Breastfeeding for two
Forget those old wives’ tales about the negatives of breastfeeding while you’re pregnant and beyond – in reality there are a host of big benefits. Here’s the lowdown on tandem feeding.
A second (or third or fourth!) pregnancy can be a special time. Gone are some of the anxieties of the first time around as you know more of what to expect and know that you can do it. But what if your older child is still breastfeeding when you fall pregnant? Can you/should you continue to breastfeed? What about after the baby is born?
The answer is that it is certainly possible and safe to continue breastfeeding through pregnancy and beyond. Feeding an older child and a newborn is called tandem feeding and while you may not see many mums out and about doing it, it is not as uncommon as you might think.
Is it safe?
Many people question whether it is OK health wise to breastfeed during pregnancy or tandem feed. Many old wives’ tales abound. One mum was told that if her toddler continued breastfeeding the mother’s hair and teeth would fall out and another mum was told that if she breastfed during pregnancy her new baby would be born blind (neither are true!).
Two of the most common concerns are that breastfeeding during pregnancy will lead to miscarriage or that the baby won’t develop properly in the womb because it will be deprived of nourishment. Research from several different countries has shown that in normal, healthy women there is no greater risk of miscarriage when breastfeeding through pregnancy. The level of hormones released while breastfeeding is actually less than during orgasm and so far sex hasn’t been banned for most of us during pregnancy! However, if a mother has a history of miscarriage or premature labour she should discuss breastfeeding with her doctor.
There is also no evidence to show that breastfeeding adversely affects the developing baby in the womb. Results from a number of studies, including a large one in the US, failed to show any difference in birth weight for babies whose mums were breastfeeding while pregnant.
As a mother’s pregnancy progresses, her breastmilk changes back to colostrum, the special first milk a newborn gets, even if she is still breastfeeding another child. Many mums also find that their breastmilk supply drops while pregnant. This combination means that many toddlers self-wean naturally before the new baby comes along, but many don’t seem to mind the change and will keep feeding (although often only once or twice a day).
Some people will be concerned for the mum’s health and believe that breastfeeding through pregnancy or tandem feeding will have a negative impact. Again, research has shown that in well-nourished women such as those in Australia there are no detrimental effects. Mums do need to eat and drink more when tandem feeding, just as they would when breastfeeding twins. But in a country such as Australia where good quality food is readily available this is easy to do.
Once the new baby is born people often wonder whether feeding two infants will tire out the mum, or if the baby will receive sufficient nourishment because the older child is somehow taking most of it. Again there is no scientific evidence that the growth or development of the new baby is compromised because mum is breastfeeding an older sibling (providing both mum and baby are healthy). Most mums report feeling more tired when they have a second child to look after and tandem feeding mums are no different.
Mothers’ experiences
Even if it is safe, for many people the question is why would a mum bother to keep breastfeeding her older child while she was pregnant or has a new baby? Often is it not a conscious decision, but made because the mother feels that her older child is not ready to wean and that there are still benefits to them receiving breastmilk. This is especially common when there is a short age gap between children.
Lauren Boundy is mum of five-year-old Zoe, and Alex, three. She breastfed Zoe until she was five months pregnant with Alex. ‘At the time we conceived Alex, Zoe was 14 months old and feeding frequently,’ she says. ‘I felt she was too young to wean just because of a pregnancy and I wanted to feed her for as close to two years (the World Health Organization recommendation) as I possibly could.’
For other mums it is a matter of feeling no need to change the status quo and being happy to see how things go. ‘I was unsure if I wanted to tandem feed when I discovered I was pregnant,’ says Jessica Leonard, mum of Gaia, four, and Rafiki, one, who are both still breastfeeding. ‘After doing some reading I decided that I was happy to continue with things as they were and that I would tackle things as they changed or if I became uncomfortable with anything,’ she says. ‘It was like I made the decision not to decide anything.’ Shelley Romieke, mum of Renee, nine, and Jack, six, agrees with the “wait and see” approach. ‘When I fell pregnant with Jack, Renee was still feeding with no signs of stopping, so we took the approach of “see what happens as it happens”,’ she explains. ‘As we got closer to the birth we decided there were benefits in not making a huge change to Renee’s world.’ Romieke went on to tandem feed Renee and Jack for six months.
The good & the bad
Mums describe both good and bad things about tandem feeding. Some of the good things are the enforced rest that breastfeeding gives rise to for both mum and toddler; the toddler finding it easier to adjust to having a new baby sibling; the toddler helping with breastmilk supply issues; and the continued health benefits for the older sibling from having breastmilk.
‘I liked the fact that by helping to calm an active toddler it allowed me to rest,’ says Boundy, who breastfed while pregnant. ‘And more so the wonderful feeling of her wrapped over my growing belly and knowing my body could nurture both of my children simultaneously.’
Anna Ng, mum of Adelaide, four, and Beatrice, 17 months, says tandem feeding helped overcome an issue of over-full breasts. ‘In the early days of breastfeeding, I experienced some over-supply issues with both of them,’ she says. ‘The second time around it was great to have a toddler who could help with any lumps and bumps that the baby couldn’t clear. I also think that, emotionally, it was good for my eldest daughter. Her world had changed quite dramatically with the arrival of a sibling and breastfeeding was still something special that she could share with me,’ says Ng.
Of course, tandem feeding can also be quite challenging. Sore or tender nipples during pregnancy are one of the harder things to manage as this can make breastfeeding the older sibling uncomfortable. Some mothers solve this by restricting the amount of breastfeeding the older child does, for example, limiting the number of feeds or how long each feed takes.
Mums can also describe feeling overwhelmed, tired or resentful from the breastfeeding demands of two children. Some mothers choose to feed the baby and toddler at separate times to help overcome this, while others prefer to feed both children at once to save time.
‘The most challenging thing during the pregnancy were my tender nipples,’ says Ng. ‘They were particularly tender during the first and final trimesters and I found breastfeeding during this time quite uncomfortable.’
‘I found it overwhelming to feed them both at once,’ says Romieke. ‘I tried in the beginning, then accepted one at a time was best for me.’
Sometimes it is the feelings of others that can be hard to deal with. Leonard found a lot of people didn’t understand what she was doing. ‘I did find that even people who were very supportive of breastfeeding just didn’t know that breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem feeding are possible and safe, so I felt a need to educate people as we went along,’ she says.
Boundy weaned her daughter when she was five months pregnant partly due to a lack of support from family and friends. ‘Even before we announced the second pregnancy we were being questioned about how long Zoe would feed for,’ she says. ‘There was really no support from family and friends to continue to breastfeed Zoe. I felt I could not feed both kids without those supports in place. I think they all would have been completely shocked and out of their comfort zones if I had persisted through to tandem feeding.’
Support is essential
Most mums find they need help and support when breastfeeding through pregnancy or tandem feeding. For many, friends and family offer that support or they enjoy talking to other breastfeeding mums at mums’ support groups such as those run by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA). The ABA has nearly 260 groups operating around the country where mums can go to meet others and discuss breastfeeding, expressing and parenting issues.
Reading some good information on the topic can help, such as the booklet Breastfeeding Through Pregnancy And Beyond (Australian Breastfeeding Association, $5, available from mothersdirect.com.au) or the book Adventures In Tandem Nursing by Hilary Flower (La Leche League International, $14.95, available from amazon.com).
There are also a number of online communities where tandem feeding is discussed and you can get ideas and tips. The ABA has a forum on this topic, and it is also conversed about on forums on websites such as essentialbaby.com.au and naturalparenting.com.au.
Real Mums’ advice:
Try these tips from mums who have breastfed in pregnancy or tandem fed:
• Get some support! Whether it’s your mum, your husband or someone from your mothers’ group, find someone who supports whatever you want to do.
• Actively seek out other mums who have done or are still doing it, so you have someone to talk to. A great way is to go along to your local ABA mums’ group, or try online communities.
• Read some information on the topic.
• Set limits for your toddler on how often/how long they feed. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
• Negotiate set feeding times for your toddler before the baby arrives and stick to these afterwards as much as possible.
• Feeding baby and toddler at separate times can be easier to manage than feeding them at the same time.
• Don’t forget about you. Try to eat well, rest as much as you can and accept all offers of help.
Feel free to feed campaign - key initiatives:
My Child, along with campaign partner Nursingwear (nursingwear.com.au) supports the ABA in these key initiatives:
• Breastfeeding Welcome Here
• Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation
• Baby Friendly Health Initiative.
Feel Free To Feed is all about creating a supportive environment for mums to breastfeed their babies, and these ABA initiatives address that need. Take a look at breastfeeding.asn.au for more.
