Can I breastfeed during pregnancy?

If you follow all the rules and advice, then after pregnancy at least two years must pass to start the next baby. The body needs so much time to recover completely after breastfeeding, bearing the fetus, childbirth. During this period, all the necessary nutrients and minerals will appear in the body. When such a time is not sustained, the female body falls into harsh conditions and must spend its own resources to fully support the work of a nascent child. The next pregnancy becomes risky.

What to expect for an older child

For the infant, the most useful and nutritious product is always mother's milk. It is best suited for the baby and is rich in unique, valuable vitamins. This is very important in the first six months of a child’s life, since his gastrointestinal tract cannot yet digest other types of products, therefore the value of mother’s milk is especially significant for this period. But, there is one caveat - this is that during a new pregnancy, mothers begin hormonal changes. Due to this, milk can change the taste, which the baby will be unusual and unpleasant, as a result of which the baby may refuse to breast. Of course, then the baby needs to be transferred to feeding with artificial mixtures.

It’s not worth worrying ahead of time, this happens, but not always. The mother herself decides whether to feed her baby with breast milk or not, it depends on the age of the child and, of course, his health. Medical experts do not recommend giving up on HB if a baby is born prematurely, has tendencies for allergies, stomach diseases, his body has received antibiotics, or there are signs of rickets. It will be good for the baby’s health if breastfeeding continues for at least six months.

Maternal health

During pregnancy, a woman’s body is subjected to various loads, stresses and rearrangements, each process and each organ begin to work differently. When a woman expects the appearance of a baby, and during this period breastfeeds an existing one, then this is a threat to a second pregnancy. The body is difficult to cope with such loads. After the examination, the gynecologist must decide with the mother whether her body will cope with it or not. This situation is assessed by some criteria:

• how old is the woman;
• what her health was before pregnancy;
• are there any chronic diseases;
• how was the previous pregnancy and the present;
• is there a threat of miscarriage;
• how a pregnant mother feels at this moment.

The well-being of the mother is an important indicator, but the results of analyzes are no less important. For example, if the hemoglobin level in the blood is low, then the body does not have enough iron. But, if it falls to a critical level, then this threatens the development of fetal hypoxia. That is, the oxygen supply through the placenta is small, it is not enough, and subsequently this negatively affects the development of the baby’s nervous system.

Mid pregnancy

Usually, breast-feeding ceases no later than the twentieth week, in the second trimester. For this period, milk is already produced in smaller quantities. It is important to know that if complications of pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, abortion during past pregnancies are possible, hemoglobin has fallen, severe toxicosis, uterine diseases, etc. are present, this is a good reason to stop breastfeeding much earlier - up to 12 weeks.

Fact! Often stop breastfeeding due to the increased sensitivity of the nipples, which appears during a new pregnancy. For each woman, this happens differently at different weeks of pregnancy.

Body maintenance

After a woman talks to a doctor and gets advice from him, she decides whether to continue breastfeeding or not. If such a decision is positive, then you should take care of your body, now it needs more than ever balanced and proper nutrition.

A woman in a position will benefit from vitamins for pregnant women, but you should not pay much attention to medications, the body will better perceive a natural, nutritional vitamin. Also, you should not take everything in a row, this can oversaturated the body with individual components and not the best way to affect the future baby. Turn more attention to minerals and vitamins, which are at risk, they are most in demand by the body during pregnancy and lactation. These vitamins include calcium and magnesium, folic acid, phosphorus and of course iron.

The main building material for pregnancy is protein, so you should use more products with its content. After the pregnant woman stops breastfeeding, you still need to take vitamins, since before that the body worked at maximum modes and now such care will not be superfluous to him.

Avoid jealousy and competition

It is important when the second child appears not to forget about the feelings, sensations and, of course, the condition of the older baby. After the second child appears in the family, jealousy and competition arise. This happens even at a time when the children are very small. For example, breastfeeding, which of the children in the family is more important and who will get mother's milk? To avoid such situations, for this it is worth the older child to stop breastfeeding at least a couple of months before the second child appears. This will help not to disturb the consciousness of the eldest child, thus, he will not have associations that he was weaned due to the appearance of a brother or sister. Otherwise, it can only aggravate the situation. It is easier for a child to forget details at a young age - the smaller the child, the faster he will forget about it. Of course, if there are no contraindications, the child can be fed as much as necessary. Mother's milk for his tiny organism means a lot and has high value.

A woman can feed two children, but if for this she has enough milk. Naturally, if there is not much milk excreted, then it is worth giving it to the newborn baby, and if it is enough, then you can share it with the older child. Milk that appears after the second birth is suitable for both a newborn baby and an older one, you do not need to worry that its composition will be different, it is also biologically beneficial for both babies. Mother's milk is an invaluable product.

An older child’s body doesn’t so much need vitamins of breast milk, which can’t be said about younger infants, but for an older breastfeeding is useful from a psychological point of view. If there is an opportunity to continue to feed the second child, then do not refuse it.

Video: breastfeeding during pregnancy