by Kathleen Richardson

Created on: July 20, 2008   Last Updated: September 08, 2008

Deciding whether to continue breastfeeding your toddler when you find out you're pregnant is a highly personal decision. So is the question of whether or not to continue nursing that toddler once the baby is born and you're nursing the baby.

In my nine years as a La Leche League Leader I saw many such situations and as many varying decisions about what to do. For some mothers it was a blessing to become pregnant and finally find the strength to tell their toddler (or sometimes, a preschooler) that the milk was going to belong to the new baby.

Other mothers had no problem with the idea of nursing through pregnancy. Some felt a bit of discomfort during their toddler's nursing because of the normal sensitivity of the breasts of a pregnant woman. Others had no discomfort and enjoyed the continued closeness while breastfeeding their toddler knowing these would be the final months that the two of them shared exclusively.

There is no reason to discontinue breastfeeding during pregnancy or after your baby's birth. As I stated above, it's a personal choice. You and your husband can talk this over between yourselves. You may find that you make the choice to continue and then one day decide to change your minds, and that's okay, too.

It's important to find out how other mothers have handled this situation. One or more of their solutions may be helpful to you. Attending the regular monthly La Leche League meetings, and in particular their extra meetings that sometimes focus on ideas such as the needs of toddlers, tandem nursing, etc., is going to give you a wealth of information and the support of other pregnant and nursing women, some of whom have already been through what you're anticipating.

One surprising piece of information you might hear is that sometimes your nursling will notice a difference in the taste of your milk. Your body knows exactly what is going on and gives priority to the infant by returning to its production of colostrum which is the beginning milk that the infant needs. Some toddlers decide not to nurse anymore at this point because Mommy's milk tastes "yucky". Others keep right on; they either don't notice the difference or don't care.

Your older nursling can feel left out at the birth of his baby sister or brother. Nursing both, even at the same time (you have two breast, so it works), may be just what your child needs to have a close introduction to this new family member. He or she will feel important and often reach over to gently pat the infant.

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