Hello everyone!

I recently received a frantic call from a mom who is a (surprised) 8 wks 
pregnant and is still nursing a 15 mo old (night time only). She stated that she 
has had some spotting off & on. She recently noticed "cramping" when she 
nurses. Her Doctor told her to wean immediately or ASAP with a deadline of 16 
wks or she could "lose her baby". Mom has been attempting to wean but the 
15 month old cries & cries and mom states that is killing her to deny her child 
the comfort of nursing & cosleeping at night.

I have been doing a lot of research & still am not quite sure what to tell this 
mom. I have never heard of a 16 wk "deadline" with pregnancy with weaning. 
We all know that breastfeeding is not contraindicated with pregnancy unless 
one has a history of preterm labor (this mom carried her last baby till 40 plus 
wks). She went to the ER initially due to spotting & the Doc there told her she 
was dilated a fingertip (which one can easily be with 2nd, 3rd pregnancies). 
She does have an ultrasound scheduled to measure her cervical length 
tomorrow.  

From my research, I know that progesterone should be dominant in the first 
trimester overriding any oxytocin effects brought on by nipple stim with 
nursing. The uterus should not be effected by oxytocin until much later in the 
pregnancy when it is time to go into labor i.e. receptor sites, ripeness, etc. I 
am wondering if this gal is actually beginning a miscarriage not related to 
nursing but just happens to feel the cramps while nursing due to a possible 
low progestone level (as often noted with impending losses) hence the 
oxytocin being able to overide it?
 
{I myself noted the hormonal shift first hand 2 yrs ago when I had a loss while 
at the same time nursing a toddler. I never felt any cramps or contractions 
ever while nursing until 2 days after they determined my fetus had no 
heartbeat. Things changed dramatically after that & I actually felt like I was 
going in to labor every time my 2 year old nursed by day 3. (I was 12 wks 
preg. to the day.) My midwives said that nursing probably expediated the 
process naturally & saved me from having to have a dreaded D&C. I ended up 
miscarrying at home (my choice) & thanked God for still having a 
nursing "baby" to get me through one of the saddest times of my life.}
 
I don't wish a miscarriage on anyone but my question is this... can oxytocin 
truly be a miscarriage "causer" is some situations? How far along or early can 
one be for oxytocin to be a risk factor? I understand if a woman is 24 wks 
preg and has contractions (and/or a hx of preterm labor) that she should 
wean but what about someone only 8 wks?!

My client said that SHE is "ok" with weaning now but the TODDLER does not 
seem ready. She would continue nursing as long as the child likes but is torn 
because she does not want to risk "losing the new baby because she couldn't 
stop breastfeeding the other". On the other hand, I am thinking... what if she 
is miscarrying (not related to nursing) but she goes ahead and weans thinking 
it is effecting her pregnancy and ends up losing the baby along with the 
comfort and relationship of nursing with the surviving child. I also don't want 
her to  subconsciously "blame" the 16 mos old if she does lose this pregnancy 
although it obviously would not be anyone's fault. Maybe she is not 
miscarrying at all - spotting & cramps can also be normal in the first trimester. 
I would also hate to see her wean if all is well! Oh, I have lots of thoughts on 
this!
 
My plan is to give this mom the info I have and I guess encourage her to 
follow her gut. Any thoughts from anyone? Any experience with this? Please 
respond as I could use the support.

Thanks. Jackie

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]