. Your doctor may suggest you use some nutritional supplement drinks. If you get the "Plus" version, you will get a lot more of the fats and calories that you need now. Another option is to use instant breakfast powders.
Many moms find that their milk supply decreases around the 15th week of pregnancy. Five weeks is rather early for that to occur though. Some toddlers may wean themselves during pregnancy, owing to the lower milk supply, while others nurse right through the dry spell and are rewarded with an abundance of milk once the baby is born. You will have to decide whether tandem nursing, which means nursing two siblings who are not twins, is for you. The night nursing may slow down or stop when your milk supply dwindles later in the pregnancy.
-- LLLisaT
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