Breastfeeding mama's ttc again!

[254]

Just popped into this thread to say hi!

I breastfeed my 17.5 month old daughter and we've been trying to get pregnant again since my periods returned when she was 6 months old - a year ago. I ovulate every cycle but have a very short luteal phase so am unable to get pregnant until that's 'better'.

She breastfeeds usually just for a few minutes first thing in the morning and then before bed, although she's been under the weather for the past few days so has asked to feed quite regularly.

Has anyone else here been trying, with periods, for 1yr+? I'm trying to stay positive but feel really disheartened sometimes.

Looking forward to chatting with other breastfeeding-ttc-mummies! Good luck everyone!

 

[sun]

Hi 254 - we wanted to TTC when LO was 5 months, but I didn't get AF back until Sept 2010 - then it took 7 cycles to get pregnant. I found this very fast since it took several years to get pregnant with #1 so I was worried it would be another long haul!

But I also had a really short LP and was BF only 1-2x/day for the months leading up to my BFP. LP was 4 days at the shortest, 9 at the longest, and averaged around 6-8 days. I tried a bunch of stuff (Soy, Vitamin B6, etc) but they didn't do anything. I ended up getting pregnant the first month I tried Vitex though (Agnus Cactus - you can get it from the health food store) and I know other women who had the same success. I don't know if that was the reason, but it really made a difference for me - I noticed the change through the entire cycle then got a BFP at the end! xx

 

[polaris]

I think I am going to try and wean. My cycle this month has been anovulatory and I've no idea when or if AF is going to arrive. We are both really keen to have another baby and I'm not getting any younger (36) and I just feel that continued breastfeeding is not helping my chances of getting pregnant.

Thomas has only been having a bedtime feed for a long time now and if it wasn't for TTC then I really wouldn't be in any hurry to give it up, as I still love feeding him. But recently he has been only having short feeds and seems just as happy to chat most of the time, so I thought it might be a good opportunity. So tonight I put him to bed without a breastfeed for the first time. I just did the bedtime routine as usual but instead of offering a breastfeed I just offered a drink of water, which he normally has after his breastfeed anyway. He didn't ask for a feed and he just went off to bed happily as usual. I feel a bit sad. I am not going to stop feeding him totally but I'm planning to do 'don't offer don't refuse' to gradually cut down. I'm sure my milk supply will dwindle too if he's not feeding every day, which should help with the weaning process.

 

[bky]

good luck Polaris. I'm in the process of weaning now. Just dropping a feed a week. I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep one or two feeds, but realistically as I've had 3 days a week of 10-12 hours of no feeds (due to work) since 11 months when I stopped pumping (as well as 2-3 weeks of being dayweaned before a sickness bug set us back) I think I'm not going to see AF without stopping (having fears that pregnancy and BF has broken me and it will be months after stopping BF before I see AF )

 

[Nicoleoleole]

So LO breastfed WAY less than normal. Like, she dropped to 8 times a day verses the 20 times she normally does. I ovulated the day my husband had surgery, so we dtd the day before and after. I have a faint line at 8dpo! LO is nursing back to 20 times a day though, as she's sick.

 

[Mum22GTTC]

Congrats Nicole!!

Big to the TTC ladies, we'll get there sooner or later, I'm sure

I ov'd for the first time once LO had STTN for 2 whole weeks, but I only had a 4 day LP & a ridiculously teeny/light 2 day AF.

LO is back to feeding loads through the night, I'm now on cycle day 10 and I have no CM - which is just how I'd been up until LO had started STTN. So after getting all excited about getting my fertility back, I think I'm back to square one now.

DH has been trying to rock LO back to sleep at night, but he literally screams until he gets boob (he tried for over an hour last night) so I have no chance of weaning.

 

[polaris]

So LO breastfed WAY less than normal. Like, she dropped to 8 times a day verses the 20 times she normally does. I ovulated the day my husband had surgery, so we dtd the day before and after. I have a faint line at 8dpo! LO is nursing back to 20 times a day though, as she's sick.

Oh wow, that is very exciting! That's a clear line for 8 dpo! Congratulations!!!

 

[Pretty Sakura]

Woot woot!

 

[bky]

Congrats and good luck Nicole!
Mum22, mine is often the same way. It's so hard to have willpower where sleep is concerned.

 

[Kelly9]

254 I am on cycle 12 I think but over a 10 month period still currently ttc but we have sperm issues and our first took 18 months to conceive. Good luck! I hope you get a period soon.

Huge congrats Nicole!!!!! I was wondering where you disappeared to. Fingers crossed for a super stick beany!

Polaris you've bf'ed for so long you should be proud of yourself. I was very sad when I stopped/ my son self weaned but I got over it fast though I do still do have the odd moment of sadness when I think about it sometimes.

 

[JellyBeann]

Congrats!

I'm on CD32, so hopefully AF will show soon, so we can start TTC again, I'm getting spotting on and off for a few days now, so hopefully she's on her way!

 

[254]

Hi 254 - we wanted to TTC when LO was 5 months, but I didn't get AF back until Sept 2010 - then it took 7 cycles to get pregnant. I found this very fast since it took several years to get pregnant with #1 so I was worried it would be another long haul!

very belated congrats on your pregnancy - that's great that it didn't take as long this time as last.

But I also had a really short LP and was BF only 1-2x/day for the months leading up to my BFP. LP was 4 days at the shortest, 9 at the longest, and averaged around 6-8 days. I tried a bunch of stuff (Soy, Vitamin B6, etc) but they didn't do anything. I ended up getting pregnant the first month I tried Vitex though (Agnus Cactus - you can get it from the health food store) and I know other women who had the same success. I don't know if that was the reason, but it really made a difference for me - I noticed the change through the entire cycle then got a BFP at the end! xx

Thanks! Reassuring to hear of someone else with a short LP who got pregnant eventually! I've been taking agnus castus for the last 6ish months... I think it's helping me ovulate earlier (I stopped it one cycle when I was fed up and ov jumped from around CD21 to CD27ish) which I'm happy about. I also tried B6 for a while with no results... I was feeling like it helped everyone but me, so reassuring also to hear it didn't help you... yet you still got pregnant in the end. Thanks

Did you take agnus castus throughout your whole cycle or just until ovulation?

 

[bky]

Has anyone taken soy while BF? I thought some of you have...
All the labels seem to say not to use while BF, is that just because it can have an effect on supply, or something else, or...? Just wondering what the side effects/theory on that is. I'm kind of considering it as our attempts to night wean are being a disaster (aka there is no self control for the sleepy).

 

[Kelly9]

I'm not sure I never took it. You could always ask a pharmacist. I would say if it works like clomid then yes part of it would be supply issues. I took clomid while bf'ing and I noticed a supply drop.

 

[bky]

Yeah, not so concerned about my supply at this point as we're down to 2ish feeds a day. I'm just raising my eyebrows a bit over some of the other potential side-effects. I haven't really looked into it much, but I guess taking it in a 5 day course isn't going to be like taking it every day.
I never managed to try Maca because it was crazy expensive, but soy is a lot cheaper so I'm over it...

 

[Kelly9]

Well good luck I hope it works for you!

 

[Nicoleoleole]

I used soy! CD 5 - 9. It didn't effect my supply, and I normally ovulated 2 weeks after the last pill vs 5 - 10 days like women who didn't breastfeed. I assume it's the hormones from breastfeeding that held it off more.
Cycle 1 with soy, I got pregnant and ended in MC, and this is cycle 3 on it and I got a bfp on 8dpo. I love soy, because at least I know I'll ovulate
I got mine off Amazon. I took 3 40mg pills each day.

 

[sun]

Thanks 254! xx - Sorry for the late reply. I took the Vitex the entire cycle and then weaned off it once I got my BFP. It took me a while to test too, as I had 2 weeks of spotting that I thought was AF at first.

bky - I also took soy on CD5-9 last Dec - Jan (3 cycles for me) when I was TTC. I was warned that it might affect supply, but My LO wasn't BF that often and eating lots of solids. I didn't notice any affect on my supply, but I also didn't notice any positive affect on my cycle except the first month it was a few days longer.

 

[Kelly9]

Nicole are those lines getting darker for you?

 

[lucy_x]

Hi girls....Im sorry iv been such a crap poster Nothing new to report from me ....My AF hasnt come this month. Little unsure where its gone actually. Did any of yours go missing/ un regulated....Ofcourse my wont be regulated yyet so guess i just gotta wait