Today a mother explained to me that, going to her first consultation with the tocologist, she had an unpleasant surprise. She breastfed her son for just over a year and planned to continue breastfeeding in pregnancy and make "tandem", that is, breastfeed the baby and the older brother when it occurred at birth.
But his tocologist told him that he was putting the pregnancy at risk and that the hormones produced by breastfeeding could cause an abortion. No it can not be done breastfeed pregnant without clear risk to the fetus, the tocologist insisted. Moreover, he demanded that he fill out a document saying that he would continue breastfeeding under his responsibility. Fortunately, the mother was very sure of her decision and had not taken it irresponsibly or without knowledge. He even presented to the tocologist the documents of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics that supported his opinion.
The truth is there are no general contraindications to breastfeed while pregnant, except if there is a threat of abortion. The amount of oxytocin and the duration of stimulation that occurs in a teat is not enough to produce contractions that trigger premature delivery. Only if the mother feels contractions should she consult to stop breastfeeding, but of course there is no reason to do so in a generalized way.
The AEP is clear. There are no medical reasons to recommend weaning In case of pregnancy. What there are are particular cases in which the mother decides to wean for diverse and powerful reasons.
Some moms may feel the especially sensitive nipples in pregnancy, so much that they have to wean without having foreseen it and against the wishes of the first child, because the pain is not bearable. That is an understandable reason but that is not going to happen in all cases. There are other mothers who do not feel noticeable discomfort or who can cope with them during the period of time in which they occur.
There are also children who notice the taste change and amount of milk when pregnancy hormones cause it to be modified to prepare to produce colostrum. In these cases, it may be the child who decides to wean himself, although in some cases, when the baby is born, they will be re-hooked in view of the amount of rich milk available.
Other mothers refer, and I tell this from the experience of support groups, who feel an unpleasant emotional sensation when the child is breastfeeding during pregnancy. It is as if, psychologically, they want to focus on the next baby and the older one "invades" them. They usually explain this as a huge shock of emotions and feel guilty of "rejecting" the elder. They explain it in a very painful way and the truth is that, without having passed the experience, empathy towards them is indispensable. The support of other women and especially the understanding of the couple can help them. If the child is old enough he can accept to delay or shorten the shots. But when this does not work or if the mother decides to wean, her desire must be respected, offering strategies not to do so traumaticly.
That pregnancy occurs when the first child is still a baby With a strong need for suction, exclusive attention and breast milk, it is usually very complicated and before making such a decision it is convenient to reflect on our strengths to face so much work and what the baby still needs from the mother. Although in the case of children very often breastfeeding is only one of the issues to be taken into account, it is important to assess it in its proper measure.
The decision to wean in pregnancy or to do or not "tandem" does not respond, except rarely, to medical reasons, but to the mother's decision. Therefore, yes, you can breastfeed Whatever that tocologist said.
And this makes me wonder if there will be other women who have been able to rely on the recommendations of poorly informed doctors and abandon breastfeeding fearing, for no reason, an abortion or improper growth of the baby. The truth is that I have not found any recommendation of the SEGO (Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics) in this regard. They gave me a dislike (another one) if I found them.
