Pump Milk While Pregnant?

Updated on October 07, 2010
K.M. asks from Irvine, CA
14 answers

I'm curious if anyone has continued to pump milk for their first child while they are pregnant with a second. My first child is 11 months and already refuses the breast, though I still pump milk for her. I had planned to continue with breast milk until she turned one and could safely make the switch to cow's milk; however, since I've been pregnant my nipples have been increasingly sore and the amount of milk pumped is down. I'm also concerned about pumping while pregnant. There seems to be consensus that nursing is fine, but pumping seems a little harder on the boobs than nursing. Has anyone continued to use a breast pump while pregnant?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from San Diego on

I've read several places that it's robbing the fetus of nutrients. I would stop - 11 months of breastmilk is great!

More Answers

H.V.

answers from Cleveland on

I breastfed my son while I was pregnant with our 2nd kid.
It was a lot harder to do. Like you said, my nipples were very sore and I had a lower milk supply.
The reason...
When you are pregnant it IS ok to breastfeed, even though some people believe that is not true.
The thing is that when you are pregnant your milk flow, amount, and taste also change. Most kids that are breastfed while their mother is pregnant actually end up weening themselves because of this.

I say If it hurts that much, don't do it. Or grit your teeth and go through the pain. It's all really up to you. No matter what You're lil girl will be just fine :)

1 mom found this helpful

G.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think the pain you are feeling is your body's way of saying STOP THAT. 11 months is close enough to 12, is what my pediatrician told me, but I didn't give my first son cow's milk for a long time because when I combed the internet about cow's milk, I got thoroughly grossed out! He didn't like it anyway. He'd eat cheese and plenty of yogurt so there was no nutritional concerns. It costs a little bit more but maybe you could try goat's milk. A human infant will survive on goat's milk from birth, NOT on cow's milk.
It continues to baffle me why we have chosen cow's milk! It sits well with about 15% of the human population but the rest of us can't even process it, yet we keep gobbling up the B.S., million dollar advertising campaign that it does our body good.
Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine that we as humans do things that don't make any sense, solely based upon the fact that it's popular.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Goldsboro on

You can do it, but it is pretty h*** o* your body to keep up with the demands of making a new human while feeding a human. Also, your milk will change back to more "newborn" milk and your daughter may not like the taste or consistency.
I have heard of using a breast pump in the later weeks of pregnancy to bring on contractions, so I would be concerned about the possibility of pre-term labor.
I would go ahead and put her on cow's milk. Let your body provide for the new baby and don't stress yourself about pumping for the first. You have already gone above and beyond what most women in the US do as far as breastfeeding is concerned.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.G.

answers from Augusta on

Its perfectly fine to both breastfeed and pump during pregnancy (unless you find that it brings on contractions, but in a normal pregnancy that shouldn't be an issue). The problems most women encounter are sore nipples and a decrease in milk supply.

Any health care provider who tells you that you can't breastfeed/pump in pregnancy is mistaken (there are many who don't know so they just make something up!).

J.P.

answers from Stockton on

I did it this last time that I was pregnant. I had the same problem as you, my nipples got REALLY sore, and my milk supply went down so much that it wasn't worth it. My daughter was only 9 months old at the time so I called my Dr. to see if there was something to do to get my milk supply back up and he said that any time after 9 months of age you can switch them to cows milk. So that is what I did. My daughter didn't have any issues switching. I should probably add that I was only pumping while I was at work, and breast feeding the rest of the time - good luck - hope that helps!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I was told that you should not be nursing another child while you are pregnant since your body needs to use all its resources for the growing fetus. Have you checked with a lactation consultant? You can find one through La Leche. I had one help me tremendously when I was nursing twins.

S.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

I was still breastfeeding my first when I got pregnant with my second. I talked to a lactation consultant -- she said that it's perfectly healthy to keep breast feeding one while gestating the other, but that the flavor of the milk would change. When I was 8 months pregnant my older son weaned himself and we were done.

I wasn't a great milk producer when I was pumping; I would have dried up if I had to rely solely on pumping with no nursing. So I say give yourself a break. If you can keep nursing (or pumping) for this last month then go for it. It's a great goal. But if your little one is done with nursing it's okay for you to be done too.

So much good luck to you and your babies!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.Y.

answers from San Diego on

My doctor made me quit nursing when I became pregnant again. Robbing nutrients from the baby in my stomache. I would definately discuss this with my doctor.

H.S.

answers from Honolulu on

I think you should remember to be kind to yourself and your body. I know how it is to be concerned. I BF my son until he was 2 1/2 years old and my daughter was 3 months old when I weaned him. It seems much harder to me to give a pump my milk instead of a wanting toddler. Go easy on yourself! You are doing a great job as a mother!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.K.

answers from San Diego on

As the others have said, talk to your doctore about your concerns. You might also talk to your pediatrician about moving to cow's milk now. Both of my daughters were still breastfeeding at 11 months, but not enough to meet all of their needs. So, I began introducing cow's milk around that time with no problems. However, my kids have never had any food sensitivies, so it didn't concerm me. But, chat with your ped and see if that fits your child's needs or if supplementing with formula still might seem necessary. (All this assuming that the pumping option isn't going to work for you. FYI, I wasn't pregnant when mine were 11 months, but pumping became a pretty worthless effort about that time.)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.L.

answers from Detroit on

I don't think it's a good idea, from what i've read you're not supposed to at all towards the end of pregnancy because the stimulation can cause you to go into pre-term labor, i'm not too sure about the beginning though.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

My doctor told me that breastfeed causes the uterus to contract, so it's best for you to stop nursing. You've done a great job with your 11 month-old, now it's time to take care of the baby that's on the way.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.P.

answers from Boise on

La Leche actually encourages tandem nursing (nursing a newborn and toddler), so there is nothing wrong with this. I think that the difficulty is on you as your nipples are sore from the pregnancy. You need to make sure that you are getting enough water. For pregnancy it is supposed to be 100 ounces a day, and you will need more for pumping too! If you can make it through the pain, there is no problem pumping while pregnant.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions