Dear Alice
How would the doctors know when the toddler is weaned?  If the mother is
comfortable that nursing will not adversely affect her pregnancy (and many
aren't), and if there aren't dangerous drugs involved (what would they use
since they aren't encouraging fertility?), then....why tell?

In any case, a lot could happen in the next 6 months, including natural
weaning.  However, even with my LLL background, I would say that the
pregnancy (because of imminent destruction of the foetus) would take
precedence over continued nursing.  The mother has time to wean quite gently
over the next few months.  Sad to end nursing prematurely, esp since I doubt
it's necessary, but this is a special case.

Incidentally, there was a long radio programme the other morning about a new
way of encouraging fertility.  A South African obgyn realised that 100% of
his patients with endometriosis and infertility were also perfectionists who
get very upset if things don't go according to schedule.  He's labelled the
syndrome TUPS: "Time-Urgency Perfectionist Syndrome."

I missed the beginning of the show, so I'm going to simplify it greatly, I
know.  Nor was I taking notes, because I was scrubbing the floor!  But it's
something like this: Fertility and immunity to disease is affected by the
constant wash of noradrenaline and cortisole through the body when it's
permanently stressed.  These women were sent on a 5 week course of stress
control - identifying triggers, learning to overcome/ignore/avoid them.  And
then they got pregnant, and of course their whole lives got better too:-).
Sounds almost too simple, but I'm sure that pyschologist and moms put in a
great deal of work on this.

I wondered if your client if one of these people.  I think I have the
opposite of TUPS syndrome, being very non-prepared for future events - I
would have said to myself that I had till September, and then put it out of
my mind!

If your client thinks she would be helped by such a course, I can try to
find out more details.  If I can just remember which radio station....

Jacquie Nutt IBCLC
Wellington, South Africa

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