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When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

TTC while breastfeeding - Part 2

879 replies

silkenladder · 16/12/2010 19:22

This is the place to come to share the frustrations of ttc while still nursing.

Many of us are sleep-deprived, some of us don't even know if we're ovulating and none of us know whether taking agnus castus is a good idea or not. We all just want to do the best by the children we already have, but would really like to be pregnant again. Quickly.

Part 1 had plenty of graduates . Here's hoping Part 2 will be equally successful and supportive!

OP posts:
jaggythistle · 28/02/2011 14:07

some charts here for you tweedledee

feeding a 17 month old. He wakes at night at least 50% of the time.

It looks like I am ovulating...

Katiekatiekatekate · 28/02/2011 19:26

I'm not sure if I can join you as DS is only 5 months old but I am - ahem - not getting any younger so we've decided to crack on with number 2. I intend to BF until DS self-weans so may as well take the bull by the horns (horrible image) and crack on straight away.

Waves :)

Katiekatiekatekate · 28/02/2011 19:28

That should say

I was not demonstrating some new-fangled way of signing off there.

YankNCock · 28/02/2011 19:43

hiya and welcome Katie!

Jaggythistle, I've added you as a friend on FF but my name is different than on here. Not that a whole lot is happenning on my chart ATM.

Will someone please tell me to stop wasting tests? I've POAS twice in 48 hours. Still spotting very lightly and hoping it could be implantation bleeding, but very doubtful.

jaggythistle · 28/02/2011 19:46

Stop wasting tests!!

Have accepted friend request.

I have stopped POAS since last month. i figure waiting for a temp dip is cheaper. Also less stressful than waiting for a line. :)

Katiekatiekatekate · 28/02/2011 19:58

Oh yank, I am a very prolific POAS-er. When TTC conceive DS1 I got through 7 tests in 3 days once and, if I remember rightly, I wasn't even late at that point Blush... can you even begin to imagine what I am going to be like this time around with nothing to guide me but blind hope??!?

QueenFee · 28/02/2011 20:22

I am so glad of cheapie tests!
I tested a week ago neg as usual :( ds is now ill and feeding like a newborn
I was wondering if anyone has any experience of this the last week every feed has become torture every time he latches on I get this shaking funny feeling which makes me feel sick I don't think I can carry on anymore and yet ds crys heartbrokenly when I say no so I feel a bit trapped

Original poster
silkenladder · 28/02/2011 20:36

Queenfee either you are also ill, or it sounds like some hormonal change. Maybe you're ov'ing or... pg...? Someone came on the old thread near the end with suddenly sore nips and she turned out to be pg.

Welcome KatieKKK. No judging here though you're obviously mad Good luck, anyway.

OP posts:
Poppet45 · 28/02/2011 22:55

Queenfee - i had just that a while ago, and also hoped i was pregnant. For me it was thrush I'm afraid Envy Get yourself to your docs and make sure they give you the cream for your boobs, goo for DS's mouth and an antifungal tablet called fluco-something or other. Most importantly ensure they give you a high loading dose of the fluco... of around 200mg a day, for 2-3 days, then another seven days at around 50mg. My GP gave me seven days at just 50mg, I went back for another week because it hadn't gone, and just a week or so later the infection's returned with avengence. OUCH!!! I have to hang on in agony til my appt on Thursday for a proper course of treatment. Argh. I literally feel your pain. I should however add that you should definitely do a preg test first, because the flucowotsit is not a good drug to take while preggers.
And lastly has anyone heard of ovulation bleeding? Definite increase in ewcm for around four days, then really obvious ov pain yesterday and some bits of blood this morning. I think I'm on day 20 or so though so cycle does appear to be a long one. Wonder if I'll have a very short luteal phase? Hmmmm

Poppet45 · 28/02/2011 22:56

Fluconazole....

FeelLikeTweedleDee · 01/03/2011 09:32

I have a cycle length of 31 days (before I had any childfren it was 30 days). Excellent you might think? But my chart (and the constant EWCM and the negative OPKs) show that I'm not ovulating :(

Does anyone else have this problem?

YankNCock · 01/03/2011 22:54

Poppet, I think I have heard of that before, bleeding at ovulation.

My 3rd day of spotting has finally turned into a light AF. I have informed DH in approximately 12 days time we will start seriously SWI and he should limber up Grin

So that was a 44 day anovulatory cycle (pretty sure I didn't ovulate, looking at old charts I only spotted for days like that if I hadn't ovulated).

TweedleDee, I think you can be irregular/have anovulatory cycles for a while after a baby and yours is only 6/7 months right? If you are still feeding I'd be surprised if they went back to normal straight away, but as your DC drops feeds maybe it will change?

BubaMarra · 02/03/2011 09:38

QueenFee, any updates on your painful breastfeeding case? It does sound like a pregnancy symptoms some BF women experience, but it might well be thrush as Poppet mentioned. I guess you figured that out by now...

Poppet ovulation bleeding is very common, so if you bled around that time, that would probably be the cause. But I believe it is more of spotting than real period like bleeding. As for luteal phase, it may take a while before it reaches its normal length. I got my period only 4 months after giving birth, but the cycle changed - it went from 30 days to 25 days with luteal phase down from 15 days to only 8 days. However, it did get longer with time and now stabilised at 12 days. So, whatever turns out to be the case with your LP, just give your body some time before it adjusts and finds its new balance.
Yank good luck with your SWI :o

My period is due in two days and I won't do any testing, will see first if AF arrives on its due day. I managed to keep enough sanity not to test before that day. I've actually done only 3 pregnancy tests ever and 2 of them ended being BFP. The third test we were not TTC yet and I knew there was no chance of me being pregnant, but I felt bubbles and whatnot in my stomach for days before I realized it felt EXACTLY like when I felt my baby moves for the first time during pregnancy. Then I panicked that I might be one of those women that you watch on TV who are pregnant without knowing it for months on. Well, I wasn't. And that was not sane either :o

QueenFee · 02/03/2011 12:44

wish I had your control. I did 2 tests yesterday due to this continuing horrible feeling sadly bfn and a taunting evap line :(
I really don't think it's thrush. Have had it before and seen many cases and it doesn't feel like that. Have been taking probiotics just in case though. It appears to be something known anecdotedly as nursing aversion. It appears to normally happen when tandem feeding or pregnant I wonder if his extra feeding due to illness as he is 0 solids at the mo due to d&v may be causing it. If it doesn't get better when he's better i will have to wean him :(

BubaMarra · 02/03/2011 13:39

Sorry to hear that QueenFee :(
Could it be that poor latch is causing your pain? I know it's quite long into breastfeeding for you, but maybe he is not latching on properly due to the illness? Sometimes even miniscule mistake in latch can cause tremendous pain.

jaggythistle · 02/03/2011 13:44

I sort of got a very faint maybe a line this morning, haven't even recorded it on FF because I am not sure if I imagined it. DH claimed he couldn't see it...

Still feeling kind of crampy and have Odd Nipples. Very sensitive, look funny and a bit sore when DS latched on this morning.

Chucked away my wee before I saw the (maybe) line so couldn't whip out a digital and check.

So much for no POAS till AF is late Blush should take my own advice eh!

YankNCock · 02/03/2011 15:59

oooh jaggy how exciting! My first pregnancy, I saw a faint line but DH couldn't see it. But I was SURE because I've seen sooooo many negative ones. Ended up checking with a digital the following day.

AF well and truly started now, and a lovely MNer is sending me her boots digital fertility monitor to replace the one I loaned my friend and can't ask for it back. So I will start temping properly very soon.

jaggythistle · 02/03/2011 16:12

haha that's what I was thinking - how many pregnancy tests have you squinted at DH eh!

I used the same type of test a couple of months ago testing early and it was absolutely negative so am a bit hopeful.

CBD tomorrow, am so nervous!(already had tehm incupboard 'just in case')

QueenFee · 02/03/2011 18:36

my 1st 2 pregnancies dh couldn't see the faint positives so fingers crossed for you'

IslandIsla · 02/03/2011 19:51

Hi everyone

welcome Katie!

jaggy wow thats fab news - I really hope that line gets darker for you tomorrow.

Yank good luck in a new cycle Smile

QueenF I'm so hearing you on the baby (toddler!) being ill front. DD was ill the past 2 weeks and feeding in the night again and asking for milk constantly. She's much better now and it amazed me how she just went back to her old routine of her own accord, I thought I was going to have to wean her off some of those extra feeds. I hope the pain gets better. My first thought was pregnancy too. Any blocked ducts?

Poppet ov spotting my thoughts too ... good luck!

TweedleDee kellymom has some very interesting reading on return to fertility while breastfeeding. It does say that if your periods come back relatively early, your return to fertility may be more gradual, so cycles would be anovulatory or very short luteal phase. Hopefully it will improve with time. Keep charting! My periods didn't return until about 16 months, and I didn't chart until we started TTC so I'm not sure if this happened to me, but I suspect my luteal phase was really short to start with as my cycles were shorter than they are now. What's the range of your temperatures? Did you chart before?

Last few cycles I've ov'd around CD21 and currently on CD19 and absolutely no sign (and I would expect EWCM by now). So feeling a bit like my body's packed it in. Hoping its due to DD upping her feeds the early part of this cycle and that it may still happen soon! I took some agnus castus first part of the cycle too (I do think my LP is too short and progesterone low as temps are close to coverline post-ov) but now think that was stupid too and I've messed my cycles up. So basically feeling stupid!

On the plus side I've told a friend in RL we are TTC and I feel quite relieved I can talk to her about it. She is TTC too, not BF, I think she'll probably fall pg before me but I would be happy for her if she did, so hopefully it will be good to talk to her about all the ups and downs.

jaggythistle · 03/03/2011 05:11

BFN :(

Katiekatiekatekate · 03/03/2011 19:17

jaggy - me too. I've only just started this lunacy though so too early for me to be disappointed really. But still....

marthamay · 03/03/2011 19:38

Hi there everyone and welcome anyone new. Smile

Jaggy So sorry about the BFN Sad

island It must be nice to have someone to chat to in RL. I have also told a couple of people and I think they think I'm a loony.

QFee I hope it starts to get better soon, sounds rough. Maybe just a load of new hormones?

Well, I'm currently on CD21 and am almost certain that I am having a proper OV month!!!! YAY!!!!! Of course, doesn't mean that I'll get a BFP but it's a relief to feel like I might actually be fertile.

Now, please excuse me whilst I have a self-indulgent and obsessive look at my current situation!

I'm not entirely sure exactly when I ov - these were my signs though:
CD 16 started getting more CM and by CD 19 was def EWCM, more than I have had since AF reappeared months ago. HUGE increase in libido and drop in weight (less bloated I guess?) by CD20. So I thought that i must have OV yesterday but then I have been having OV pain all day today so now I'm not sure whether I should be SWI tonight as well....
When do you get ov pain? Is it just after/just before ov? Anyone know?
ooo, sore nips too when DS feeds.

Well whatever, DH and I have been at it like rabbits for the past week I'm just not sure we can rouse ourselves for one last go tonight, but then if it WAS ov pain today then am I losing an opportunity if I don't?

aaaaaaaaauuuuugh.

So good luck to everyone with your testing and knicker checking!

jaggythistle · 03/03/2011 19:44

thanks ladies, AF here a day early now, so must have been a funny test.

How much do you think bfing affects your fertility if you are only feeding 2-3 times a day with some night feeds?

I don't really have any intention of trying to stop any time soon, but if I thought it would improve the chances I'd probably consider it. :(

(DS only 17 months)

QueenFee · 03/03/2011 20:31

Jaggy I think it differs a lot from woman to woman :(

I have also come down with d&v so I am putting the horrible feeling down to that. It was like ants crawling under my skin I just wanted to throw him off. Glad it has stopped. No blocked ducts but my boobs are like wet teabags he is drinking so much!

He also was sick all over me in my dressing gown and dh put it in to soak without checking the pockets. My phone was in there and has now died :(

However on a positive note Vigin have given me an upgrade 2 months early on a better phone on the same tarriff I was on so that has made me :)