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Tandem Nursing
Tandem Nursing in Today's World
By Virginia Gilbert
In the past 30 years or so, breast milk has replaced formula as the preferred feeding choice for infants. While both the medical community and society now encourage women to nurse their babies, those mothers who breastfeed through a subsequent pregnancy and the birth of a second child may find a lack of information about or even bias against "tandem nursing," or breastfeeding siblings who are not twins.
"I think society values breastfeeding as something for newborns," says Fran Jaffe, a Los Angeles-based lactation educator and dietitian consultant. "Once the baby gets to a size where she is eating foods and being verbal, there is a stigma put on the mom to stop breastfeeding. I think tandem nursing is more common than reported, but women are not talking about it."
Laura Gray, a spokeswoman for the La Leche League West Los Angeles group, says doctors don't talk about tandem nursing because they haven't done the research. Unlike La Leche League, which has watched thousands of women tandem nurse successfully, "the medical community is just now catching on to the idea that breast milk is a good thing," Gray comments wryly.
Jane*, a 33-year-old mother of two who lives in Los Angeles, felt frustrated by her obstetrician's unenthusiastic response to her desire to nurse her firstborn through her second pregnancy. "My oldest son was only seven months old when I got pregnant [again] and I wasn't ready to [wean]. My obstetrician expressed doubt about my nursing through my pregnancy, but was unable to give me any hard evidence or reasons to cause me to stop," says Jane. "I think the information given out about tandem breastfeeding by doctors schooled in western medicine is, for the most part, inadequate."
Comments
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Re: Tandem Nursing by nursing mother of 5 on 03/28/2010 12:18AM
I have returned to school and recently heard a comment I found illogical. Being an advocate to my patients, I need proof to such astatement. If, my children would have been nursed tandem, newborn and 9 months-5 years, would not only the quantity be different, but the quality of the milk? My thought was always, if a toddler were nursing at the same time as an infant, the milk would be the same, but the let down or quantity would flucuate, to protect the mother, according to the suction administered during nursing. Are there scientific studies to substanciate such a claim? My children were all 3-4 years a part, on purpose and I need to know. Graduating as an RN in May.
Re: Tandem Nursing by nursing mother of 5 on 03/28/2010 12:00AM
I have returned to school and recently heard a comment I found illogical. Being an advocate to my patients, I need proof to such astatement. If, my children would have been nursed tandem, newborn and 9 months-5 years, would not only the quantity be different, but the quality of the milk? My thought was always, if a toddler were nursing at the same time as an infant, the milk would be the same, but the let down or quantity would flucuate, to protect the mother, according to the suction administered during nursing. Are there scientific studies to substanciate such a claim? My children were all 3-4 years a part, on purpose and I need to know. Graduating as an RN in May.
Re: Tandem Nursing by anonymous on 02/09/2010 12:00PM
I haven't seen any video clips, but the Flowers book has some great photos. I am currently nursing both my 19 month old and 4 month old, and I nursed all the way through my second pregnancy. Although it is exhausting and I am hungry all the time, I wouldn't do it any differently. My toddler adores her little sister, and I credit tandem nursing as part of the reason. I say go for it! And as for positions, I would juts experiment with what feels right (like most things in parenting).
Re: Tandem Nursing by anonymous on 11/02/2009 07:52PM
Does anyone add video clips of tandem nursing a baby & a toddler? i would love to see how it is done so i can possibly try it.
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Re: Tandem Nursing by anonymous on 04/17/2010 04:28PM
No scientific studies that I know of, but i have been wondering since it is known that breastmilk can change minute to minute, and that the breast can add specific antibodies to the milk when it detects infections. Is it possible that the breast can detect the difference of saliva from both children and change accordingly?