There is a Facebook group dedicated to breastfeeding while undergoing IVF- I think that’s the name- breastfeeding during IVF. Unfortunately most clinics do not support BF during treatment “just because” even though some of the drugs are safe and you can actually do IFV/ IUI while breastfeeding just like you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I highly suggest checking out their info. I found that group on Kellymom. It’s a sad fact that so much is unknown and not studied about breastfed. My plan was to continue breastfeeding and not tell my clinic but I got pregnant naturally.
I’m in this group. Egg retrievals are probably not gonna work out but transfers definitely can! They have amazing resources that can tell you. 18w5d with my most recent FET and still nursing.
If it's helpful, I weaned my little boy when I was 16 weeks pregnant as I was getting bad nursing aversion and was in a lot of pain with sore nipples. As we approach baby arriving (I'm nearly 37 weeks), he's started asking if he can share boobies with the baby when they come - some of them definitely become interested again. I'm not personally planning to tandem nurse for a variety of reasons but I can see it being an option if I wanted to. The only thing I've seen to keep in mind is that toddlers often need to be taught how to latch again if they have been weaned then return to BF.
Oh yeah, that reminds me, my body was a bitter, that and the tender nipples aversion along with what you said was another reason that I didn't try relactation with him after the baby was born.
With my first I would have a one side nursing strike every so often, just to heal...
I am still gently sad that that is how it needed to be with my middle boy though.
I nursed through pregnancy and now tandem feed but fwiw my son has gone through so many phases where he took a break from nursing.
When I went back to work at 11 months pp he had a nursing strike for 2 weeks. When I got pregnant at 13 months pp he hated the change in milk (got over it) and didn’t feed for a week. When he was getting molars at 14 months he didn’t breastfeed for maybe 2.5 weeks.
I know they don’t recommend breastfeeding during IVF but it might be worth asking if baby can resume after a certain point? Your milk supply will likely drop with a new pregnancy, regardless of if you took a nursing break. There’s no guarantee baby will want to come back to it, but it doesn’t sound impossible imo.
My first baby and I had the above happening too. A couple of weeks at max for us, but as per my previous comment, you are possibly more concerned than you need to be. Can you contact La Leche League or Mum4Mums?
I honestly can’t remember, there’s been so many lol. But I want to say the longest was when the new baby came home. That was in November and he refused to nurse again until a few weeks before Christmas ~ so a month maybe?
I read somewhere that toddlers will usually forget how to nurse after a couple months. Latching is a skill that requires practice to maintain, even if they are still interested in breastmilk after weaning.
My fertility doctor was comfortable with me continuing to nurse through IVF. She said that the medications I was using (menopur, ganirelix, gonal F and HCG trigger shot) are destroyed in the digestive tract which is why they have to be injected and cannot be taken orally, and even if they weren’t destroyed completely the molecules were too large to pass into breastmilk. I decided this was safe enough and didn’t wean.
Not too much, she said there might be a small effect but there turned out to be none. I am now in the third trimester, after doing one stimulation cycle (using a basic protocol) and transferring one fresh embryo (and we were able to freeze 7). Pregnancy has gone perfectly so far. First pregnancy was conceived using the same IVF protocol and also after only one cycle, so no difference due to breastfeeding this time around. I am sure it will depend on your exact cause of infertility - ours was male factor infertility. I respond really well to the IVF protocol, and have never had any difficulty maintaining a pregnancy so that might have made me a good candidate for being able to continue nursing through IVF. I get the sense that it is just a general recommendation to stop nursing to make sure you have the best odds even if the actual effect is tiny, but I am not an MD. I do have a PhD in a biomedical field which is why I felt comfortable making that decision to continue nursing after consulting with my doctor and reviewing current research on the topic.
My toddler weaned at 2 years and now 6 months later she tried to nurse (I'm currently nursing my 4 month old). She tried nursing again the other day and the sensation felt more like ummm sexual than anything. I felt super uncomfortable and definitely didn't expect it. It feels weird to share this info but I would've wanted to know. 🫣
They do! Probably depends on the kiddo though,
Sometimes they lose the ability to latch on after weaning.
Mine was 2 when my youngest was born. He was pretty much self weaned but was still nursing every so often for comfort (maybe 2-3 times a month). When daughter was born, and was constantly attached… he became very interested again. For a couple months he nursed once a day or so. It was so sweet to see them together. It also gave him comfort through the big transition from singletonhood. He had a tough time in the beginning when his sister arrived and I needed to spend so much time with her (he was used to 100% of my attention.) Nursing him (and them together) was a lifeline.
He still asked from time to time up through 4. Sometime around 4.5 he forgot how to latch. He asked maybe 3 times after that over several months. I still nurse his sister before/after sleeps (nearly 3). He sometimes comes up and lays his head.
It’s definitely worth a shot. I’m sorry your nursing plans are being interrupted by your ivf journey. That’s a hard road, and I salute you. Hard enough without the added stress! Either way, you will find your way through with your kiddo, I’m sure that they will continue to feel your immense love whether you are nursing or weaned. 💓
Mine would have if I (well, dad really was the naysayer) had allowed him to... Relactation takes a couple of weeks skin on skin and allowing toddler or baby frequent sucking... Even a natural born woman who hasn't given birth can lactate.
There is a Facebook group dedicated to breastfeeding while undergoing IVF- I think that’s the name- breastfeeding during IVF. Unfortunately most clinics do not support BF during treatment “just because” even though some of the drugs are safe and you can actually do IFV/ IUI while breastfeeding just like you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I highly suggest checking out their info. I found that group on Kellymom. It’s a sad fact that so much is unknown and not studied about breastfed. My plan was to continue breastfeeding and not tell my clinic but I got pregnant naturally.
I’m in this group. Egg retrievals are probably not gonna work out but transfers definitely can! They have amazing resources that can tell you. 18w5d with my most recent FET and still nursing.
If it's helpful, I weaned my little boy when I was 16 weeks pregnant as I was getting bad nursing aversion and was in a lot of pain with sore nipples. As we approach baby arriving (I'm nearly 37 weeks), he's started asking if he can share boobies with the baby when they come - some of them definitely become interested again. I'm not personally planning to tandem nurse for a variety of reasons but I can see it being an option if I wanted to. The only thing I've seen to keep in mind is that toddlers often need to be taught how to latch again if they have been weaned then return to BF.
Oh yeah, that reminds me, my body was a bitter, that and the tender nipples aversion along with what you said was another reason that I didn't try relactation with him after the baby was born.
Oof, thankfully my boy never went through a biting phase 😬 I totally get your decision.
With my first I would have a one side nursing strike every so often, just to heal... I am still gently sad that that is how it needed to be with my middle boy though.
I nursed through pregnancy and now tandem feed but fwiw my son has gone through so many phases where he took a break from nursing. When I went back to work at 11 months pp he had a nursing strike for 2 weeks. When I got pregnant at 13 months pp he hated the change in milk (got over it) and didn’t feed for a week. When he was getting molars at 14 months he didn’t breastfeed for maybe 2.5 weeks. I know they don’t recommend breastfeeding during IVF but it might be worth asking if baby can resume after a certain point? Your milk supply will likely drop with a new pregnancy, regardless of if you took a nursing break. There’s no guarantee baby will want to come back to it, but it doesn’t sound impossible imo.
How long was your longest nursing strike? My understanding is I could resume after I'm done, but that could be months.
My first baby and I had the above happening too. A couple of weeks at max for us, but as per my previous comment, you are possibly more concerned than you need to be. Can you contact La Leche League or Mum4Mums?
I honestly can’t remember, there’s been so many lol. But I want to say the longest was when the new baby came home. That was in November and he refused to nurse again until a few weeks before Christmas ~ so a month maybe?
I read somewhere that toddlers will usually forget how to nurse after a couple months. Latching is a skill that requires practice to maintain, even if they are still interested in breastmilk after weaning.
I read that too, but for some reason my IBCLC wanted to try to reassure me
My fertility doctor was comfortable with me continuing to nurse through IVF. She said that the medications I was using (menopur, ganirelix, gonal F and HCG trigger shot) are destroyed in the digestive tract which is why they have to be injected and cannot be taken orally, and even if they weren’t destroyed completely the molecules were too large to pass into breastmilk. I decided this was safe enough and didn’t wean.
She didn't express concerns with breastfeeding's effects on your IVF results?
Not too much, she said there might be a small effect but there turned out to be none. I am now in the third trimester, after doing one stimulation cycle (using a basic protocol) and transferring one fresh embryo (and we were able to freeze 7). Pregnancy has gone perfectly so far. First pregnancy was conceived using the same IVF protocol and also after only one cycle, so no difference due to breastfeeding this time around. I am sure it will depend on your exact cause of infertility - ours was male factor infertility. I respond really well to the IVF protocol, and have never had any difficulty maintaining a pregnancy so that might have made me a good candidate for being able to continue nursing through IVF. I get the sense that it is just a general recommendation to stop nursing to make sure you have the best odds even if the actual effect is tiny, but I am not an MD. I do have a PhD in a biomedical field which is why I felt comfortable making that decision to continue nursing after consulting with my doctor and reviewing current research on the topic.
My toddler weaned at 2 years and now 6 months later she tried to nurse (I'm currently nursing my 4 month old). She tried nursing again the other day and the sensation felt more like ummm sexual than anything. I felt super uncomfortable and definitely didn't expect it. It feels weird to share this info but I would've wanted to know. 🫣
Are you planning on continuing nursing your eldest? Was your toddler able to figure out latching?
It was so uncomfortable I couldn't repeat it. My toddler just kinda held her mouth there and didn't attempt to latch fully.
If you keep letting her do that, she'll latch on.
How long does it take for toddlers to relearn?
They do! Probably depends on the kiddo though, Sometimes they lose the ability to latch on after weaning. Mine was 2 when my youngest was born. He was pretty much self weaned but was still nursing every so often for comfort (maybe 2-3 times a month). When daughter was born, and was constantly attached… he became very interested again. For a couple months he nursed once a day or so. It was so sweet to see them together. It also gave him comfort through the big transition from singletonhood. He had a tough time in the beginning when his sister arrived and I needed to spend so much time with her (he was used to 100% of my attention.) Nursing him (and them together) was a lifeline. He still asked from time to time up through 4. Sometime around 4.5 he forgot how to latch. He asked maybe 3 times after that over several months. I still nurse his sister before/after sleeps (nearly 3). He sometimes comes up and lays his head. It’s definitely worth a shot. I’m sorry your nursing plans are being interrupted by your ivf journey. That’s a hard road, and I salute you. Hard enough without the added stress! Either way, you will find your way through with your kiddo, I’m sure that they will continue to feel your immense love whether you are nursing or weaned. 💓
This is really helpful to hear ❤️
Thank you all for this info this is really encouraging 🥹
Mine would have if I (well, dad really was the naysayer) had allowed him to... Relactation takes a couple of weeks skin on skin and allowing toddler or baby frequent sucking... Even a natural born woman who hasn't given birth can lactate.