To those who got pregnant while breastfeeding

[happynewmom1]

Hi! I'm pretty new to this board and so happy to be here!!! I had some questions if anybody has had experience with this. : )

How far along were you before you got a BFP? Can breastfeeding really give negative results?

Also curious if anybody got pregnant without their period returning yet.

I've been exclusively breastfeeding my 4 month old since he was born. My husband has been wanting another baby, though because we thought it might be good to have them close in age. So we've been having a lot of unprotected sex within the last couple of months. And now I've been feeling a lot of the same pregnancy symptoms as I had with my first, but all the tests I've taken are negative. I'm not sure if hormones from breastfeeding can cause symptoms similar to pregnancy and I haven't had my period return yet so it makes it difficult to know in that way.

Please...no critical comments about trying again so quickly. My husband and I are able to support another baby and have plenty of love to offer : )

I appreciate any input!!!!!!

 

[summer rain]

Although I do know ladies who kept getting a BFN and then got a BFP; it usually turned out that they were unable to judge their dates properly due to their period not actually returning yet; pregnancy tests are very accurate even when BF. I got pregnant twice while BF but my period had recently returned in both cases.

 

[Dragonfly]

I got pregnant while breastfeeding and 10 of my tests where negatives! I had to go and get a clear blue digital to tell me. Some further on had a slight line but should have been negs according to the pack. Either it happens or my tests where crap. And as you see I have a healthy baby boy from it. And he was over due I had my period from 8 months after my son was born and at a year after I got pregnant so took a few months.

 

[TigerLady]

Some ladies won't ovulate as long as they are BFing. It is possible to get pg while BFing before your period returns if you happen to catch that very first egg you put out. But there is no way to know when that will be, as it is different for every lady.

HPTs normally work fine when you are pg. So, if you are getting negatives, they probably really are negatives (but hard to say for sure!).

All the ladies I know that got pg while BFing had their cycles return before they got pg. With my first, AF came back when he was 14 weeks old. I got pg while EBF when he was 4.5 months old (my second cycle I think).

 

[Emx]

I got my period back when Lani was 6 months (I put it down to weaning and therefore a slight decrease in BF)... They have returned to almost normal ie 29-32 days inbetween.. We had decided we wanted to try for another baby in January 2011 anyway, although to be honest we have had a few practice runs! the last couple of months, being happy that if I became pregnant it would be fine.

Anyway - its funny you mention BF may bring on pregnancy symptoms (although this is the first time I have heard this!) - because for the 10 days or so before my last two periods I could swear I was pregnant as I had so many of the same symptoms I had when first pregnant with Lani!! Anyway... am still BF but luckily am obviously ovulating again, so we will have a good go at a 2011 baby!

 

[cutie4evr01]

I am newly pregnant and BF. I got my first period when my LO was 8 months old, but I knew very clearly I had ovulated before that, so if you are spotting ovulation signs already, definitely go for it. You should ovulate before you get your first period, so if you catch that first egg, you'll never get a period.

I got my first BFP only 9 dpo, so BF definitely didn't give me negative results. I think the recent pregnancy and/or BF helped me to fall pregnant more easily, because I got my BFP on our first real try this time around, whereas with my daughter it took us one year.

Also, one word of caution, but I've had a supply drop since becoming pregnant. Since my LO is older, she can eat more solids to make up for it, and plenty of people continue to BF younger LOs through pregnancy with no problem, but thought you should be aware that it's a possibility.

I'm not sure about BF hormones causing pregnancy symptoms, but good luck TTC!

 

[Zeri]

You can try peeing on ovulation predictor strips to see if you're ovulating yet or not. If you're BF regularly, you may or may not be close to regaining fertility - it can be difficult to tell for sure. I didn't get my AF back until 11 1/2 months post partum. There were many times before that that I thought I was fertile/pregnant (I had a few days of fertile cervical mucus here and there too, and pregnancy symptoms at other times). However, whenever I peed on the opks, I wouldn't even get a hint of a line. That told me I wasn't even close to ovulating/fertile - since there's usually at least a hint of line on the opks in women with normal/regular cycles.

 

[happynewmom1]

I got my period back when Lani was 6 months (I put it down to weaning and therefore a slight decrease in BF)... They have returned to almost normal ie 29-32 days inbetween.. We had decided we wanted to try for another baby in January 2011 anyway, although to be honest we have had a few practice runs! the last couple of months, being happy that if I became pregnant it would be fine.

Anyway - its funny you mention BF may bring on pregnancy symptoms (although this is the first time I have heard this!) - because for the 10 days or so before my last two periods I could swear I was pregnant as I had so many of the same symptoms I had when first pregnant with Lani!! Anyway... am still BF but luckily am obviously ovulating again, so we will have a good go at a 2011 baby!

That's great you are ready to try again!!! I'm curious. I do consider myself exclusively breastfeeding my son...or I have been. But like my anniversary was about a month after he was born so there was one day there that his grandparents watched him so my husband and I could go out and days here and there since that his grandparents would babysit. What would it take for my period to come back? I do pump when he is not around but only several times in a day. Not nearly as many times as if he is home and nursing.

We are talking about beginning the weaning process soon. He is beginning to grab at our food and I don't always feel like he is getting enough to eat when I nurse him anyway.

lol I know what you mean! Whenever I take a test I feel like for sure it will be positive with all the symptoms I've had but then it's negative. I need to quit buying them!

Zeri - I may just get one of those! I've noticed some cervical mucus and been feeling crampy here and there and kinda feel like I may have started ovulating but honestly, I never really needed to know when I was. I wasn't keeping track when I got pregnant the first time. We weren't really trying but yet weren't taking any precautions.

cutie4evr01 - Thank you for the word of warning about the drop in supply! That is really good to know!


Thank you SO much everybody for all the replies!

 

[TigerLady]

To add to what Cutie said -- I was one of those ladies that got pg while still EBF as he was so young. I nursed him all through my pg (still am nursing him). I, too, had supply concerns nearly constantly for at least the first half of my pregnancy. And your options for increasing supply (like with herbs) are VERY limited due to the pg.

Nursing while pg can be VERY painful. Babies can get very fussy. Many will self wean because they don't like how the milk changes taste. If you happen to get something like thrush (which I did) it is horridly painful and you can't treat it in yourself well due to the pg. Not to mention how hard it is to be feeding an infant through the night and all day while dealing with the fatigue of being pg.

I don't want to put you off, because all of this is doable. I did it and so have others. But it isn't always easy, so know what you are getting into.

While being pg and bfing was sometimes hard, I wouldn't change it now. I'm glad to have them close together... and tandem nursing has been one of the greatest experiences I've had.

 

[Dragonfly]

To add to mine i also had no pregnancy symptoms when I was pregnant, I had some ms for about 3 weeks and then nothing. Nothing like with my first where I was so ill I couldnt go out. I got sore nipples though.

 

[Rydia]

I just got pregnant while breastfeeding but I didnt start trying until my LO was 18 months and my periods had returned by then (they returned at 13 months but werent always regular). It took me 2 cycles TTC. Its possible to get pregnant at any time while you are breastfeeding but I would think that it would be unlikely prior to 6 months when you been to introduce solids.

I did not get a BFP on the morning my period was due with a first response test and assumed that I was not PG. I didnt realize that breastfeeding could affect it? I took a test 2 weeks later and it was positive.

 

[celine]

My periods returned when Gabriel was 10 months old and they were super unregular as they have always been though the first cycle was 44 days! I got pregnant when he was 15 months old and found the hpt were fine, I also used ovulation sticks as my cycles are so irregular.

Im still bfing now and touch-wood its not so painfull (yet) but I have had some extreme ms since 5 weeks

 

[Poppeteer]

My periods didn't come back till dd was 14 months old.... And I wasn't ovulating before then as I get ovulation pains when I do....

We're still breastfeeding and just started ntnp'ing.... So it'll be interesting to see how things pan out

 

[springgreen]

I got pregnant while breastfeeding and 10 of my tests where negatives! I had to go and get a clear blue digital to tell me. Some further on had a slight line but should have been negs according to the pack. Either it happens or my tests where crap. And as you see I have a healthy baby boy from it. And he was over due I had my period from 8 months after my son was born and at a year after I got pregnant so took a few months.

Ok so did you not have a period till your baby was 8 months old? Or did you have a period till you were 8 months pregnant?

 

[JASMAK]

My son was 12 mths when I got pregnant, and I breastfed him until his sister was born....20mths. Period was normal for me, even though I was exclusively breastfeeding. I think my kids were about 12 weeks old when AF returned...all three were like that. No false negatives.

 

[Kirstiedenman]

I got my period back once at about 8 weeks because I was unable to bf full time for the first 5 weeks but then as I was breastfeeding full time after that I didn't get a period again till he was 8 months old. My cycles have always been really irregular and I also have a really low progesterone count. I got my bfp when my son was 15 months old and he was still bf at that point about 2 times during the day and 4 times at night but they were more comfort sucks I think I can't remember to much of exact numbers.
We were ntnp for a few months and then we decided to wait about another yr as my son was still such a bad sleeper and didn't think I would be able to manage it and of course we fell pregnant that month lol I hadn't had a period for 2 months so I was really shocked! I was 3 weeks and 5 days pregnant when I got my bfp according to my o date I had really bad cramping ewcm and o spotting. At just 3 weeks and 3 days I knew I was pregnant I was tired and nauseous and just felt so familiar.
Good luck I hope you get your bfp soon. And go you super mum for trying so soon again. Takes a lot of gutts and I applaud you for that.

 

[Dragonfly]

I got pregnant while breastfeeding and 10 of my tests where negatives! I had to go and get a clear blue digital to tell me. Some further on had a slight line but should have been negs according to the pack. Either it happens or my tests where crap. And as you see I have a healthy baby boy from it. And he was over due I had my period from 8 months after my son was born and at a year after I got pregnant so took a few months.

Ok so did you not have a period till your baby was 8 months old? Or did you have a period till you were 8 months pregnant?

I didnt get a period till my first son was 8 months (though I am sure it was 6 months I dont know why I put 8 here) . I didnt get a period with my second till my son was 19 months old.