Introduction

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. The news that you’re expecting may have left many with breathless excitement and others simply in shock. These emotions may be even more intense if you’re expecting while still breastfeeding an older child.

While some people believe breastfeeding can prevent them from becoming pregnant, many women conceive while breastfeeding.

If you’re still breastfeeding an older child, you may have a few questions, like:

• Is it possible to continue breastfeeding while pregnant? 
• Is breastfeeding while pregnant safe for both my current and future children? 
• How will this impact my milk supply?

In many African countries, it is believed that a woman cannot breastfeed while pregnant, as heat from the womb will “poison” the milk in the breast, which will in turn harm the older baby. Hence, it is therefore considered urgent that the child be taken off breast milk immediately. Although some families in Africa believe in this myth, it is  dangerous for the older baby to be weaned off breast milk automatically.

Is it safe to breastfeed while pregnant?

Yes, it’s safe to breastfeed while pregnant, as long as it’s a healthy pregnancy and you are consuming enough calories for yourself, the growing fetus, and your breastfed baby.

The American Academy of Family Physicians points out that breastfeeding during pregnancy is not unusual, and the decision to do so should be left up to the mother in a healthy pregnancy. Equally, there are a lot of benefits to breastfeeding toddlers. Research has found no significant difference between babies born to breastfeeding mothers with normal pregnancies and those who did not breastfeed during pregnancy.

Will pregnancy affect your milk supply?

It’s very common for pregnancy to reduce your milk supply. This generally occurs around the 4th or 5th month of gestation. The composition of the milk will, likewise, usually change slightly. This is due to changes in hormonal shifts, and extra pumping or feeding will not usually increase the supply as it normally would. The mother is advised to eat sufficient calories, drink a lot of water, and take her mineral supplements as prescribed by the physician.

Conclusion.

Finally, you can rest assured that pregnancy-related hormones in breast milk are safe for your older child to consume. Also,after you give birth, if you plan to be a tandem nurse (breastfeeding children of different ages at the same time), you can start each feed with the new baby eating first, to help the new baby get more colostrum.