getting pregnant while breastfeeding

chipmonkey, I have decided not to bother going to the GP about not being able to conceive just now. I am guessing that they would just send me away and tell me to stop breastfeeding.

I started taking Vitex see here on kellymom to see if it will calm down my hormones enough to help ttc. I guess I will find out soon if it is mumbo jumbo or if it really works!

I would also recommend this book to anybody who is ttc. Had I not read this, I would really have no idea why I wasn't able to conceive. On the face of it, everything looks normal. I ovulate every cycle, my cycle is pretty regular, but it is the shortened luteal phase which is causing the problem. I would be really stressed about it by now I reckon if I hadn't read this book.

Oh, you poor thing! I had SPD at the end with ds4 and it made things so difficult, added to the fact that I couldn't get a pair of trousers that would stay up so I was hobbling around, constantly hitching up my trousers!
at the home waterbirth!

I am good. I am due 19/09. I have SPD, but finding ways to deal with it. I am planning a home water birth. DD is fine. Still bf 2/3 times a day. no stopping the child.

I am still up! but about to go to bed, honest!
Ds4 is a little angel! Gives no trouble at all. Wish I could say the same for ds3 who has been an absolute monkey since he got a little brother Too used to being the baby and not impressed with his position being usurped!
How are you, have you had that baby yet?

morning chippers. how are you and the baby. (if still awake).

zsos, if you look at the acronym list it should sort out most of the lingo!
Or if not, just ask!

mawbroon, I ended up going to my GP with spotting mid-cycle. He said it was nothing to do with bf and referred me to an Obgyn who said it was to do with bf and asked how long I was planning to bf ( as if there was a plan, LOL!)
I gave up bf, had to go cold-turkey on poor ds3 as there really was no other way to do it with him.
Immediately the spotting stopped and I was pg within 2 months.
Sorry about your MC

i'm following this with interest.

bf 15 mth dd and ttc no 6.

I don't have periods until i have totally stopped bf, no matter how few times a day they feed, currently, am feeding bed time and 1st inmorn.

Seriously contemplating giving up now, although reluctant cos am getting on a bit now and might not even fall, (41)so would be at stopping before i was fully ready iykwim

Any wise words would be welcome

Looks like I am going that way too chipmonkey.

DS is 2.10, still feeds a few times day and night and I am finding it almost impossible to get pg. (I did at the end of last year, but lost it at 6wks)

I ovulate much later in my cycle now, and my luteal phase seems to be too short for implantation. I am assuming that this will correct itself when he weans. LOL, if he ever weans that is....

zsos, you are not going to know how easily you will be able to conceive until you start trying when you resume ovulating.

Hiya, v. interested in this as have just had positive preg test and daughter is only 20 weeks! no period, breastfeeding on demand - felt a bit sick for a few days, thought I'd 'rule it out'.....yikes!

I bfed ds3 for 2.8 years, had periods from when he was 4 months but still couldn't get pg till I gave up bf.

I got pregnant with DD when DS was only six months old.

I was breastfeeding, but had just started to wean onto solids, and presumably that must have affected things, because nine months down the line with not a period in sight I delivered my cherub cheeked DD!

i got pregnant 9 months after dd was born without having had any periods.

i had a bit of spotting tat i thought was the start of a period but turned out to be implantation.

there're 18 months between dd and ds

after ds my periods didn't come back until he was 12 months

My gp said if you are fully bf (no solids) with at least 1 night feed bf is about 98% effective as a contraceptive.

well if you were taking your temp daily, you'd notice a spike, and if you study your vaginal fluid, it's supposed to go clear and stretchy like egg white when you ovulate.

most ppl only look for these signs when they are trying to become pg. and it takes a while of looking to notice the changes

elmoandella how far along were you when you found out, then?

I have a friend whose dcs are 11 months apart - dd conceived whilst fully breast feeding and no period. Also a neice born 13 months after her brother in similar circumstances. Don't rely on bf as a form of contraception, but you know how it is - if you want to get pg then you probably won't - it's sod's law!

happened to me. had no idea till baby started butterfly kicking. was still bf at time. no other symtoms.

what a shock

zsos, you could do a search on this, there have been lots of threads lately.

as your lo drops feeds your hormones will start to shift back and you will ovulate. of course unless you are watching fertility signs intently you won't know that you ovulated until you get your period, and a fair few people seem to fall pg that first time, without ever getting AF, iykwim.

it can go a long time though. my 15m ds feeds about 5 times a day, mostly at night, and I still don't have a period. lovely high hormone levels!