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!

PS Kate Hulla did start a bfing & pg support thread on the bfing/ffing board though it never really got off the ground - I can try to find it if you want or you could just start a new one.

I'm all for another bf/preg thread be it a new one, or reviving an older one...

Stats?

Manda 37 BF ds2 9months af returned 3 months pp, ttc...1 month. After 5 months of ntnp and I think a chemical last month which pushed us into full on 'let's actually try to do this' mode. This will be DC4. Take what you want from that and make it more palatable!

I should be sleeping. I have The Insomnia. It's been waking me up from about 2-5 recently so staying up this late is new...

That's rubbish, Gauntlet, I can understand why you're so upset, that would upset me too :(

Dita - I had no idea Hulla had started one (I probably didn't want to know IFSWIM ), although I have to admit I tend to avoid the bfing/ffing board as the bfing nazi stuff on there sometimes really upsets me :( I will have a search for it and see where it got to and see if it's worth trying to restart it or start another one.

gauntlet my SIL has just announced her pregnancy (we had our first ones within a few months of each other)... I understand how you feel. Its difficult to see others getting pregnant when its so much what you want for yourself, even if deep down you are happy for them. ((hugs))

I'm keeping up hope as I'm now on 13-15DPO and no sign of AF... maybe foolishy as I did a test this morning that was negative . I've been cramping for the last 2 days. Picked up another few tests in Superdrug today (this will probably bring on AF but at least I'll have them for future months!) and DH laughed at me and practically shouted out in the store 'but you're not pregnant and you wasting my money on these!!'

BTW gauntlet I was wondering if my SIL and your sister were the same person as her baby also slept through from very young, about 12-14 hrs a night!

sounds like it Islandisla. Makes you want to cry when you SIL goes on about being tired right?? and I reckon it is only going to get worse now my sister is pg again- she moaned like anything last time- it did my head in and i constantly felt unable to actually say when I was struggling as i took on the role of the sister who was having a 'dream pregnancy and just getting on with it working 48 hours a week' my arse.

I seriously have some anger issues here not the forum for it methinks!

I do admit to a couple of stiff g'n't's last night and have had the bf and alcohol guilt all day- on a plus note she did sleep a bit longer than normal. Please dont slam me for that; it is not a common occurance- i just was really upset last nite. ( although 'mother's ruin' is not the solution!)

anyway; onwards and upwards- I have a queory about that first ovulation.... how on earth do you work out with charting etc and did anyone who has AF actually know that they were ovulating? also- when to test??

Don't feel guilty about a drink or two - its fine while breastfeeding. I often have a drink or two in the evening.

This is the first cycle I've charted so I don't know when I started ovulating, so hopefully someone else can help there!

At least 14DPO now, no period and still negative test!! Feel in limbo!

Hey ladies

I am lurking as I would like to start TTC baby #2 in the spring (if DP is willing) and may well still be bfing. Can I just ask what ntnp is? I can't for the life of me work it out!

Good luck to all of you SWI I found that one in the acronym directory!

ntnp = not trying, not preventing (or not bothering with contraception but not SWI'ing )

Hi glovesoflove

I had to look up SWI as well and didn't know what ntnp was!

AF just arrived... onwards to the next cycle!

Ah thank you! :)

Hello Everyone and hi to glovesoflove.

I like the acronym SWI for some reason...

CD9 now, SWI will soon begin....! If I can find the energy.

Travelled back to the UK and now my timing is all askew - going to bed at 6, spending hours awake with DS at 3am, grrrr. Hopefully it will get better in the next couple of days.
I have a feeling that this month isn't going to be lucky for me, my body feels so knackered. Also, DS was sleeping so incredibly badly in his cot in Japan that we started co-sleeping in the hope that it would make life easier. Well, it has to a certain extent and the nights are certainly less fraught but the difference now is that DS is treating me a bit like an all night, all-you-can-eat-buffet-boob. I'm not so used to this and I feel a bit raw (sorry!). He seems a much happier night baby though and at least my DH is not having to get up so much and actually my nights seem less disturbed. I don't know at all how this is going to impact on my cycle but still, feels like the right thing to be doing. I'm really hoping that when DS is no longer jetlagged and we have a more settled routine the all night boob-fest might go down a bit. I'm too tired to do anything else anyhow.

IslandIsla Oh sorry about AF arriving, it really does feel a downer doesn't it, even when you are just starting out. Well, here comes another month...keep my fingers crossed for you.

so many graduates so soon! Fantastic! Keeps my spirits up. I spoke to a Japanese friend last week and said I was concerned about not being able to conc. whilst BF and she laughed and said that 3 of her 4 children where conc. whilst BF the previous + wetnursing for her brother's children too!!!
Gave me hope anyway

xxxxx

hi gloves
:( to af isla
Martha your friend must have been feeding a lot always nice to be given more hope.

I'm in good spirits tonight as tonight for the 1st time ever ds went to sleep without a feed. He fed then wriggled around our bed for an hour but went off without crying!

QueenFee - lovely that your DS went down without feeding.
I'm still dealing with jetlagged baby who is feeding constantly through the night. Also he's got a bit of a cold (or a bad reaction to our cat?) so feeding for comfort.

CD 11 now - actually starting to get twingey feelings. I always used to be able to feel it when I ovulated, not sure if everything's still the same down there though. Also DH is once again starting to look very desirable...
Unfortunately he's in Glasgow until Thur and then on the weekend we are staying with PIL, so will have to be sneaky SWI .

Feeling very ratty today, DH doing my head in. Wonder if it could be AF about to visit? Also wonder if the pink CM a couple of weeks ago ( sorry) was ovulation... humm.

Don't know if I will be happy or sad to see her..Ive had some period type pain, either that or it might just be implantat.. no, best not even think it. If it was ovulation pain there is no way this month is gonna ours... blinking irritating men... my vote is that he goes in the dog kennel tonight.

by the way... POPPet45?? we had similar experiences with the afore mentioned grossness... did you get a visit from the F?

Sadly no Gauntlet it turns out I was just in the mood to be a real cowbag and had no hormonal basis that I can ascertain. And gawd knows what that pinkish mucus was, if it was implantation bleeding it would have to be a miracle and I have no symptoms other than the need to demolish lots of jelly sweets, but I get that from time to time anyway.
Long term I'm hopeful that this night weaning might just help us. It's certainly helping DS to self settle, even if he doesn't sleep through he's happy to just fall back asleep with a few ssshs and pats in his cot. Which for him is the most astounding progress. As for AF she's still missing in action. Oh it's a funny old lark this TTC while bfing isn't it? I'm desperate to see AF at least once, then I don't want to see her again thank you very much!

Hiya, can I join you?

congratulations!!

My stats:
YankNCock 34 BF DS 16 months TTC#2 No AF yet

I have PCOS and it took a year the first time to get pregnant, then miscarried, and got pregnant again 3 months after.

I was recently in hospital for food poisoning and couldn't feed DS for 5 days (so hard!), and I think that may have jump started something. Last week I got sore nipples for the first time since before DS, only used to get that after I ovulated. Then on Saturday I had awful period type dragging, cramping pain (bad enough to call NHS direct). Was sure AF was coming but still nothing yet!

Hoping some of you who've gotten AF back could shed some light on that? Is it just my plumbing grinding back into life?

Anyway, what with my job prospects/career in the toilet, now is a perfect time to have another baby seeing as I'm at home anyway. And I'm not getting any younger and suspect it could take a while if last time is anything to go by.

I am vaguely charting CM and symptoms on fertility friend (charted for 3 years prior to DS), but my friend has my Boots BBT thermometer with the alarm/temp recorder so I haven't started doing that. I am sure she's not using it but would feel weird asking for it back

Sorry such a long intro!

Hi yankncock

Sorry I can't shed any light as I am still waiting for a vist from Af! However and abrupt change in pattern does seem to kick start thing o hope it is for you :)

Hiya YankNCock!

That must have been really hard in hospital without DS! It sounds like it has started something! As Queen Fee says an abrupt change in pattern can kickstart it. Has AF arrived in the meantime? I suppose if you were in hosp there is no chance you are pg already?? This month I had cramps for 2 days before AF arrived which was really annoying!

I'm charting on fertility friend too. I got a thermonmeter cheap on access diagnostics for 3.95 (incl postage!). Does the job! (showed a thermal shift for me last month).

At the moment everyone around me seems to be pregnant or trying and Im feeling a bit down thinking its going to take us ages to fall pg. Not sure why I've got the blues. Need to keep reminding myself I have a beautiful DD and anything more is a bonus

I know what you mean about sneaky SWI marthamay - last month i ov'd over Christmas when we had the ILs staying!

Oh by the way YankNCock I was also diagnosed with PCOS - way before TTC though, I just went to the doctor as I had very irregular periods (one particularly long 10 week cycle prompted me to visit). I was only 21 then, but she did a blood test and said it was PCOS, being so young I didn't ask any questions about what they were testing for... so i've never really known how bad it was or anything. When starting TTC much later (at 28) we were lucky enough to fall pregnant quickly which I think was partly luck at just having a good ovulation at that time. Now my periods are back they are more regular than they used to be so my theory is that BFing is actually regulating my hormones! They are heavier too, but I wonder if that is to do with my c-section which worries me a bit. Sorry for the ramble!

I think there is a slight possibility I could be pregnant. I had some EWCM last week around same days my nipples were sore, and we'd done the deed about 2 days before. So if that was ovulation, then it's possible, but I highly doubt it. Have ordered cheapie tests just in case. Still no AF, and nipple pain/cramping are gone now. So confusing!

My hospital stay was 11-16 December, and I think I might have ovulated around 7th Jan?

Can't test till the 21st, so will just try not to think about it for time being.

Reassuring to hear someone else with PCOS had cycles get better, am hoping the same happens for me! I took all kinds of stuff like Agnus Castus, Saw Palmetto, chromium, etc and had reflexology when I was trying to get pregnant. Dunno how much effect it all had, but cycles did get a bit shorter (was 45 days on average at one point) and I ovulated on more cycles than I did just after I stopped the pill.

Hey Yank! How's the squirrel problem? And how exciting - you could be our shortest-staying thread member ever

Squirrel problem appears not to have returned! Not taking any chances, we have a puppy now to ward them off

Sometimes when I see one of those furry grey bastards on the road, I drive a bit faster . I was traumatised, you see.

I really highly doubt anything will come of this sore nipple/cramping thing. Been asking around and weird stuff like that. seems to be par for the course. Poo.

But how exciting that you're having another one! Yaaaaaay!!!!