Diary of a lupie pregnancy: Chapter 4

Words from Mama Brittany: Well folks  I'm 28 weeks into this pregnancy and guess what?! Today I graduated from the heart sonograms because 28 weeks is the cutoff date if anything was going to happen it already would have. I asked my high risk ob what our plan of action was from here on out and he replied with a smile "Have a normal pregnancy? You'd like that right?" so there we go my first big battle is won and I'm confident that I will stay healthy and carry this baby full term. I want to thank Dr. Brewer, because of your diet I've gained about 30 pounds and for someone who struggles to put on weight it's a great feeling! As I was leaving the sonogram today the lady said " congratulations again, oh and the baby is measuring 2 pounds 12 ounces." I froze, Oliver was born 4 weeks from today weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces. Craziness, I just feel so blessed. Oliver is my miracle and I know that every single day, but some days it hits home more than others. Today was that day.  Sometimes when life doesn't make sense- we have to take time to step back and understand that we usually can't see the big picture. In time I've learned that everything happened for a reason and it's made me who I am And where I'm meant to be. And I'm thankful <3 Be loved and Cherish life, it's precious.

Pregnant breastfeeding.

Words from Mama Brittany: When I found out the big surprise that I was expecting again, My first thought was "Oh no, will I have to wean Oliver?" I was so excited to be pregnant again, but it wasn't in my plan. I planned to nurse Oliver for 30 months minimal and then allow him to self wean, after 30 months I decided it would be ok to get pregnant again because I would have met my breastfeeding goal.  I got pregnant when Oliver was 20 months old, and still very dependent on breast milk. He would nurse a lot for comfort as well as for nutrition. I was very nervous yet determined to allow him to self wean as long as the pregnancy went well and the baby and I were healthy. I did tons of research and debunked all ideas of continued breastfeeding through pregnancy causing harm and made the informed decision to continue. Here I am at 28 weeks still nursing! The baby and I are healthy and both gaining weight. My milk dried up from 19-23 weeks but Oliver just kept on nursing. I was so happy to have colostrum come in because dry nursing can only be described as a feeling of sand coming through your nipples. It was quite painful and not enjoyable but the comfort it provided for my son did make it all worth it. Many woman set limits on nursing because it becomes unbearable, there have been times I've said no, or only allowed him to nurse for short periods. All in all I think my experience with nursing through pregnancy has been relatively uneventful and mostly pleasant. I am excited to know what it will be like to nurse two babies at once. Or should I say a toddler and a baby? I'm sure it will be a fun adventure and I'm looking forward to it!

Nursing a toddler Vs. nursing a newborn

Words from Mama Brittany: I am 27 weeks pregnant and nursing my 27 month old toddler. I was thinking today that in a short few months I will get to nurse a squishy sweet newborn again! I am getting so excited to be a tandem nursing Mama and be able to bond with both of my boys in such a special way. As I looked back on my adventure of nursing Oliver I've realized that so much has changed in his nursing habits! Newborns nurse so sweet and innocently, they seem so happy to just nurse and get a full belly. As they approach the four to six month range they begin pulling off more and becoming what I like to call nosy! Oliver was so nosy and had to see what was going on! That's about the time the movement started, the kicking his legs, pulling my hair, twiddling at the other nipple, and grabbing at my shirt. All of this happened so gradually I sort of just went with it and was happy to keep on nursing. It wasn't until recently while thinking of having a newborn to nurse did I realize how very different nursing a toddler and nursing a baby are! I still cherish my crazy nursing toddler, the pulling my hair, hanging onto my shirt straps, little teeth marks in my nipple from the toddler gnawing. But i am so looking forward  to nursing a gentle little newborn again! Looks like my adventure of nursing is about to get a whole lot more sweet!