TTC and still breastfeeding? Thread # 5 - Positive Vibes!

I couldn't bear getting a bfn on a hpt, I've gotten my hopes up in the past (as we all have) and it's horrible. Think I'll just start taking folic acid again tomorrow, make sure I remember to take it every day again no matter what, and be cautiously optimistic as long as AF stays away

Thanks Leamice lol A part of me wants to ask DH to pop out in the rain and buy a hpt, but I think he's got his heart set on the idea of dtd tonight, just in case it's a surge Wish I'd kept schtum and not shared my thought process with DH now

And Sod's law means the month you aren't taking folic acid will be the month you get a bfp lol

Spend £1 in pound shop lol! This thread must be the lucky one! Fx the rest of us join the preggos by the end. :)

Thanks for the support, ladies I've read that it could indicate a pregnancy, but also that I could have ov'd late or just be having another surge. Should I dtd (if time allows) tonite, just in case?

Really can't justify buying another pg test when I've got some expensive digis on the way. They should be here by on Thursday, but I'll probably test with fmu on Friday. I know I sound blasé about it, but it's because there's no way we could be that lucky having just dtd once this month, and I irresponsibly haven't remembered to take my folic acid for a few weeks now, as were taking a break and I thought (still think) we're a few months off a bfp yet

Man, have I picked the wrong month to take a break from charting....

Congratulations Wax!! What fab news!!

And Ava go out and get a hpt!! That opk is blazing! I reckon your knocked up girl!

doug good luck! I know the worries feeling buy sounds like the gynae knew what she was doing so I'd definitely go with that.
Wendy sounds like a brilliant bet too!

Uhm Ava fuckinghelljustpissonahptbecause!

This is the opk - the line is so dark it's actually purple...

Hmm, I would have expected AF to show earlier today, but no sign yet. Out of curiosity I poas, but all I had were opks. A super strong line appeared straight away, as soon as the urine reached the mark. I'm not convinced this is a reliable indication of pg though does anyone have any knowledge where this is concerned? I could be anywhere from 10 - 13 dpo judging by previous cycles btw x

Oh Wax I'm so pleased for you!! Yay!

ISpy, We are still a way off complete weaning too, but with DD being very interested in the fact that she'll be starting nursery in September we're also talking about her being a 'big girl' and not needing boob any more. I've gotten away with a 30 second feed during the day once over the last 2 days, but about 4 feeds over night, which is the worst time. A lot of women seem to get their bfp's the cycle during which they wean completely though, so I'm hoping that'll be us in a couple of months or so

No news from me. I have some pg tests on their way, but I definitely think AF will arrive before they do x

That's interesting, thanks both. I will try Wendy at the breast feeding network.

Cerazette messed up my luteal phase last time. Gynecologist had it licked the second cycle she treated me, BFP resulting in lovely DD. It was very frustrating, as I'd had incredibly regular cycles and two months on cerazette caused such a problem.

I also wonder whether I'm spotting pre AF because of feeding, or as a hangover from the cerazette thing.

I wonder if progesterone could help, and I'm relaxed about what it might do to my milk supply, as long as it is ok for DD. Sometimes she tells me ' this one doesn't work' which I assume means there's no milk there at that feed. Lower supply is fine as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for listening. It feels good to get it all out somewhere that people understand.

When we started our TTC no 2 journey and I felt really hopeful and optimistic. Now I feel differently: worried (about when it will happen, whether we have time) and conflicted (about whether to try and stop). The uncertainty of it gets to me.

DH is supportive but laid back, I wouldn't discuss this with my mum (she would get over involved, and would tell me to stop feeding, it's not that simple!).

If you want advice on whether taking progesterone could affect continued bf, you could email Wendy at the breastfeeding network. She's their pharmacist, and gives really helpful advice on the risks of taking drugs - she's helped me a few times, and gives really detailed and well-researched advice way beyond the usual 'avoid if bf' that you get from a normal pharmacist.

And yes, I'm also late-thirties, so it was definitely an age thing. We need a sibling for DC whom we had last year and as it happens it has taken so much longer for me to fall pregnant than I ever anticipated, and only with help too.

dougal that does sound very tough. And it doesn't sound to me like you are at all in a realistic position to wean completely. If I were you I would probably try to drop another feed but keep at it for your own sanity.
I have uhm unorthodox advice for you. You have a private consult booked. Private doctors prescribe much more easily and off-label more often. I would do a bit of research if you have time, to see if the progesterone will interfere negatively with continued bfing. Someone on this thread might know, but I don't. If however it doesn't, I would consider asking her/him to prescribe it and see if it will keep the endometrium intact longer and help clear up the spotting. Of course, you don't know if you are actually ovulating because of the bfing even if you get LH surges, but I should think based on the spotting the progesterone would be a good call.
That way you could maybe continue bfing, see if your LP settles, and if you're still not falling pregnant a few of months later, then maybe investigate ovulation or wean completely?
By the way, I loved my cerazette. It stopped my periods completely which I personally adored it for, with a breakthrough bleed every six months or so. I went off it and fell pregnant very first month after first period/withdrawal bleed. It's amazing how different we all react to these things! I'm sorry yours was so disastrous though!

I'd not thought of going to the GP.

I had a problem with my cycle before we conceived DD (horrible mini pill cerazette really messed it up) and the GP was so useless, fobbing me off with 'oh well, cycles / hormones are variable' (when my cycle had been stable my whole adult life until I touched that pill) that it hasn't crossed my mind to go back.

I got sorted last time biting the bullet and seeing a private gynaecologist and I do now have an appointment booked in with her next week. Although I worry she'll just tell me to stop feeding rather than being supportive about where we are now.

Thank you Auf. When you say clock ticking, do you mean desire for another baby, or your age?

At 38 this is on my mind.

We've already night weaned. I was painful for both of us (took 6 months, with many false starts due to illness and teething) and she was fully night weaned at 18 months.

I didn't need to do it to bring back AF, I naively thought that as that came back on its own I must be pretty fertile (I was appalled when it did - I was in no way ready for another baby then!)

What's tricky for me about the idea of weaning from here is that each feed has a trigger. We basically feed morning and at bedtime, and then when I get in from work. She will happily go without any if I'm not around, so maybe one answer is to book myself a long weekend away on my own at some point.

The feeds are very short, sometimes it's only a minute or two it's more about the emotional connection for her. Her personality is such that, if her ask is fulfilled we are both happy, if I say no, she will want it ever more.

Also, it's about carving out the time to focus on her so she doesn't need to emotionally connect by feeding. I've got the LLL book 'How Weaning Happens' and I was flicking through it again last night, feeling down, and it pointed out that some mothers have to trade 1 hour of play time for a few minutes of feeding.

A month or so ago DD was dropped some feeds herself, being too busy in the morning, or when I get in from work. But since I have been very busy (work had a horrible deadline pile up), skipped some bedtimes, been distracted. And now she needs it more.

We lead busy lives, and I feel like this is a safety value, a way I can support her when other pressures crowd in.

To totally wean her I need to be motivated and committed, and i'm not. I wish we could carry on until she's comfortable to stop, I just wonder, given my age, whether there is time. We really want another, for her, as much as for us.

Pear - I'm counting ov as the second day of static smiley. But I don't temp so there's no way of knowing when I actually oved...

And I think the weaning is a red herring in our case - we only weaned during this cycle, and my cycles had become regular before that. So I'm sure it wasnt what did it, and you ladies have every chance of getting pg while feeding. Plenty of my friends have...

We did feel ready to wean - I was really sick of it and starting to resent it, and DD was really easily bribed with alternatives even though she had seemed so attached to it. I don't miss it at all and dont feel nostalgic for our feeds, just grateful it's done! So definitely the right time for us x

Oh and fabulous news re the earlier ovulation! My lp was shit but progesterone pessaries appears to have fixed it! You might want to ask the gp about that with reference to your spotting.

Thanks dougal and welcome back. I wasn't ready I know, and neither was DC. That said it was easier than I thought, physically speaking. Emotionally it was tough for both of us but more so for me. DC could be distracted more easily. Fwiw I found it helped doing the night time wean first as that was hardest (I needed to do that to get AF started). Day time you can distract with play. I would have really preferred to wait for both out sakes' but clock was ticking. :(

Hello ladies. Exciting to see some good news from Wax and Auf.

I'll just do my stats as I'm late to the new thread.

I'm 38, DD is 2.2 months (nearly).

AF came back at 7 months. fairly regular but I wasn't tracking it that closely until the start of this year.

My cycles have been short and variable (23- 27 days) and with spotting before AF arrives. I've also been ovulating fairly late (for me) around day 16.

So for most of our journey I didn't have a 2ww wait, rather a 2 or 3 day wait, as the spotting generally started.

The length of my cycles and spotting have improved through

• less feeding (we now feed 1-3 times a day)
• more sleep (DD sleeping better at night also I MUST GO TO BED EARLIER - makes such a difference to me yet I find it so v hard to do!)
• better eating. I saw a nutritionist for advice, she's got me off sugar ( I used to be a two chocoloate bars a day girl) and into smoothies every morning, regular eating (every 2-3 hours). I feel much better and have put on weight.

This month, exictingly, I ovulated earlier (day 9 ish, more normal for me) and had very clear EWCM for the first time since Christmas (I was hoping I didn't see it as we were DTD, but may have been clutching at straws). Temp patterns also look good - the biggest and most stable rise I've had so far.

So I've been daring to hope for this cycle, and had a 10 day wait with not spotting. Spotting started over the weekend, so hope is starting to fade.

sigh I wonder if I should wean completely, although I would rather not. DD is so happy, loves it still. I would like her to stop in her own time .

Those of you that have weaned. How did you feel before and after? Did you feel ready (as opposed to your DC)?

I lie. I also have the spotty skin of a teenage boy.

pear nope. My boobs are a bit tender and I'm silently worrying about viability all the time but other than that nothing to report. I am waiting for the tiredness to strike. With DC I was unfuckingbelievably tired for about a week but only retrospectively linked it to pregnancy as I only found out about 7weeks in and can't as such judge exactly when it was . I had severe nausea and vomiting around 9-11 weeks last time so definitely not looking forward to that again. The other morning sickness from between 6-13 weeks I could handle okay.