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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Breastfeeding and fertility - any experts/advice out there?

129 replies

alittleteapot · 02/01/2009 19:49

I'm still bfing 18mo dd. Af took ages to come back but I'm now on my 4th or 5th period. We are ttc but no luck yet.

I know it's early days but a) we got pg with dd straight away; b) I'm 38; and c) I've read that just because you've got your periods back doesn't mean your ovulating, I'm wondering if I should get checked that I am ovulating and all is fine. (This is not so much an oh no not pg yet thing, more a given all the circs I might as well be thorough and sure.) The other option is to wean but that's going to be HARD and it would be nice to know I don't need to.

Are the over-the-counter ovulation kits reliable? Is it worth talking to my gp? Anyone had any experience of all this?

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
alittleteapot · 08/01/2009 23:11

wow lovegigi, that's a lot of cash saved on tampax! good luck with the magic. i had a couple of months of ewcm and pre-menstrual acne before my periods finally came back, so keep an eye out for signals. what's the significance of the prolactin? what are you doing about weaning? just leaving her to it?

OP posts:
LoveGigi · 11/01/2009 17:50

alittleteapot- sorry for late reply. My prolactin in raised due to BFing and the prolactin is suppressing the production of other necessary hormones, namely oestrogen I think? Regarding the weaning, I think we have come to the stage whereby I take the path of least resistance and just go with the flow. I work part time and when I?m away she copes fine without BF but when we?re together she can feed a lot, I don?t count but I guess it?s easily between 10-18 times in 24 hrs. Mostly snack feeding and longer bouts in the morning and at night. If I don?t get my periods back in the next 3-4 months then I think I will have to take some kind of action. Not sure what yet but I?ll think about it when /if the time comes.

StealthPo09IsHere · 11/01/2009 20:30

DS feeds loads at 20 months (I work FT but at the weekend he feeds every few hours) and he feeds once or twice during the night. Period returned in October, then I had another 45 days later and now I am pregnant! I was planning to use ov sticks you can get from ebay - about £2.50 for ten, inc postage.
I will send them on to someone, but not yet, as it would be tempting fate

vlc · 11/01/2009 23:14

OOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Congratulations Stealth! Very exciting.

Original poster
alittleteapot · 11/01/2009 23:48

Congrats Stealth!!! Shame the magic thread can't take credit, since you didn't post before. Hope to join you soon. Have just bought Boots Ov sticks - £15 for five!

OP posts:
vlc · 11/01/2009 23:55

I bet she at least browsed the thread though, alittleteapot.

iwantitnow · 12/01/2009 18:58

Everybody is different but I found I couldn't stay pregnant and feed my DD alot. I conceived but the egg did not implant - I have very regular periods so I had late periods for 3 months while ttcing. I had already night weaned my 18 month old DD but she was feeding 6 times a day - I cut it down to just before bed time, very gradually, cut one feed every 1-2 weeks. I did get some tantrums and I insisted I only fed her on her sofa in her room. Its amazing how quickly they forget about feeds - I did use chocolate buttons as bribery. The month when she was only feeding before bedtime is the month I successfully conceived. DD self weaned at 23 months, about 5 months pregnant. I'm 38 and I decided that I would prefer to conceive a second child than continue BFing on demand. Yes some women can get pregnant while feeding alot other can't.

Original poster
alittleteapot · 12/01/2009 22:09

That's interesting. I had an early bleed last month that i thought was implantation but then af turned up a week later. I am in the process of trying to nightwean dd but it's bloody tough. She can go all day without a feed now. She has a big feed at night and then short comfort feeds over night. how did you nightwean? Congrats on pg - have you a new baby now or still pg?

OP posts:
TantieTowie · 14/01/2009 13:28

Magic thread? I shall post too then! Am a contender for your record, LoveGigi - DS was two recently so am coming up for three years with no AF. Do enjoy that to some extent, but would like a second DC and am coming up for 40 - and don't want to leave it too late. (Will enjoy no AF enormously a second time around!)

Currently we co-sleep from when DS wakes up in the night and BF mornings, bedtime and during the night. Also sometimes pre-nap though the nap is on its way out now.

Am now considering weaning slow(ish)ly, cutting out night then mornings then evenings, and seeing when AF comes back.

Am planning to do this for nightweaning:

Changing the Sleep Pattern in the Family Bed

iwantitnow · 14/01/2009 19:31

Nightweaning I found quite easy probably because my DH did it! You have to tell yourself that he/she doesn't need a night feed at this age. I sent DH each time DD woke up and sat with her until she went back to sleep - some screaming but we never left her alone. It only too two nights at 12 months old and she has slept through since.

Original poster
alittleteapot · 14/01/2009 21:30

TantieTowie I've been trying that. See my thread here

Kind of stalled now tbh. She's getting better at falling asleep off the boob but not making much progress beyond that. Am pushing things along slowly though, I think.

Good luck, love to hear how you get on.

OP posts:
sammysam · 14/01/2009 21:43

Please can I join your magic thread?!!
We're ttc #2 and i'm still bf dd (30months). We've been trying for almost a year now and it is getting me down now. I really don't want to have to wean dd now as it will be SO hard, and she only feeds first and last thing now (managed to drop daytime feeds after a very busy week where we weren't at home at all-neither of us really thought about it-the other 2 feeds are a different thing althogether)
I'm charting and they show I'm ovulating every month and have a 10-11 day LP. Surely this should all be ok-what do you think?
Everyone is getting pg around me, gp has started doing tests but has not got a clue what she is doing and has been testing the wrong things at the wrong times and re bf she said 'oh..but you're still bf....' but surely 2 short feeds a day are ok? Please be honest with what you think! I'm 26 and dd was an unplanned and amazing surprise btw.

Original poster
alittleteapot · 14/01/2009 21:55

well sammysam at least you've got time on your side unlike some of us on this thread. it does seem some people just can't make it happen while bfing but i think this is the minority tbh. could you start a very gentle process of cutting out the last two feeds? (i'm finding it impossible btw but have more urgency as i'm older than you...)

OP posts:
sammysam · 15/01/2009 15:22

Daytime was one thing-at the moment there is no way i'll be able to-the only chance (even then i'm not sure) it would work would be if i wasn't in the house in the evenings or mornings
What would be the physical reason for it not happening if i'm reg ov and LP is an ok length? Surely my hormone levels are ok to enable this?

vlc · 24/02/2009 22:34

I just wanted to pop back to the magic fertility thread to - er - check in.

So that's done now. Right.

As you were, chaps.

Original poster
alittleteapot · 24/02/2009 22:48

Well done vic, will anyone else see it I wonder? I didn't know it popped back in your threads I'm on box if re-done.

So, yes, the thread is magic, I am just coming up to eight weeks pg!! I had just got the blood test form from GP when I found out...

OP posts:
vlc · 24/02/2009 22:53

That is marvellous news alittleteapot! Keep your toes crossed for me, now.

Grendle · 25/02/2009 00:46

Dips toe back into magic thread...

Congratulations teapot

vlc · 25/02/2009 00:59

welcome back Grendle. Our timings seem spookily similar. It'll be fun to see how things pan out!

FeelingLucky · 25/02/2009 07:24

Congratulations
I'm just checking in too

iwantitnow · 25/02/2009 08:45

I cut down my DDs feeds about 17 months as I had two late periods and I'm never late when ttcing the first two months plus I felt nauseous (I get morning sickness before I test!) so I conceived but the eggs didn't implant. I cut down DDs feeds, she wasn't having night feeds. I cut down gradually one feed every 2 weeks. Set new rules, only feed at home on the sofa in her room. Some tears/tantrums - chocolate buttons good incentive. The fourth month of ttcing when I was down to bedtime feed only I got pregnant and I'm due in two weeks. DD self weaned when I was around 5 months pregnant and she was 23 months. Worse feed I found to cut down was the first in the morning, got DH to take her breakfast in the morning as soon as she got out of bed.

I'm 38 and having another baby quickly was important, more so than continuing BFing.

Good luck.

Bettymum · 25/02/2009 09:30

Am joining magic thread
I'm 37 and BF a 13 month old twice a day - just before bed and when she wakes up in the morning. My AF returned when DD was 8 months (on a camping trip ). We are ttc number two and I have started taking waking temperatures again as this worked really well when ttc DD, I had really clear temperature shifts each month. Have been temping for two months now and just get a random pattern of dots on the graph, no clear sign of ovulation at all. Can you have regular periods for 5 months and yet not be ovulating???

FeelingLucky · 25/02/2009 13:05

alittleteapot - did you have to stop breastfeeding in the end?

Original poster
alittleteapot · 25/02/2009 16:58

Hello again everyone! Good luck to you all, more power to the magic thread!

No, I didn't have to give up breastfeeding, or even night wean. My periods came back when she was about 13 months so I guess I had four or five and then conceived. I think remembering to have sex at the right time of the month really helped .

Having sought your advice on this thread, I had just got the blood test form from the GP to check I was definitely ovulating (because, yes, Bettymum, you can be having periods for five months and not ovulating if you are still bfing, though you can also be ovulating but at the wrong time.) There was no problem with the GP in terms of testing this while I was still bfing, but thankfully I didn't need to.

Like iwantitnow I'm 38 and needed to get cracking. I'm relieved it's happened now as the nightweaning was proving very challenging. I'm hoping she'll go off night feeding during second trimester - apparently this is quite common.

Still, early days so mustn't get too excited.

OP posts:
mawbroon · 25/02/2009 21:45

Hey, congratulations teapot!!

Well, my ds has dramatically reduced his interest in breastfeeding. He really hurt himself yesterday and was very upset. Normally, he would have been wailing for milk, but he was actually requesting to cuddle and read a book!! I couldn't quite believe it, and offered him a breastfeed anyway, which he took of course! He is barely feeding through the day now as well.

I do think it will be a long time until he gives up fully, but this drop in feeding has made me ovulate on day 12 this month. A record!!

Fingers crossed for me on my TWW please.