TTC while breastfeeding - Part 2

[silkenladder]

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!

Just as you go on holiday is pretty crap timing for them to return, but I guess at least you can be prepared now before you go.

There are some good threads on sleep forum about getting baby to sleep through the night, might be worth a look.
Has your sister got a coil or something else that might have stopped her periods? If not it probably be worth her getting her bloods checked to see if she's had early menopause. It can increase risk of thinning bones if she has so she should see GP

AF seems to be on hold so far.... Did feel a bit crampy earlier on though so can't be far away, but as you say at least it means I can pack accordingly!!

Hello all. Well I think I finally ovulated! On CD44ish, the same day as we managed to DTD on the rainy bank holiday Monday. The OPK was positive I think but both lines were pretty faint. I don't know if that means anything? However the biggest sign was sore nips! I remember this from last time and I got it just before AF too- the joys. Anyone else experienced this? I've been reading about Evening Primrose Oil but am reluctant to take anything other than folic acid (is everyone else remembering that?!)

thinkingof4 Are you away this week? I hope the spotting was a sign that thinks are happening one way or another. Did you do a pg test before hols?

NAR4 The dr does seem a bit quick to assume early menopause when you are breastfeeding. See a thread in sleep titled "my 12 month old feeds 3 hourly at night" and you will find people experiencing similar night feeds. I think there are 2 choices - either sleep training (gentle or not so gentle) or time. At the moment I'm going for time I've had one PP AF but I've not fed during the day (bar illness) since December. Could you go for day weaning if night weaning seems unattainable? I have 9 hour break a day. I'll let you all know if i get my second AF (or a BFP!)

Also there are other signs for ovulation - did OPKs work for you last time? They don't work for everyone. Have you read taking charge of your fertility or looked on fertility friend?

saman2010 I think I felt a bit run down, I think there was discharge but the biggest sign was defiantly sore nips. I remember counting in the night to distract from the pain thinking hurry up baby and go back to sleep. Next thing AF was there and it all made sense.

stillhopeful Good news about your DS's sleep! Good luck with TTC.

NAR4
Just read your post and am by the advice from your GP and am going to assume you won't listen to it.
My dd used to feed all night long, at eleven months eould feed anything from 3 to 6 times in the night. I gradually reduced the feeds by lengthening the first feed.
Normally she would wake for a feed at 11pm then again at 1am, 3am, 5am, 6am and 7am (yes I was beyond shattered). When she woke for her 11pm feed her dad settled her and I held off feeding her till 12pm and just increased the time she had to wait for a feed by an hour each night.

I thought she would really fight this but it was easier then expected, within 2 weeks she was having no milk till 5.30am. She still woke up for a cuddle sometimes but slept much better.

Best of luck.

Hi haloflo
Yes away till tomorrow. Still no AF so will poas when home if still no AF when we get home. I definitely don't feel pg but who knows

Great news that you are ovulating fx you might get lucky first time

Rubbish signal here so better go before i lose it again

Hello, can I join?
CD1 of second full PP cycle today (and feel suitably rubbish and in need of Easter eggs). Last cycle was 36 days so will be working on that as a model.
TTC DC2 - DS is 13 months and only feeds morning and bedtime (he nightweaned himself three days before his birthday - am v lucky mummy). Don't have any inclination to give up BF yet as we both enjoy it, and it's free!
to flo and brings cake for everyone - we still need the extra calories, right? Hope we all get BFPs soon! :)

Hi kurly thanks for the cake.
Well I had a bfn this morning so looks like it was just spotting and maybe AF isn't too far away. Mind you this last few days on holiday ds3 was feeding all night as room was soooo hot so that may have put things back a bit. Tried to get him to sleep in cot last night but he started coughing/ crying and vomited everywhere so that was the end of that! I'll try again tonight.

How's everyone else doing?

Sorry about the BFN thinkingof4.

No news here, no sign of AF returning, still cosleeping and feeding at least 2-3 times between 11pm and 6am, barely see DP at the moment never mind have chance for any SWI just in case there's an egg waiting to pop!

Waves to kurly, thanks for the cake, although it would be nice to fit into my pre-pg jeans once at least before I go back into maternity clothes :)

Yay for ov and well timed DTD flo, fingers crossed for you :) What's the evening primrose supposed to help with?

Just a quick post to say AF arrived yesterday. Booo. I wish I could be feet up on the sofa with a hot water bottle but no sadly I've been at work. Back soon to read everyone's update.

Hello properly. Today is a day at home with DD (I nearly said day off but they don't exist anymore do they?!) Luckily as she doesn't sleep through she takes 2 decent naps a day giving me lots of MN time.

highheels Hello! Sorry to hear there is no sign of AF. How keen are you to get started? I really want to be pregnant again but can't face fully nightweaning DD just yet and any attempts have been in vain (more on that later!)

kurly Waves I am on cycle 2 too. I am only slightly jealous of your DS stopping nightfeeds. Was there really no warning? Has he always been a good sleeper? When you gonna start DTD or you just keeping it casual for now?

thinkingof4 Sorry to hear about the BFN. Its so annoying having no idea whats going on inside our bodies. You tried again with the cot?

whenshewasbad Your experience of nightweaning sounds good - your DP must have been knackered though?! How old was she when you did this? How old is she now? Any sign of ov or AF yet?

So yeah AF arrived on Monday am at work - excellent timing. I luckily found a pad that has probably been in there for over 2 years. I must start being prepared again! Looks like I had a short luteal phase - maybe 7/8 days. I was quite disappointed but guess I need to move on to cycle 2.

So nightweaning - we decided we would let DD have 1 night feed. She has been waking any time from 11-2 for a feed. I decided I would feed her then, put her in her cot and DP would deal with her until 5/6am - whenever he fears she might think its morning when he would bring her into bed for the morning feed.

Last night she woke at 11 (fed), 12.30 (dummy), 2 (crying and crying- so she came into bed for a loooong feed ) She then slept til 4, wanted a fed, then wanted another feed at 6.40 when she was up for the day. No idea if she was teething but it felt like she did not want to let go of the boob. Night 1 was a fail. Hopefully night 2 will be better!

Hi halo
Sorry about AF but at least you'll have an idea when you'll next be ovulating and can time things right again. Ds3 is back in cot and had a couple of nights where he fed at 11 and 3 which I can cope with but last night I was up 4 times by 5am when dh took pity on me and took him away so I could sleep. Plus ds2 got up at 4 because he was cold (poor wee mite)
So not good, I'm beyond knackered anyway and honestly today I just think I can't do this again (ie be pregnant, cope with newborn etc)
don't know what to think really but I seem to remember feeling a bit like this when ds2 was this age and not sleeping through so hopefully it will pass. Ironically I have been having lots of cm again last few days (prob because he's in cot again) but not doing anything about it iyswim
Maybe just need to wait till he's one and see how we feel then (only about 6 weeks away now)

Some interesting ideas about night weaning here I like whenshesbad idea, might give that a try. Although to be fair the problem last night was that ds3 kept turning round and getting stuck sideways in cot, not that he was hungry! Don't suppose night weaning will help much with that!!!

Hi halo

I think she was 11 months when we started reducing the night feeds. It wasn't too bad for her dad. I just re read my post and have realized I put that I put that I held off feeding her till 12pm (I meant midnight). He only looked after her till 11pm then I took over. Basically if she woke up in the night I just rocked her back to sleep instead of feeding her.

She is a better sleeper no she has no milk at night, only wakes once at 3.30am instead of 4-5 times a night.

Hi everyone how are you all doing?
We had MUCH better night last night, ds3 slept from 11-5 without a murmur! Pretty good given that he's teething. He was good the night before too. Anyway yesterday and today I've had a really sore lower back like I get pre-AF, but still nothing! I'm sure it must be coming though. In my ==madness== eagerness to work out whats going on I've ordered a salivary microscope type thingee off amazon. It hasn't arrived yet- anyone used one? I suppose I really could be temping now too (such bliss having baby out of our room!)

As you can tell my broodiness has returned and then some! Ive always fancied having 4 boys but I'm actually thinking maybe a girl would be nice this time ( not that I can choose though!)
Either would be lovely tbh I don't care really! Just unusual for me to even be thinking pink as I'm not really a girly girl!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend - I'm so fed up of all this rain

madness even

God that was a lot of exclamation marks sorry

Ooh fab news about sleeping through thinkingof4 (I class that as sleeping through - how my standards have fallen!) No idea about the mircoscope - what does it do? I get the sore back pre AF - I hope its something - either a BFP or AF just so you know where you are.

Not going great the night weaning project here, poor DD was exhausted last night after hardly any naps so I was a bit soft on her. whenshewasbad Sorry for all the questions? Do you rock her to sleep at 3.30am or give milk? Tbh as long as my cycles level out a bit I could handle one or two feeds (we are heading that way anyway I think)

I'd love 2 girls as having a DD (and a sister) its what I know but a DS would be amazing too.

How long are any extended bf'ers thinking of feeding for? One day I want to stop but then I feel all mixed up inside and don't. One feed at a time I guess, just like the early days.

halo sorry about AF. I'm pretty keen to get started. Mainly because I'm anticipating it taking a fair few cycles before we succeed. I'd also like to not have a huge age gap, and although I'm not too old, DP is 10 years older so I worry about things like how old he'd be when DC are leaving home etc. etc. Not to mention the facts that I am terribly broody and really, really want to be pregnant again!! Sorry the night weaning isn't going too well, hope you have a better night tonight. I know we haven't reached the 12 month mark yet but I'm planning on feeding until DD is 2, I think. Ideally I'd like her to self wean, but I suppose I don't know what's going to happen. Mostly I'm really happy to keep feeding, but I do occassionally miss the freedom of going out at night or being able to have a few drinks without the terrible guilt!

thinkingof4 great news about the good nights sleep. Hope you get on well with your microscope.

How's everyone else? No news here, although considering trying DD in her cot one day soon, maybe ...

Hi haloflo
Yes I class that as sleeping through too!! He slept 11-4 last night so not quite as good but I'm really happy things are improving. He is getting more mobile now so he'll be more tired too which will help.
The microscope is to check for salivary ferning which gives you an idea of when you are fertile- supposed to change for a few days before ovulation, but from what ive read has quite mixed reports so we will see
Highheels
I am planning to bf till at least a year and then see what happens. Last time I stopped at 13 months as I was pg with ds3 and just too tired to continue but I'm happy to feed for longer if I feel fine. If AF doesn't come back then I would consider stopping but hopefully it won't come to that. My dh is also 10 years older so I'm very aware that we need to get on with things plus am very impatient

Hi all, may I join?

DS was 1 yesterday, still going strong on the boob and I'd like to continue BFing but would also like another. I've been period free since he was born and the approach this far has been to abandon contraception and see.... Except I'm not sure how one does that without a frame of reference? Clearly I don't have a 2ww because I have no idea when or whether I'm ovulating. Should I pick an arbitrary cycle start date and test once a month?

Hi Fraktal, welcome and a happy birthday to your DS! I've also no periods and we've been taking a similar approach to you in terms of abandon contraception and hope. I've tried to steer clear of POAS although I have caved once or twice or five times when I've gone a bit mental with symptom spotting felt a bit off :) Picking a cycle date sounds sensible if you want to be testing regularly. I'm trying to keep an eye open for signs of ovulation and then will count days from there if it ever happens ...

Positive opk today!!!!

Found some cheap opk kits from amazon have been testing every morning for about 5 weeks. Dd has been fully weaned for about a month and my body has finally started working again.

Let the snagging commence.

Snagging ???? Obviously meant shagging (bloody auto correct).

Hi everyone, any news?
Ive convinced myself I've ovulated again (!) so been swi
and pretending to be on 2ww now

Can't see a bloody thing on the microscope but lots of cm which I've been tracking on fertility friend, and trying to remember to temp again.
Keeps me busy I suppose. Also ordered some more cheap tests off amazon so no doubt I'll have to poas again soon!

Ach feeling really crampy like AF is imminent so could be shortest 2ww ever! Mind you l had the same feeling this time last week