AIBU - fertility clinic have told me to stop breastfeeding my first child

[moreworkandhope]

is this right? they say I have to stop bf 4-6 months before I start treatment for my second child.

I've already experienced, numerous times from numerous health professionals, how shockingly behind the times and COMPLETELY INCORRECT they can be, is this another example?

I'm running out of fertility fast but don't want to stop bf my first child, it would make my life loads more stressful to deny her what she wants and give up the only proper relaxation time I have.

Getting pregnant when pregnant nis certainly not impossible, I've heard people say they got pregnant while breast feeding very often.

Surely the clinic only advise, then you do your own research and make a choice for yourself.

You say your life would be stressful if you DC couldn't have breast milk so if you stopped feeding you'd be stressed which more than likely wouldn't be good when having IVF. What about waiting a year to start trying again and wean your baby off in that time?

My periods took over 2 years to come back after the birth of both my babies as I was still breastfeeding. I got pregnant with DC2 about two months after I naturally stopped bfing DC1 in the daytime and my periods returned. I did then continue to bf during pregnancy but it took a reduction in feeding to get pregnant.

So, yes, I would say breastfeeding is quite likely to affect your chances of conceiving and the clinic are not being unreasonable. It's all hormone-driven.

Good luck.

Reading this might help you and checking the "drugs with the drugs in breastmilk" helpline. Unfortunately the podcast has been taken down now, but it helped me think through my issues and decide when I was in that position.

You have three options (a) keep breastfeeding and wait for ivf, (b) stop breastfeeding so you can go for ivf, (c) keep breastfeeding, lie to your doctors about it and go for ivf. Only you know the details of your situation and which option is right for you.

Www.babydustdiaries.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/breastfeeding-through-fertility-treatments-ivf-and-fet/

Even if your period comes back your luteal phase may well be too short

Yes, women do get pregnant while they're breastfeeding but women who need fertility treatment to conceive are unlikely to so super-fertile stories are kind of irrelevant.

My periods came back after about 8 months. Stopped breast freezing and got pregnant the following month.

If you desperately want a baby stop feeding. The health benefits are strongest in the first 4 months. Yes it's easier and nicer to carry on ( I fed mine for just over a year) not worth it if it costs you a second child, I'd heed the doctors advise.

Not sure why clinic have said to stop this early before treatment

But I do know you shouldn't BF while having ivf due to the drugs getting into the milk stream

Bf is a natural contraceptive. Seems reasonable for a best chance at pregnancy.

Feeding... No freezing of my breasts😄

It's probably because breastfeeding inhibits ovulation. Not with all women but certainly some (including me, I didn't have a period until 3 months after I knocked bf on the head - even though for the final 6 months I only gave 2-3 feeds a day). Pretty obviously if you're paying all that money you'll want to have the best chance...

Frequent and regular breastfeeding as a form of contraception is called lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM). LAM is about 98 per cent effective. However, LAM will only work for you if: Your baby is younger than six months old.

of course you can get pregnant while breastfeeding on a natural cycle It's harder though with elevated prolactin.

With IVF though, you've about 6 weeks of a plethora of daily drugs that will not only make you experience what basically feels like menopause, followed by puberty followed by pmt followed by, hopefully, pregnancy, but also certain to pass on those strong hormones to your baby through your milk. Not very nutritious.

10 minutes googling could have told you that in this case the professionals were not in fact COMPLETELY INCORRECT at all... why didn't you do it?
How old is your first child?

Not sure why you are angry OP. the advice you have been given was perfectly reasonable.

BF isn't a reliable suppressant, so it won't be that alone. It is more likely to be related to the drugs needed.

My periods came back after about 6 months each time. Fell pregnant with DC2 when DD was a year old and still feeding through the night.

Have you got periods back yet, took me 12 months each time after I had a baby.

Also, my milk supply mostly disappeared, b/c of nausea & hormones, I guess, by the time I was 3 months pg. So I would see it as a choice, bf or pg, yes.

IME people who suffer from sub fertility or infertility are pretty expert in the ways to maximise fertility so this is a very odd post

If that is rules of clinic you have to respect that and make a choice. But I have heard that at clinics I used

How outrageous that they would want you to do everything possible to improve your fertility while undergoing medical treatment to achieve the same

Honestly. You can't have the moon on a stick. Sometimes in life you have to weigh up your priorities.

I have sluggish fertility due to PCOS. Child 1 arrived after many years of trying at 36. In order to get my cycle fully back to normal and prolactin at a minimum to conceive No 2 I stopped feeding at 6 months. Weighed it up, and decided that a sibling would be more life enhancing than extending bfing further. Sound like you should weigh up your decisions and stop wasting time being outraged by a perfectly reasonable recommendation.

Sorry but yabu.

Take your mind back to the ivf when you had baby1, you would have given yourself the best possible chance listening to the clinic for baby2 is the same. Listen to the drs.

YANBU. There's a doctor in Canada and he's a breastfeeding expert: www.breastfeedinginc.ca

His name is doctor jack Newman. Contact him and ask for advice.

You want to go through expensive and invasive fertility treatment while purposefully doing something that everyone knows is detrimental to your fertility?
And people are actually surprised they tell you to stop?

You might as well be shocked that they expect you not to be on the pill while having IVF.

So I would see it as a choice, bf or pg, yes.

I don't see it so much as a challenge of breastfeeding while pregnant, but rather breastfeeding while trying to get pregnant.
There may be issues of monitoring, drug use and actual efficacy of treatment.
I breastfed completely throughout my second pregnancy and for a year beyond. It did take me 16 months to conceive a second time however.