To think it’s impossible to get pregnant whilst I’m still breastfeeding?

[Latinorapida]

Still breastfeeding 13mo and haven’t had a period. I’ve read that for breastfeeding women it can take about 6 months for periods to return.

My ds is still breastfeeding a fair amount. A few times in the day and quite a bit at night. I’d love to start thinking about another one so they could ideally have a 2 year age gap. All my siblings were way older than me and that wasn’t much fun.

Do I have to stop breastfeeding?

Am I right to think that if my periods haven’t return I definitely am not fertile?

Any experience with this?

Not quite ready to give up breastfeeding as it’s the only way I get ds to sleep!

THanks x

It doesn’t matter. There is always a chance you could get pregnant if you’re having unprotected sex.

I got pregnant with DC2 while bf DC1. I can’t remember if I’d had a period but DC1 was almost 1. A friend became pregnant while bf, her dc was 4 months. She had no idea until she felt her dc kicking, she just assumed that her periods hadn’t resumed due to bf. Oh & she’s a specialist children’s nurse at hospital so don’t take it for granted.

it really does depend. I got pregnant whilst exclusively breastfeeding my baby as he was only 2 or 3 months old, but I had had a period.
Its not a very reliable form of contraception, but nor does it give you best chance of conceiving either if you are serious about trying

My periods came back when DS was about 8 months presumably because he was breast feeding less due to eating more solid food. It seems to vary quite a bit but I know people who have got pregnant before they got their period back as others have said, you ovulate first. I didn't stop BF until he was 3.5 years and had regular periods after the first year.

It very much depends on your body. I have friends who have ebf and got pregnant without getting a period. For me however I've not been as lucky. I'd still not had a period when DS was 18 months, I cut down to one feed a day which got them started but we've now been ttc for 6 months and nothing so far.
If you want to try for baby number 2 you could try cutting out a feed or try going for 24hrs without feeding to try and kick-start things. Or maybe try doing ovulation kits for a few weeks to see if there are any fluctuations in your hormone levels which would suggest that your body is firing up.

DD2 was conceived after one time while I was breastfeeding 1yo DD1 regularly day and night.

My friend had her fourth baby 14months after her twins (and her eldest was 3.5!) And was feeding all three at one stage!

I breastfed for 27months and didn't have a period for the whole time. I wasn't fertile that entire time either and got pregnant the month after I stopped.

So whilst some people can get pregnant whilst breastfeeding, I didn't/ couldn't.

I got pregnant with my youngest when my oldest was 8 months old. Fed him till he just turned 3 so you can definitely get pregnant whilst breastfeeding.

It’s happened to me twice!

@Latinorapida

Sorry I don’t think I made it clear - I still have not had a period!

You can get pregnant before your periods restart..

Breastfeeding (particularly overnight) will be delaying your cycle returning. Until your cycle returns (just before your first period) you won't be fertile. Obviously predicting that first cycle isn't possible, every person/situation is different.

If you want to fall pregnant you will need to reduce feeds. Or accept the gap will be bigger between children.

In terms of reducing night feeding, does he eat well during the day (you say not breastfeeding much, but does he eat plenty of other foods)? If he is full, he's less likely to wake. Also you're using breastfeeding as a settling cue, which isn't a problem in itself (he won't be using it to resettle to sleep at 10), but is a problem if you are cosleeping and trying to reduce feeds.

Would you consider stopping cosleeping? He might sleep longer without you there... might start to learn new settling cues. Without the breast so available, it might help space/reduce night feeds.

It's tough dilemma, if you continue as you are your cycle will eventually return, but the age gap might be bigger than you'd like.

@Latinorapida

Sorry I don’t think I made it clear - I still have not had a period!

That doesn't mean to say you can't get pregnant. A period happens when an egg has been released but not been fertilised & attached to the uterus wall.

So if you start ovulating again whilst breastfeeding, you could get pregnant. And you wouldn't know about it for ages since you're not having periods to realise you've missed one.

Even back in my day we were warned not to rely on breastfeeding as contraception. My periods came back before I'd finished BF, each time was after a while of feeds being reduced to waking and bedtime only.

YABU and very naive! Of course you can get pregnant!

A friend of mine did while still BFing her baby at 9 months.

Use condoms if you don’t want to get pregnant.

I found my period returned after night weaning, around 15 months for both my elder DC. I was still feeding both when I fell pregnant again so it definitely won't prevent pregnancy but in my experience pregnancy only happens once your cycle returns - although as PP have said you'll obviously ovulate before your period returns so may become pregnant without a period first.

I got my periods back at 9 months with both my children, even though DC1 was a frequent feeder who was barely touching solids at 9 months, and when DC2 was 9 months I was tandem nursing both of them.

So it depends.

If you want to get pregnant, night weaning often triggers ovulation, and at that point most women carry on ovulating even if the night feeds start up again.

I exclusively breastfed my first and fell pregnant five months after she was born. I'd had one period since her birth.

I conceived when my eldest was still breastfeeding at 18 months. I hadn't had a period yet as I conceived the first time I ovulated while breastfeeding.

After my first child who was oxnceived first month if trying, I stopped breastfeeding at about 10 months for a few reasons, one was so we could have another baby. It took over a year to get pregnant although I did get pregnant once in that time and had a miscarriage. After second I was breastfeeding once in the morning only and had 2 periods and got pregnant straight away. I was shocked because I thought I couldn't get pregnant until a year after finishing breastfeeding but the second must have taken longer to come along for some other reason!

Dc2 shows it is possible. Dc1 only stopped bf just before number 2 was born.

You can get pregnant while breastfeeding. There is lots of tandem BF groups on social media as many many people bf toddle and newborn

I was breastfeeding and my period hadn't returned.. I now have two children close in age..

Myth. You can totally get pregnant while BF, even if your period hasn’t come yet.

I’d get a test and figure out some contraception if you have been having unprotected sex.

Why are people advising op to get contraception when she says she wants another child soon

I got PG whilst BFing after I'd moved DS into his own room.

Have a look at Breastfeeding and fertility.

A bit of gentle night weaning should help too if you do want to get PG

I've got two DC who were conceived while I was breastfeeding.

You can definitely find other ways to get your dc to sleep.