Anyone got pregnant while breastfeeding???

[jennijones]

Hi all, this is my first time on Mumsnet!

I was just wondering how likely it is to get pregnant while breastfeeding? I know it's not unheard of, but does it happen a lot?

The thing is, my little boy is 9 weeks old now and I breastfeed (almost constantly it seems!!). Last weekend, my hubby and me finally re-kindled our love-life (well, kind of, anyway...) and when I got up the next morning and went to the loo I had the kind of discharge I only ever get when ovulating (sorry for the gory details!).
When I looked this up on the web it appeared that healthcare professionals seem to find it very unlikely to conceive while breastfeeding, especially when you have a young baby which feeds a lot, but I am now getting the impression that it's more common than they are letting on!!
So I'm wondering now if I actually might have gotten pregnant, especially as we've been so lucky in the past and managed to conceive as soon as we started trying with our three children.
Has this happened to anyone else?? Is this common??
Jen xx

This explains about lactational amenorrhoea. (And also has a gorgeous picture of a feeding babay!)
Basically, it's unlikely but not impossible.

babay!

I'm sorry to inform you dd2 (6weeks) who is currently asleep in my arms was conceived while I was bf dd1! I have not had a period since dd1 was conceived so had no idea I was "in the zone"! However this was when dd1 was 9mo - I reckon at 9weeks you should be safer. Fingers crossed!

yes, but DS was 20 months and periods had returned (just!)
Would imagine at 9 weeks & almost constant bf you won't be. But test if you're worried!

sorry, just rfealised I am assuming it'd be a bad thing, don't mean that but imagine it'd be a shock!

do check out bleed and any discharge - might not be your 'usual'?!
I have post partum infection for some weeks which I discounted as irregular period starting up.
If not sure worth checking out!

I HAD infection - not now 5 months in would be pushing it!

well, it wouldn't really be a bad thing, but a shock, deffinetly!!! I know this seems selfish, but the issue would not necessarily be having another child (although we had agreed that 3 is plenty, really), but to be pregnant again now!! My last pregnancy was a bit of a nightmare, I was quite unwell and had numerous hospital-stays, so the thought of going through a similar experience again so soon is NOT tempting!! Also, labour is still way too fresh in my mind...shudder!
Oh god, that sounds really terrible. I love my kids, they are honestly the best thing that's ever happened to me, so please don't think I am being ungrateful! But pregnant AGAIN!?
as this only happened last weekend I won't be able to do a rest for a coupple of weeks, which at the moment just seems ages!!

No, it's deffinetly not an infection. It was the typical raw-eggwhite discharge (ew!) I always get when ovulating. Only lasted one morning, too, everything back to normal now...

sorry, am a Mumsnet virgin... what does DD mean? And DS? Feeling v stupid asking this...

DD/DS = darling daughter/son

JJ- I concieved dd2 (dd: darling daugher)while breastfeeding dd1. My periods returned whendd1 was 8 weeks old. Bfing is not a contraceptive!

Welcome to mumsnet.

TBH the only thing you can do is wait just over 2 weeks and test... You are almost certainly fine though.

I had ovulation-like discharge the first time we had sex after DS was born. It scared the living daylights out of me, but after worrying for 2 weeks it turned out I wasn't pregnant.

DS was conceived whilst I was still BF DD. I got my periods back when she was 6 or 7 months and we started trying to conceive when she was 8 months. Amazingly (considering DD took more than a year to conceive) I got pregnant the first two cycles (the first time was a chemical pregnancy). But, BF an 6+ month old is totally different to BF a tiny baby so that really shouldn't worry you.

hi jenni. If you are certain that it's ovulation type fluid (rather than semen) then it looks like your body could be back in action fertility wise. It is also possible that the hormone levels didn't rise high enough to actually trigger ovulation, but you have no way of knowing that unless you have been charting temperatures as well.

I think conceiving when breastfeeding is one of those things which varies enormously from woman to woman. There are umpteen stories on here of people getting pg very quickly after having a baby, and others (like me) who have taken years ttc while breastfeeding.
There are no hard and fast rules!!

hi yes i conceived dd2 whilst feeding dd1 (well not actually at the time i conceived her but you know what i mean). is definitely possible....use condoms in future if you dont want another baby quite yet!

i second nowwearefour re condoms! I conceived first 2 DC's very easily. No3 (currently inbound) was conceived during one night of stupidity passion drunken slackness on holiday while I was bf DD at 10 mths.

Also, my period returned 6 wks after DS was born (he was exc bf until 9m)and 6 mths after DD, so you could certainly be ovulating again.