Stopping breastfeeding to TTC

[PrincessAnnesHair]

My DS is 7 months old and I'm still breastfeeding him. I absolutely love it and really enjoy the closeness and bonding experience it brings.

I know how lucky I am to have been able to breastfeed at all and for so long, so I hope my post is not insensitive to anybody who has not been able to.

I'll be turning 41 in December and really want to give DS a sibling. I know time is running out fertility wise (if it hasn't run out already).

There's still no sign of my period at all, despite having now cut down to 2 feeds a day for some time. I stopped night feeds a long time ago.

I really don't want to have to give up breastfeeding completely, but it looks like I'll have to before either of us are ready.

I keep telling myself that giving him a sibling is more important to me than a few more months breastfeeding, but I'm struggling to stop completely.

It took a very long time to conceive DS, so I don't want to give up breastfeeding early for a sibling who may never arrive.

Has anybody been in this situation before? How did you deal with your feelings around it?

Seems a bit pointless to have done all the hard breastfeeding months and not get to enjoy the easy ones.

If you're down to 2 daytime feeds then I'd expect them to come back. Ive always been told you can't rely on BF as contraception if you're not doing night feeds. Probably just taking your body a bit of time. Are you taking vitamins/ otherwise healthy?

I fed for 18months with both, mine came back at 9ish months - probably when food overtook milk as main calorie intake. Got pregnant with no2 the month I stopped feeding.

Thank you @OneFastDuck
It's good to hear what you experienced. You're right that it's hard to give up now when I've come so far and got through the early difficult days.

I am taking vitamins and otherwise healthy. I could wait until 9 months or more to see if periods come back then. I'm sure my periods are just taking their time and I know it's quite normal for them to have not come back yet.

It's just that at my age every month counts for fertility, and I don't know if it's worth losing a few more months of fertility to breastfeeding or if I should give up now in the hope they'll come back sooner.

I know nobody will have the answers, as our bodies are all different. Just posting to see if anybody else has had the same dilemma.

Why not start trying whilst you're still BF? You never know. Give it a few months and see. It is recommended to wait 12 months to conceive again.

Thank you @Peonies12. I forgot to mention that we are already trying (as in not using contraception), but without any periods I don't think I'm even ovulating at the moment.

I know I can get pregnant the first time I ovulate and before I get a period, so am taking a pregnancy test each month just in case.

I want my periods to come back, so that I know I am at least ovulating and am in with a chance each month, but the longer I breastfeed, the longer it could take to happen (if at all).

I tracked ovulation religiously whilst trying to conceive DS, which took a very long time, but not able to do so at the moment with no period in sight.

Because of my age, it may be unwise to wait the recommended 12 months. I may not have that time.