Pregnant and Weaning from Breastfeeding a Child

Breastfeeding is recommended for any child from birth until the first twelve months of his life. At around six months onward a child continues to breastfeed but is slowly introduced to pureed and later on to solid foods. Weaning, on the other hand, is the process of replacing breastfeeding as a child’s source of nutrition until the child fully stops taking on breast milk. However, breastfeeding is not a method of birth control and you can still get pregnant while breastfeeding your child. Being pregnant and weaning from breastfeeding a child may be tricky to achieve.

Being pregnant need not stop you from breastfeeding your child. Continuing breastfeeding has brought up several concerns or fears which can also be refuted or reassured. These concerns include:

· Health risk on the unborn child. Even though you continue breastfeeding your toddler it does not deprive your unborn child of the necessary nutrients he/she needs.

· Uterine contractions. Although it is normal for any pregnant woman to experience uterine contractions, those who experience contractions during breastfeeding while pregnant is just a normal occurrence. It is as normal as the contractions that occur when a pregnant woman has sex with her partner.

· No rest. Far from the notion that a pregnant woman who is breastfeeding a child will be more tired and restless, the exact opposite occurs. Breastfeeding while pregnant will allow you more rest most especially when you do it lying down.

· Tender nipples. Any woman who is pregnant will surely experience that her nipples become tender and overly sensitive. Allowing your child to breastfeed will provide you with breathing skills which you will need to calm you down whenever your nipples hurt and which you can use during childbirth.

· Develops a bad relationship. Contrary to this, breastfeeding during pregnancy will make you and your child closer and will make your child accept and share your milk with his/her unborn sister or brother easily. Although your child may decide to wean automatically due to lesser milk or changes in the taste of your milk, it will still not develop a bad relationship between you and your child. When this happens, you should cuddle your child more often than usual and introduce him to your unborn baby so that he will not associate weaning with deprivation from your affections.

The decision of whether or not to continue breastfeeding during pregnancy lies entirely on your hands. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates breastfeeding for up to two years or 24 months. However, it is normal if you or your child would like to wean before the 24 months but not less than the first 12 months. Making the decision should also not put you in guilt mode because even if you breastfed your child for only a short period is still an accomplishment any mother should be proud of.

From conception to pregnancy to being the provider of sole nutrition for baby for the first few months – name it, and you as the mommy most probably has done it. But to wean from breastfeeding should not be just solely your responsibility. You can include other people in the family too, specifically your partner.

Your baby’s dad can go from mere observer to super-dad with some power tips to help him get started:

- Dad can help by bottle-feeding baby. Sometimes, the baby will only take milk in its purest form, via breastfeeding. When you try to offer a bottle, most of the time, you will get rejected. If he won’t take it from you, then he may take it from someone else he is also familiar with – that’s usually Daddy. Their bottle-feeding sessions will somewhat mimic the feeling you have when you breastfeed, intensifying their closeness and bonding time.

- Speaking of bonding time, try to ask Daddy to spend a little quality time with baby. While mother-baby bonding is way different from father-baby time, it will still almost be the same as they take the time to play, walk or read together. Trust me, your partner will be up on his feet in no time and will always be glad to be of help when it comes to the baby.

- Talk to your partner about sharing some of the chores for a couple of months or at least until you both get settled with the baby. Explain to him that breastfeeding is hard work, but so is weaning. Once you get to the wean part though, and when you stop lactating, it will be much easier, and things may go back to being normal again in a couple of months.

Some men don’t show initiative when it comes to helping around the baby. Others attribute it to them being insensitive or insecure. Though you may not know it, but deep inside them lie a profound desire to get close to the baby, even if it’s just playtime or nap time and they’re just too shy to admit it. Asking your partner to help you in taking care of the baby will sprout in him a willingness to do so, maybe even more.

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