Breastfeeding while Pregnant

If I thought that nobody had prepared me for breastfeeding a toddler, then I was absolutely unprepared for breastfeeding a toddler while pregnant. When we began the journey of trying to conceive this baby, I knew that the breastfeeding relationship that E and I had established would change and grow and possibly end. It's just a sad fact that some babies will wean when the mother gets pregnant, due to multiple reasons (less milk, change in taste, etc). I had hoped that this wouldn't be the case with E, but I was (am) determined to take things day by day. While I secretly hope to tandem nurse the new baby and E, I did not want to get my hopes up expecting him to not wean. I know several ladies whose milk dried up in the first trimester, and knew I would be heartbroken if he weaned when I was expecting to nurse him longer. But here we are. Seventeen weeks in, and no sign of weaning from my 18 month old yet. E is still nursing the same amount, more or less, than he was prior to the pregnancy. 

I haven't noticed too much of an issue with milk supply, although I do think it has dropped a little, which in my case isn't necessarily bad because I have always had a very good supply, almost too good! What I have noticed is the nipple sensitivity. OH the sensitivity! Some days my toes curl when E latches on. These are the days when I contemplate pushing weaning. But then I tell myself, "this too shall pass" and get through the day, just like we got through the newborn days and the growth spurts. I have noticed a pattern too with the sensitivity. While there is always more sensitivity than there used to be, it seems to be worse following a particularly bad night. You know the kind of night I mean. The kind of night where E wakes up 3, 4, or 5 times and can only be placated by nursing. The kind of night where mrblueberry cannot do anything right for him and E just screams until I give in. E has a lazy toddler latch at night, and I don't always notice in my sleepy state. I pay for that lack of observation for days after. But how do I fix a latch at night when I am half asleep? 

I have also noticed that there are times when I get "touched out." This feeling happened before being pregnant, but it usually affected mrblueberry in that I didn't want to be snuggled. Now, I find myself occasionally being DONE during a session before E is finished. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I get so restless and have to end it. So, I deal with it in the same way I have been dealing with E's distractability. I start counting down from 10. When I hit 0, I "close up shop." E knows this, and it has worked wonders for when he's distracted. When I do it because I need to end the session, he will sometimes cry if he wasn't finished, but I just tell him "momma's all done" and give him a snuggle and often, he's fine. When that doesn't work and he is still asking for milk, I will often just give myself a 5-10 minute break before I will give him more. 

How long will I be able to nurse him for? I don't know. I am not putting any timelines down either. While I would love to tandem nurse, it is just too unpredictable as to what will happen to my milk. I know that around 20 weeks it starts to change to colostrum. Will he continue to nurse through that? I don't know. Some do, some don't. We will see. Some toddlers will also dry nurse if the milk completely dries up too (I think think this is more common in those who comfort nurse often...which E does do). Would I be able to handle that? I don't know either. As it stands, I am just taking each day as it comes (and impatiently waiting for my turn at the library for the book "Adventures in Tandem Nursing"). Really, what else can you do in life? 

Do you have any tips for nursing while pregnant?