TTC while breastfeeding

Thanks for the good luck wishes wolf. I did test and BFN, feeling pretty rubbish. Also had a rubbish day involving cleaning dog poo off my DS’s hand and taking DD to minor injuries. On the plus side as it’s BFN I can have a big glass of wine 🍷!

#so has, not hasn’t stupid autocorrect.

Hi Wolfgrrl, thanks for the welcome. I’m finding now that af has returned, so hasn’t my sex drive. The BDing is actually better so far as it took 2 years to conceive DD so it had become a bit mechanical. Now we’re worried about the baby waking while we’re at it, it’s a bit more exciting. It’s like being naughty teenagers trying not to get caught, so I guess that helps.

Pindles good luck with testing tomorrow if you're still planning to!

Hi doom! No experience to share I'm afraid but welcome. I hope your subtle ttc attempts are successful before you have to try a bit more actively! Can't imagine ttc with a baby/toddler around. Must be harder second time!

Thank you noor! That's really helpful to know! As my DD is only 7 months I'm not going to be cutting down feeds yet to help us along with ttc. It would help if she would sleep a little better though! We do a dream feed and I wonder whether that counts as a night feed in terms of how it affects fertility. Are you waiting for AF/test date now then?

Hi all, can I join? Im still breastfeeding DD1 who is 6 months old. We want a small age gap and AF came back last month. We’re not actively TTC, but subtly hoping it’ll happen sooner rather than later. I had one day of spotting on CD15, but got a huge amount of ewcm yesterday and we DTD today.

Does anyone have any suggestions or experience of first cycles whilst still breastfeeding. We only started weaning DD this week.

Good luck with cutting out the night feeds noor! It’s frustrating that you have to wait so long (and who knows how long!) to find out if it’s worked. I’m feeling really crampy at the moment so maybe about to get AF? Any certainty would be good now! Fingers crossed cutting the night feeds has good results all round! Keep us updated!!

Pindlesandneedles I think I mainly had to cut out night feeds as I believe it certainly interferes with my fertility all over. I heard the night feedings are the fertility killer ones. This is my first month that I cut out my night feeds so let's see the results!

Wolfgrrl hopefully I can share my symptoms before I had my first/official returned period. So the very first time DS was 4/5 months old and on that day I had spotting but I started breastfeeding more to avoid it, luckily I didn't have a flow. The very official time I remember DS was about 13 months old and he would become very irritable and frustrated when feeding, Ive heard myths that the taste of the milk changes before and during a period and it happens every time I get My period. Secondly I was really bloated and gassy and a little queasy hence why I assumed I was pregnant. I don't remember having any breast symptoms however I did have very little cramping and also during my very few periods it was so light with a medium flow. Now that I breastfeed very little and in the process of weaning I get heavy to medium periods.. good luck I hope your periods return and it'll result in a successful pregnancy

😂 to spotty and irritable being the norm - that may be true for me to but I’m not going to admit it!! I think we’re going’s to cut out all the night feeds completely over easter weekend to try and get AF back again. I can’t find any clear info either but it seems like the night feeds are key to maintaining the hormones! (I’m also going to do a test on Saturday just on the off chance 😀)

Thanks pindles. It's frustrating waiting and second guessing everything isn't it! I am also spotty and irritable but I think that's just normal, ha! Was trying to find stats on when people's periods do come back whilst breastfeeding but not found anything hugely useful. It really seems to vary from person to person.

Hi, I haven’t had AF yet so no definite advice. I also thought I had some EWCM a week ago. I’ve also been getting spots and feeling tired and grumpy! Will be interesting to see if AF turns up in a week. I wonder if you start getting some hormone changes without AF? Fingers crossed AF turns up for you soon!

Hello newbies! Good to have some more company on here!

I got excited that AF might be returning the other day as I got what I thought was EWCM. But nothing came of it so think it was a false alarm. Those of you who have had their first AF, did you get any signs that you were ovulating?

Fingers crossed the vitamins do the trick!! It’s amazing what an effect BFing has on your cycle. I’m hoping to get AF back soon having cut down on night feeds but nothing yet. Also having dtd I’m now symptom spotting 🙄. I don’t know what it is about TTC that makes me so crazy... usually I’m a rational person 😂

Hello pindlesandneedles I will be starting the pregnacare trying to conceive vitamins from today let's see if that will increase my fertility while breastfeeding. My cycles are 30 days and on time now thank god! Before those 4 months they would vary from 35-47 days. I also ovulate around CD 15/16 if it helps anyone I can upload a picture of my OPKs for the last 2 months, I started the routine of OPKs from CD 8 until CD 16

Hi noor, when I was trying for dc2 I took a pregnancy vitamin (maybe Sainsbury’s own). I also tried to take a bit of time for me as life can be pretty full on with a toddler. Other than that just dtd as much as possible around FW. Where are you in your cycle at the moment? Fingers crossed for a BFP this month!

What I felt like changed my DS feeding habits was distracting him but gradually so not at once. I would take him to see his cousin which only have a month apart, and he don't even seem to notice me, also play or draw with him, take him to the park with some snacks. Also whenever I feel like he needs to feed I offer him food or water and because it's easier to accept rather than waiting for boob to be out and milk to come through he's accepted it. Don't offer and get someone else to put to sleep otherwise because you're available it means so is the milk. Just be patient while at it

Hello! Can I join? I'm still breastfeeding my 21 month old and he mostly feeds for comfort, I feel like he gets nothing anyway my milk has dried compared to before.. I've had returned periods since 7 months ago and they've been regular for 4 months now, I ovulate on CD 15/16 according to my OPKs and symptoms. Been TTC for 5 months but still nothing. I will try to take vitamins I think my body maybe lacking them. Is there any advice to how I can up my chances?

Hi guys, I need some advice. So still BFing but have cut down at night a lot hoping to kick start AF. Have also been dtd and am now thinking there’s a possibility that I could maybe (I know very unlikely) be pregnant. Would you wait two weeks after dtd and then test. Or wait and see if I get any pregnancy symptoms. Or just admit to myself that it’s really unlikely and stop thinking about it..?

Hi Nosering! It’s so weird this is the only time I’ve ever been wanting to have AF! I’m wondering if we might catch the first ovulation before AF comes back but then how will I know if I’m pregnant?! Could get very expensive in tests...

Can I join as well please?
I'm bfing DS2 who is 14 months and we'll be trying for #3 from May. My periods came back at around 6 months but only started to be regularish in the last few cycles (which is impressive because they've been irregular since I came off birth control in 2011). They range between 26-28 days. I started temping to see if I'm ovulating and it looks like I am! I had irregular periods after DS1 (before him as well!) and only ovulated after he weaned at around 2.5 years old. I was also having acupuncture and taking metformin for PCOS. So it's a bit of a shock to be ovulating on my own while breastfeeding as well.

Hi pindles and starfish! I'm afraid I don't have anything useful to add about how to get cycles back but lovely to have you here. I want to bf to 12 months and was hoping that I'd get AF before then once we are properly into weaning but it looks as though it doesn't work like that for lots of people. It's so rubbish that some have to stop bf just to ttc.

I've done some reading and it looks like you basically have to trick your body into thinking that you have enough nutrients and reserves to support another baby as it will prioritise bfing your current bubs while you still are. So taking lots of supplements and increasing calories might work! I think it should be good fat type calories but I'm happy enough to use it as an excuse to eat cake. Anyone tried that?! I can't find much online.

Place-marking. Hello! x

Hi everyone, can I join you? My DD is 14mths old and I’m starting to think about trying for no3 (although my DH needs some Persuading!) I had to stop bfing DS completely before my periods came back and we could start trying for DD. Really keen to carry on bfing as long as possible this time but now doing 2feeds at night and 2 in the day but still no sign of AF... when did everyone else get their AF back?