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[danceswithbaby]

I don't know if I'm on the right topic list but anyway.

I've been breasfeeding LOTS for a year now. I'd say my babe is about 25% weaned. It's going slowly to say the least. She still feeds during the night.

It's not a problem in itself and I'm trying to move her towards a more solid food diet, but we want to try for another baby.

Does anyone know if my body is likely to start ovulating again if this b/f pattern continues, or am I more likely to go on without having ovulating or having periods until the pattern changes?

Should this topic be under 'conception' do you think?

Just want to make it quite clear this is NOT me.

Fairly obviously isn't you. Name is different.

Hi...not sure i will be much help, but may bump your thread for someone else! It all seems to depend on the individual...for example I know both people who have failed to get pregnant whilst feeding, and others who got pregnant whilst fully feeding. My periods started at 6 months with both children, and my ds is now 10 mo, and is fully b/f, and yet I still have regular periods. Might be worth trying ovulation predictor kits to see if you are ovulating?

I weaned dd1 at a year because I was going back to work, and I regret it now. (Although, she was well ready to stop and might have stopped anyway whatever I did.) The reason I regret it is because there is evidence to suggest protection against infection lasts for several years after bf stops, and so when dd1 started school at age 5, she picked up everything going. If I had carried on bf, I just think she would have been healthier. However, I did conceive again within 3 months of stopping bf so if that's your priority, yes, stopping bf would help.

Louloubelle! An ovulation kit. What a good idea. I can't believe I didn't think of it.

Elasticwoman (cool name! Conjours up all kinds of images...), my babe is a boob fiend, she'd go nuts. I don't really want to wean her yet anyway. It would be so sad to wean before we are both ready and then I don't conceive again (I'm quite old).

I think the ovulation kit might be worth a go, I'm off to boots!

Thanks guys.

Why don't they sell whiskey in Boots?

Because it would leak out through the lace holes.

Arf arf.

OOOh, claws in danceswithbaby....I have been known to change my name to danceswith'something else' eg reindeer at christmas. Just wanted to make it clear I wasn't making a very subtle announcement.

Danceswithbaby (yes I mean you not Danceswithanyoneelse) I bet you're not as old as me. Just discovered that the stepfather of dd2's best friend is young enough to be my son. Was born after I met dh. Not as a result of, of course. That would be TOO weird.

DH worked out that if DD goes into further education he could be claiming his pension and child benefit at the same time. We had been married for 19 years when dd came along (talk about shock). I know two women younger than me who are grandmothers. Bet I'm older than you!

Ovulation kit not going to work. They are all based on your monthly cycle and I haven't got one.

If I keep on feeding for years (dd will wean about 30 at this rate), do you think the body will naturally start cycling again eventually, or just stay on hold until I stop?

Danceswithnewboots. I am a sleep-deprived geriatric who had just done a negative preggie test. Please pardon claws.

DWB we could easily be of a similar vintage. My dh says that when he retires ds will not be legally old enough to buy him a pint. We have been married 25 years this year, but as dh says he was a child groom.

This week I was prescribed a morning after pill because the dr couldn't find the threads of my coil. I haven't taken the pill. Am living dangerously (despite memories of saying to dh "remind me I'm too old for this game" in labour 6 years ago). So if you get your act together with dh (plenty of bonking) we could be pg geriatrics together.

And if it doesn't happen it will have been fun trying.

i got pregnant with dd when ds was 11m despite bf'ing - a lot - my periods had returned but only had before pg again - dd now 10m - still bf'ing still no return of cycle so have only had 1 period in last 3 years - great!

don't if that is helpful but you could try expressing for a few days to eb=nable a longer gap btwn feeds to kick start ovulation. Pls bear in mind small gap is hard work!!! but good luck

Elasticwoman, is your dh working on retiring at 60 or 65? We were working out if dd will be old enough to buy dh a pint when he retires and she will, so maybe you win... Can't be by much though!

Plenty of bonking definitely on the agenda, but I'm not the woman I was. Poor old dh has lost 15 kilos since dd was born. Have named our sessions 'stick man bonks raisin'.

Procrastimater, expressing to stretch out feeds is a thought, but I can't see her going 6 hours. It's not so much the milk as the comfort. Child is a boob fiend and I am a soft touch.

If there are a couple of long gaps between feeds and body kicks back into action, will ovulation get supressed again if feeding reverts back? Or does poor old bod just need a reminder how things work?

I have an awful feeling that if I'm to conceive again before I draw my pension, this boob lark has got to stop

Dh foresees retiring at 60.

Does your baby sleep through the night? If so, that's a long enough gap for ovulation to occur.

Message withdrawn

Sleep through the night? Ha, ha, ha, ha...

I too suspect that this may have to stop.

Lisalisa, yes, I'm quite old but once we'd decided to go for a baby, I caught really quickly. We lost that one (not age related) and I was pregnant again in a matter of weeks. So I was pretty fertile. How much were you still b/f when you got pregnant again?

To be fair, we've only been trying again for a couple of months, so maybe I'm being impatient. I just wonder whether things stay on hold with frequent bf, or whether the body gets used to it and starts cycling again after a while, despite it.