Hello Dr. Gordon,

In answer to your question -- in a normal, healthy pregnancy, there
shouldn't be a need to wean an older nursling, because the pregnant uterus
is not receptive to the oxytocin secreted during breastfeeding, until it is
ready to go into labor anyway (at that time, as we know, nipple stimulation
can augment labor thanks to the oxytocin boost).

However, in my experience, mothers who are otherwise on "pelvic rest," that
being no sex/orgasm, are also advised not to breastfeed -- under the
assumption that the pregnancy is not progressing normally and the uterus may
(for whatever reason) be unusually receptive to the oxytocin that is
secreted during breastfeeding and/or orgasm.  In the case of placental
abruption, I would deduct that the uterine environment is already a bit
"unstable" and therefore not tolerant of any contractions other than those
that are naturally occurring (Braxton-Hicks, etc.) .. And, at times, not
even those contractions that are occurring anyway.

Hilary Flower's Adventures in Tandem Nursing is an excellent resource, there
is a 2-page spread that describes finding a "compatible caregiver" (such as
yourself -- one who doesn't apply a one-size-fits-all approach to
breastfeeding in pregnancy) and details for mothers how to recognize when
things maybe aren't as they should be during a nursing session, when the
contractions may be too frequent or too strong.

I hope this is helpful and I'm so thankful that you're asking!

--Diana in NY (who breastfed through 2 pregnancies and had healthy,
full-term, robust babies)

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