Today marks 5 weeks pregnant. Even though I am still in the very early stages of pregnancy, it has already been eye-opening at how quickly some of the symptoms can come on. I had honestly forgotten so much of this, which is why I'm thankful I am actually documenting it all this time.
3 things I forgot about breastfeeding through the first trimester of pregnancy:
🔵 Due to the hormone changes, nursing aversion might start or worsen. I had begun to start experiencing it alongside other pmdd symptoms, starting with ovulation through the start of my period. But, it would then subside and go away. Now that I am pregnant, it is starting to pick up in intensity again. It can feel a little different for everyone, but for me it's a general uneasiness, sometimes to the point where my skin feels like it's crawling and the act of nursing itself makes me want to puke.
🔵 Outside of aversion, it can also just make nausea symptoms more intense. For me, the two are different. Even before the aversion started back in, I just had an increase in morning sickness symptoms while nursing and after.
🔵 If you're experiencing cramping, it can make it much more significant! Breastfeeding can cause mild uterine contractions. However, the data suggests it's VERY unlikely to cause miscarriage or preterm labor.
I remember calling into the nurse's office with my second pregnancy as I was nursing my 7-month-old, and the nurses advice was to quit so I don't have a miscarriage. Well, to quote exactly what she said, she said I should pick which one was more important; having this pregnancy or breastfeeding my 7-month-old. I chose to continue breastfeeding my 7-month-old, and while the cramps did continue for the entirety of my nursing experience with her, the pregnancy was also completely fine. I have since never had a doctor or nurse recommend similarly, and from what I have seen, the data does not suggest that in a healthy pregnancy, nursing is going to increase risk.
Did you breastfeed through a pregnancy? What was your experience if you did so? Were you able to go the entire pregnancy or to a certain point?
I tagged two accounts w/ info.
#5weekspregnant #breastfeeding #pregnancy
