Breast milk during pregnancy
Breastfeeding while pregnant | Pregnancy Birth and Baby
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You can carry on breastfeeding while you’re pregnant with your next child, without causing any harm to your toddler or your unborn baby. Here’s what you need to know if you decide to breastfeed while pregnant.
Is it safe to breastfeed while pregnant?
You might choose to breastfeed through your next pregnancy for several reasons. For example, you might unexpectedly fall pregnant while your first baby is still young (it is possible to fall pregnant while breastfeeding, even if your periods haven’t come back). Or you might not be ready to wean your toddler yet (weaning usually happens any time between birth and age 3).
Whatever the reason, it is usually perfectly safe to breastfeed while pregnant. Your body will carry on producing enough milk to nourish your older child, while your unborn baby will get all the nutrients they need from your body.
Breastfeeding does trigger mild contractions. These are safe in uncomplicated pregnancies, but if you are at risk of preterm labour — for example, if you are expecting twins or more, or if you have had a miscarriage or preterm birth in the past — then seek advice from your doctor or midwife.
Looking after your first child
Your breastmilk will still provide your first child with the nutrients they need. However, you are likely to produce less milk as your pregnancy progresses. Also, the content of your milk will change as you start to produce colostrum, and it might taste different. These changes might lead your older child to wean themselves at some point during your pregnancy. This often happens around the 5-month mark.
Colostrum is a natural laxative, so your older child’s poo might be more liquid than normal.
This is nothing to worry about.
If your older child is less than 1 year of age when you fall pregnant, keep a close watch to make sure they’re putting on enough weight after your milk changes. You may need to introduce extra feeds if they are still relying on breastmilk for their nutrition. Talk to your maternal child health nurse for advice.
How to look after yourself
Breastfeeding while pregnant can make your breasts sore and your nipples tender. You might find you are even more tired or experience worse morning sickness than you normally would during pregnancy.
These side effects are due to your pregnancy hormones. They may clear up after the first trimester, but for some women they last the entire pregnancy. It can help if you make sure your older child is attached well, or change your position while breastfeeding.
You can look after yourself by eating well, making sure you are well hydrated, and getting plenty of rest. You don’t need to take lots of vitamin or mineral supplements — your body will adjust to making breastmilk and nourishing your unborn baby at the same time.
After the baby is born
You can keep feeding your older child after the baby is born. This is called tandem feeding. Your newborn will still get all the colostrum they need. You don’t have to limit your older child to one side.
There are different ways of tandem feeding. You could feed both children at the same time (you might need some cushions to prop you up or you might find it easier lying down). Or you could feed the newborn first and then your older child.
You might find your older child wants to feed all the time because you have a lot of milk. If you like, you can limit their feeds. You might also find that your newborn has trouble coping with your let down reflex because you are producing so much milk. You could try feeding your older child first then attaching the newborn to the other breast after the milk has started to flow.
How to wean your older child
If you decide to wean your older child, it’s a good idea to do this while you’re still pregnant so they don’t have to cope with so many adjustments after the baby is born.
If you would like to encourage your older child to wean while you are pregnant, you could try weaning them slowly by delaying feeds or encouraging shorter feeds. If your child is old enough, explain to them that your breasts feel sore.
For more tips, see weaning.
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.
Sources:
American Pregnancy Association (Breastfeeding while pregnant), Australian Breastfeeding Association (Breastfeeding through pregnancy and beyond)Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: September 2021
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Related pages
- Weaning
- Breastfeeding your baby
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When and Why It Happens
You can expect certain things during pregnancy: You may be queasy, your feet might swell, and you’ll have various aches, pains, and discomforts as your belly grows.
But other pregnancy experiences may take you by surprise. For example, did you know that you may leak breast milk during pregnancy?
Leaking milk during pregnancy — or finding dried breast milk on your nipples — is a strange but perfectly typical part of pregnancy. This happens because your breasts begin to produce colostrum as your body prepares for nursing.
Colostrum is a form of milk that is more nutrient-dense than mature breast milk. It also contains a variety of antibodies, including an important one called immunoglobulin A (IgA). IgA helps protect baby from infection and develop their immune system.
Toward the end of pregnancy, some of this colostrum may leak out of the nipples.
Here’s what to know about leaking breast milk during pregnancy — why it happens, when it happens, and what to do if it happens to you.
Leaking breast milk during pregnancy isn’t something that’s talked about often. You usually think of milk leaking as an event that happens after your baby is born.
But the changes that your breasts go through during pregnancy mean that your body starts making milk even before baby arrives. Starting at the mid-point in pregnancy, your body produces colostrum, according to 2021 research.
Colostrum is considered your baby’s first milk because it ensures that your little one will get that milk as soon as they start suckling after birth. It makes sense to plan ahead, right?
So the short answer is: Yes, milk can and does often leak during pregnancy. Not every expectant parent leaks milk during pregnancy, but many do.
This doesn’t mean that milk leaks all over the place and is plentiful at this point. But many people will find little whitish or yellowish drops of colostrum on their nipples, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) explains. Often, this milk is dried and crusted on your nipples or the inside of your bra or shirt.
Soon after — or sometimes even before — you get your positive pregnancy test result, you may notice changes in your breasts. In fact, breast changes are often the first indication that you are pregnant.
Usually, by the 5th or 6th week of pregnancy, your breasts begin to feel heavy, sore, and tender to the touch. Your nipples may darken and you may notice tiny little bumps on your areolas, called Montgomery’s glands.
All these changes have to do with the fact that your breasts are getting ready to become milk-making factories.
Hormones like estrogen and progesterone lead to changes inside your breasts, too. Milk glands and ducts start to form and multiply.
Between the 12th and 16th week, alveolar cells in your breasts start to produce colostrum. Usually, though, any leaking of colostrum doesn’t happen until sometime in the third trimester of pregnancy, according to 2021 research.
During pregnancy, your body is doing everything it can to prepare for the upcoming birth of your baby.
As your second trimester ends and your third trimester begins, your breasts are ready to feed your baby in case they arrive earlier than expected.
The colostrum your body is producing will be “on tap” as soon as your little one is born. At times, it may leak even before baby makes their appearance.
It’s not clear why some people leak more colostrum than others. You may leak colostrum but not notice it until you see yellowish stains on your nipples or find dried up specks of colostrum on your nipples. Usually, there isn’t a large amount of liquid.
It’s important to note that leaking colostrum during pregnancy doesn’t mean that you will have too much milk once your baby is born. And not leaking milk during pregnancy doesn’t mean you will have less milk when baby arrives.
All bodies are different, and some people just seem to leak more milk than others — during pregnancy and after.
As mentioned, if you do find yourself leaking milk during pregnancy, you are seeing colostrum.
This sticky, yellowish-orangish substance is the first milk that your baby will drink, and it will be ready as soon as they are born. Colostrum is small in amount but full of nutrition and immune-boosting goodness for your baby.
Colostrum has some special features that distinguish it from the mature milk that baby will receive a few days after birth when your milk “comes in.” For example, colostrum:
- is higher in protein and lower in fat and carbohydrates than mature milk
- shields your baby from infection, in part because of increased amounts of secretory IgA
- protects your baby’s gut and helps establish a healthy microbiome
When you are producing colostrum, your breasts will not be especially full yet. That’s completely typical. As long as you nurse frequently (8 to 12 times per day is best), your baby will get all they need.
About 3 to 5 days after giving birth, you will notice that your breasts feel fuller. This means your body is transitioning to more mature milk, which will be whiter in color and much more abundant.
If you notice some leaking milk during pregnancy, don’t panic. It may catch you off guard, especially if you weren’t aware of this as a common phenomenon in pregnancy, but it’s typical and happens frequently.
Still, you may have concerns about what’s happening. You may worry that you have too much leaking milk or not enough. Again, the amount you leak — or whether you leak at all — does not relate to what your milk supply will be like after your baby is born. Every person is different when it comes to leaking milk during pregnancy.
If you have any questions or concerns about what is happening, contact your OB-GYN, midwife, or a lactation consultant.
Breast milk leakage during pregnancy may include yellow, orange, or whitish milk. This milk may leak on its own or when you roll or squeeze your areola.
You may find stains or dried up flakes on your clothing or bra. You may also find flakes on your nipples. All of that is par for the course during pregnancy.
However, you should speak to your healthcare professional about certain breast changes.
If you notice blood leaking from your breasts or staining your clothing, alert your doctor or midwife.
In rare instances, you may show signs of breast cancer during pregnancy, according to 2020 research. According to ACOG, symptoms may include:
- warmth, reddening, and dimpled skin
- blistering of the breast skin (ulcers)
- ongoing crusting or scaling of the nipple skin (not to be confused with crusted milk, which can be cleaned off)
- changes in nipple shape
Still, most changes in the breast — including size increases, soreness, darkening of areolas, and milk leakage — are expected during pregnancy and not a cause for alarm.
Finding breast milk on your nipples or on your bra or clothes during pregnancy can certainly come as a surprise. You may worry that something is wrong with your pregnancy or with your body.
These are natural concerns, but leaking milk during pregnancy is very common. It’s a promising sign that your body is getting ready to produce breast milk for baby!
If you have any further questions about leaking milk during pregnancy or any other changes your body is going through to prepare for birth and breastfeeding or chestfeeding, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor or midwife.
New pregnancy while breastfeeding - what to do?
Number of views: 135 301
You are pregnant while breastfeeding. You are faced with a difficult choice: you do not plan to terminate the pregnancy, and the first-born is still too small to wean him from the breast. How to be? Is it possible to breastfeed during pregnancy? What is it fraught with?
Breastfeeding pregnancy - heart of the matter
Even 300 years ago there was no question of stopping breastfeeding during pregnancy. The woman had no choice - a small child needs food, and there were practically no alternatives to mother's milk.
Today, a pregnant woman can receive a categorical recommendation from doctors as a matter of urgency to wean the firstborn from the breast. Yes, sometimes the completion of breastfeeding is dictated by the interests of pregnancy . But more often than not, it's overkill. Unless there is a clear medical indication, whether or not to feed during pregnancy, and if so, for how long – decision of parents , not doctors and relatives.
The medical side of the issue
Very cautious The decision to continue breastfeeding during pregnancy is worthwhile for women who have experienced preterm labor, recurrent spontaneous miscarriages, or are currently at risk of preterm labor . Here it is important to carefully weigh all the pros and cons, listen to the opinion of your doctor. nine0003 Physicians recommending interruption of breastfeeding are afraid that the onset of pregnancy during breastfeeding may end in miscarriage or the fetus will not grow and develop harmoniously. The reason doctors fear miscarriage or premature delivery is the effect of oxytocin on the uterus. Hormone oxytocin causes milk flushes and uterine contractions . That is, theoretically, each time breastfeeding, a woman can provoke uterine contractions, which will lead to a miscarriage. But in practice, things don't quite work out that way. Yes, frequent nipple stimulation can trigger labor pains in a full-term woman. And putting the newborn to the chest allows the uterus to contract after childbirth and return to its previous state. But nature is wise and in most cases breastfeeding does not harm women with normal pregnancies. Once again, we note that we are talking about the norm ! The state of the uterus at the beginning of pregnancy is different from the state "before delivery or immediately after". She has low ability to absorb oxytocin. Between the 1st and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, the number of oxytocin receptors increases 12-fold. The low ability of the uterus to absorb oxytocin at the beginning of pregnancy suggests that 90,005 HBs will not cause 90,006 effective contractions. One of the reasons recently given by doctors who advocate stopping breastfeeding during pregnancy was the impossibility of prescribing medications . Will the body of a nursing mother be able to provide fetus with all the substances necessary for harmonious development? Good and balanced a feeding woman will have no problem meeting the needs of her baby and unborn child. Of course, she needs a nutritious diet , as well as vitamins that the doctor will prescribe. The problem will arise in case of a lack of nutrients. The deficit will be satisfied at the expense of the resources of the mother's body. The kids will get theirs, but the woman may be emaciated. nine0003 The peculiarities of breastfeeding during a new pregnancy are as follows: Breastfeeding for a child is not only food , but also contact with mother , comfort. There are situations (illness, stress) when the baby is is better left on GV . The ability to suck on his mother's breast has a beneficial effect on his emotional and physical condition. Pregnancy while breastfeeding means very little difference between babies. Jealousy and competition for mother's attention are inevitable here. Many women find that tandem feeding helps them cope with the jealousy of an elder and problems with childcare with a slight age difference. An article about tandem feeding will soon appear in the online magazine MamExpert. One of the mothers of the MamExpert community shared her own experience with us. We gratefully publish her opinion: “I breastfed during pregnancy and in tandem for over a year. And all this period I had to listen to scoldings, starting from the gynecologist in the LCD consultation and up to the head of the department of the 2nd maternity hospital (from her after the birth). Both young and experienced mothers have many questions about breastfeeding. Come to our breastfeeding course! Here you will gain knowledge that will give you a real understanding of what breastfeeding is. You will understand what to do if something goes wrong. Gain self-confidence and be able to enjoy breastfeeding.⠀ Would you like to take a course? Sign up here: https://www. Pregnancy while breastfeeding is not uncommon. In a similar situation, according to studies, are up to 40% of women. When deciding whether to feed or not, it is important to take into account the state of oneself and the baby, feelings, relationships in the family. In most cases, this is not a medical issue, but a parental decision. nine0003 Author of the article: Daria Sovina comments powered by HyperComments and in breast milk. And often in such a situation it is possible to hear from a gynecologist that the child needs to be weaned urgently, because stimulation of the nipples can lead to neither more nor less, but to termination of pregnancy (receptors in the uterus will perceive breast sucking as a signal to contract the walls, which can provoke premature birth). Is it so? Let's figure it out. nine0003 In fact, if your doctor recommends that you stop breastfeeding, it is important to understand the reason for the request. If we talk about the reaction of the uterus to oxytocin released during feeding, then it is very small until the last weeks of pregnancy, since the fetus has not yet matured and the time for childbirth has not yet come, and the number of receptors in the uterus that are sensitive to oxytocin is still very small. If the mother retains breastfeeding until the last days, then RECEPTORS IN THE UTERUS DO NOT REACT THIS WAY TO IRRITATION OF THE NIPPLES , since this process continues in the background throughout the pregnancy, that is, it does not represent anything different from the usual state. When all indicators of mother's health are normal, then THERE IS NO REASON TO STOP NATURAL FEEDING. Nipple sensitivity . This is a fairly common problem and should be taken into account. First of all, you will have to reduce the time of breast sucking and the frequency of attachments. For this child, you can distract with conversations, and it is also recommended to water him more so that the baby does not seek to quench his thirst with breast milk. Decreased milk supply towards the middle of pregnancy. nine0006 During this period, lactation is greatly reduced, and for some mothers, milk may even disappear for several days or even weeks. This period can be used for gentle weaning, or you can keep the attachment, thus maintaining contact with the baby. Complete nutrition. A pregnant and breastfeeding woman simply needs to get a varied diet, complex supplements and vitamins will also be useful. It is important to remember that the body distributes nutrients first to the growing fetus, then to milk, and the rest to the mother herself. The double load - pregnancy and breastfeeding - should be fully compensated by adequate nutrition, rich in all the necessary vitamins and minerals. nine0003 More rest. It is important for a future mother to understand that she receives an increased load on her body, comparable to carrying twins, so timely and proper rest is vital for her! Looking for helpers and asking for help from loved ones in such a situation is not a whim, but a necessity. Carrying on hands. It is impossible to refuse to carry the older child in her arms when a new pregnancy appears, especially if at the time of its onset the baby is less than a year old.
nine0003 
Now the list of drugs allowed for hepatitis B has expanded significantly. Women have the opportunity to receive medical care in the required volume. nine0003 Nutrition of the expectant mother
Difficulties to be encountered
A woman may feel unexpected attacks of pain in the nipples or breasts, they are provoked by hormonal changes in the body. You can solve the issue with lanolin . Due to its viscosity, it blocks the nerve endings on the nipple and reduces sensitivity . Lanolin can be applied a few minutes before feeding in a thin layer.
The onset of pregnancy during breastfeeding leads to hormonal changes in the body. As a result, the amount of lactose in milk is reduced, but the amount of sodium increases. The taste of milk changes. Arguments "for"
If mommy can organize the feeding of the eldest without harming herself and the unborn baby, this will be the best way out. Comment of a tandem-feeding mother
Moreover, in the period from 36 weeks until delivery (41.1), the doctors were glad that I was breastfeeding, hoping that this would stimulate labor early, since the fetus was large. The first contraction really came during feeding, but already at 41.1. The boy was born 57 cm 4375 gr. Then even the dermatologist tried to stick his nose into my breastfeeding. And about pediatricians who strictly say that after a year there is nothing to feed children with breast milk, I generally keep quiet. This is a personal matter for everyone, and sticking your nose into someone else's GV is at least not competent! Only one doctor in the ambulance could explain to me why our doctors demand so much to stop breastfeeding early: to make it easier to treat mothers if they get sick. If someone would give me some more intelligible argument against breastfeeding after a year, and this applies to both state institutions and adult and pediatric medicine, as well as paid centers. nine0003 
Each baby is individual and with him parents can get into a situation that did not arise with older children! MamExpert courses will help you not to succumb to difficulties and find a solution to any issue. Course speaker
Inna Shabelnikova - certified lactation consultant, leading lecturer MamExpert and mother of three children - Every day I come across mothers who have been told that they are "not dairy", that their milk is not nutritious enough for the baby and much more .. . utter. These are all myths! The limits are only in your head! You will be able to feed, enjoy it and give the child all the best! nine0149
mamexpert.by/ochnye-kursy/ or call +375 44 553 20 50! Breastfeeding during pregnancy
Why do doctors insist on stopping lactation during pregnancy?
If there is a threat of termination of pregnancy due to, say, the tone of the uterus, then TERMINATION OF BREASTFEEDING WILL NOT SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. This will require a comprehensive solution to the problem, perhaps even hospitalization. 
Mom does not have new responsibilities for caring for a child who is learning to fall asleep without a breast, and the hormonal background does not change. Everything remains the same, which, of course, has a beneficial effect on the well-being of a pregnant woman. nine0003 What are the difficulties you may face while breastfeeding during pregnancy?
By the third trimester, colostrum most often already appears. What should mothers pay attention to when breastfeeding during pregnancy?
