Q: Hi Doc, I am sorry to just barge into your inbox. I have a problem. I am breastfeeding an 11-month old baby, while pregnant for 10 weeks. Is it safe?

A: It’s generally considered safe to continue breastfeeding in pregnancy. In fact some mothers would even breastfeed the new baby and the older one, concurrently. This is called tandem nursing. However, given the requirements of breastfeeding and of pregnancy, this mum must ensure that she is eating healthy and drinking sufficient fluids.

If your already born baby can talk, he may comment on the fact that the taste of your breast milk has changed especially towards the end of pregnancy and a few days after the birth of the new baby as colostrum is produced.

For more posts on colostrum, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/27/daily-health-tips-what-should-i-do-after-having-my-baby-if-my-breast-milk-doesnt-come-in-immediately/

For the mum, she may notice more breast tenderness…sorry 😀 And also, milk production reduces as pregnancy progresses.

The process of letting down milk involves the release of a hormone called oxytocin. This hormone can also cause uterine contractions, which you absolutely do not want when you’re pregnant until it’s time for delivery. The good news is that the oxytocin released is not enough to cause significant contractions that can lead to a pre-term labour. However, people who already have a history of pre-term or premature contractions need to check with their doctors as nipple stimulation (either during sexual intercourse or breastfeeding may lead to pre-term contractions)

Your 7-month old baby can take water (of course). You can give him freshly squeezed fruit juices (this basically means you’re buying the fruits and squeezing out the juice yourself or blending up a smoothie). Remember that your baby must not have any cow milk until the baby turns 12 months…well, unless it’s in yoghurt (unsweetened, flavor-free yoghurt). You can add some bananas to the yogurt and blend it up.

For more on weaning and preparation of yoghurt, please click on these links: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/12/29/daily-health-tips-weaning-foods/

Have a good night y’all