Many women are under the impression that breastfeeding acts as a natural form of birth control.
This being partially true (breastfeeding does decrease a woman’s fertility), one can get pregnant while breastfeeding.
The common question is, do you continue to nurse? It is said that breastfeeding during pregnancy can lead to malnutrition and even miscarriage, but these are just Old Wives’ tales.
If you decide to continue feeding your child, please do so but keep consulting a doctor with any medical issues.
Although you can never know for sure that you’re pregnant without having to get a test, there are still some symptoms that indicate a possible pregnancy.
The most common of these are tender and sore nipples. Conception while you’re nursing leads to increased sensitivity of the nipples because of certain hormonal changes taking place in the body.
Initially, this can be painful but as the pregnancy progresses, the pain will subside. If it is too much, the only alternative is to wean.
Even if you fail to notice or notice but let it pass, your baby may not do so.
If your baby starts consuming less milk or shows any other symptoms of dislike for the same, this may be because hormones released at the time of conception can alter the taste and the consistency of your milk.
This does not affect the nutritional value of the milk, but the change in taste can lead the baby to wean. Not only that, but pregnancy also leads to a decrease in milk supply as well.
It so happens at times that we miss the obvious.
A missing period may, in any case, be a sign of pregnancy. This applies only if you’d started with your periods after delivery. Apart from these, all the usual symptoms of pregnancy including fatigue, cramps, nausea and so on still apply.
As said earlier, the question that most moms face is whether to continue breastfeeding their child or not.
There occur physical changes in your body during pregnancy that can make it difficult to nurse, for example, the obvious bigger tummy, but these can be overcome with some effort.
Also, the reduced milk supply does carry with it a slight risk of malnutrition for your baby, so you must make sure that your little one is getting all the nutrition he or she needs.
It is best to consult a doctor when doing this. And since your body will be supporting two children and not one, you need to be particularly conscious about your health.
Adequate diet and adequate rest are essential; diet in particular because the nutrition passes to both your children.
All in all, a healthy mom, with some extra care can continue to nurse during pregnancy. But the importance of consulting with a doctor needs to be emphasized.
