Does getting pregnant decrease milk supply if you're breastfeeding?

Answer 1

Not that I am aware of

Answer 2

Actually the information Lady Trinity provided is NOT correct though it is often repeated.

Only around 26% of babies/todder's self wean during pregnant. The 57% and 69% that are frequently quoted include ALL babies who were not nursing at the end of pregnancy regardless of reason. Both studies that are frequently quoted find that only 26% of babies SELF wean the rest is mother-led weaning.

Which of course is completely different. Mind you it leads to the same outcome, but baby-led weaning isn't preventable and mother-led weaning is a choice -sometimes an unavoidable choice but not always. Neither even took into account the mother's intentions, it could very well be that some of the women included intended to wean during their pregnancy but were included in the study.

However there is a statistic that has not to my knowledge been very well studies and that is the number of babies who continue nursing in spite of their being no milk (which happens). Or the number of babies who require supplimentation with a breastmilk substitute because of a decreased supply.

Also rarely studied is the number of babies that return to nursing after birth when the milk is plentiful again. Though it is a common occurance for an older sibling to wish to share in the nursing with the new infant. It is, of course, up to the mother and some older siblings will only nurse a few times out of curiosity and some will return to nursing full time.

Of course sometime between the 4th and 8th month of pregnancy you will produce colostrum. However if the nursling is willing to continue this is no reason to wean. And while there may be "less" of it (or not) colostrum is very high in calories, nutrients, and antibodies. The only thing to note is that colostrum is a laxative so expect changes in stooling which may interfere with potty training. (Or then again it may help potty training if your nursling has been straining and holding things in).


I am pregnant, about 6 weeks. And last week when I went to the mall I ended up leaking everywhere *lol* So far that hasn't happened again. But my one year old is still nursing as much as ever.

However, I would really consider the impact to your nursling if you are planning to get pregnant, in case you/they wean for whatever reason. Breastmilk is very important, even past the first year. To be honest I wasn't planning to be pregnant this soon. But I will muddle through somehow

"ndeed, weaning before the age of two has been found to raise a child’s risk of illness.2 American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a minimum of one year of breastfeeding, and the World Health Organization calls for two years or more. Moreover, continued breastfeeding can be helpful to your toddler’s adjustment to a new baby. Besides, what better way to rest your tired pregnant body while caring for an active baby or toddler?"
http://nursingtwo.kellymom.com/articles/bfpregnancy_safety.html

Answer 3

Hi there Sweetie. I have to applaud your efforts to breastfeed during your pregnancy. You are a very wise, forward thinking woman. It is not all that often that I run into someone as well informed as you are!
Having said that I can tell you this. In a study that the La Leche League did they found that 69% of all babies in the study (less than 1000 babies) weaned themselves at some time during their pregnancy.
As far as your milk supply decreasing the only time that it really does that by itself (not because of less nursing on the mother or the babies part) is around the 4th month when for some reason there is a decrease. Certain babies will not want to nurse during the very beginning when it seems that some babies just notice a change in the taste of the milk that they do not care for. The other time that a baby will stop nursing by himself is during the last month or so of pregnancy when milk starts to change to colosturm.
If you continue to eat well while you are pregnant, and perhaps a bit more than normal, aside from these times, your baby should continue to nurse.
In my opinion (and what I did) the perfect time to wean the baby ( as they say at La Leche "gently and with love;") is at that 4th month point when the milk is becoming less and less abundant. It seems to me sort of the natural time to stop, rather a cue from your body that this is a good time. It is what I did when I was pregnant with my 3rd while nursing my one year old 2nd child.
Of course it is possible to nurse both babies if that is what you really want to do though you may be surprised at how protective you feel toward the new baby. You might want to read the book "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hilary Flower, it deals with this situation in detail.
Good luck with your new baby and with the breastfeeding. What a wonderful mother you are to still be nursing your other baby. Your new little one is a very lucky baby. How great to know that he or she will be getting the very best from his/her mother! Again, congratulations!
Take good care of yourself honey and happy breastfeeding!
Lady Trinity~

Answer 4

Lady Trinity is correct in her information for you, so I won't repeat it for you. I'll just share my personal experience and some very helpful links.

I became pregnant when I was still nursing my 11 month old daughter. I didn't realize I was pregnant at first, when she suddenly stopped nursing one day, exactly one week after my second child was conceived. For three weeks, I tried desperately to get her to nurse, thinking she was on a nursing strike. When she repeatedly refused the breast (rather nonchalantly, I might add -- it didn't seem to bother her one bit!), I tried to pump. I pumped for a good 20 minutes on each side and couldn't even cover the bottom of a bottle. I tried Mother's Milk Tea and Fenugreek with NO results. What little milk I had stored in the freezer, I tried to give my daughter in a cup. She simply had no interest whatsoever. You can imagine my surprise when I finally took a pregnancy test. I only took the test because it was the "spare" that came in the box I bought when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. It was about to expire, and I thought it would be a waste to throw it away without using it, so I used it and was completely shocked to learn that I was pregnant! That's when I realized what had happened and why my daughter had quit nursing.

I've heard different studies quoted about babies who wean themselves during pregnancy. It is difficult to separate the data between those who truly wean themselves and those who are weaned by the mother. In fact, according to one of the websites I listed below, "in one study of La Leche League mothers breastfeeding during pregnancy, 26% of the children self-weaned, 28% of the mothers led weaning, and the other 46% went on to tandem nurse." It is certainly true that some babies choose to wean, and some mothers even dry up (although I hear this is not common). If you are willing and if your body and your older child allow, you can continue to nurse throughout pregnancy and then tandem nurse two children after giving birth.

Good luck to you and congratulations!

Answer 5

It may decrease your milk supply, if you do not increase your nutritional intake or you decrease how frequently you are feeding your little one. Keep in mind that your breast may become sore from the pregnancy, but if you can get thought that - Happy Breastfeeding & good luck with the pregnancy.