The All New TTC whilst Breastfeeding Support Thread

[haloflo]

Have a breastfed baby or toddler? Why not try for another one?! Who needs sleep anyway?

Come join us whether you are waiting for your first period in months or are are a few months into trying.

[BR44]

Congratulations newyearsday!! What brilliant news. I do hope you're coping okay with the knackeration of the early days of pg combined with the knackeration of a toddler!

I am 7 dpo today. Have a strong feeling that I am not pregnant, but I know it's too early to tell yet. I'm just really hoping that I get a decent length LP so that I can be confident next month that there are no physical obstacles. This has been the first month when I can say with confidence exactly when I ov'd, so I'm really interested to find what kind of schedule things are running to in there!

Sounds like things are all moving in the right direction jakeyblueblue. Like me, I guess you just have to be a bit patient now. Boring, isn't it?!

Howe are you feeling haloflo?

[BR44]

Whenshewasbad - only just noticed your last post. Hope you got to him in time...!

[TizzyNo1]

Hello, can I join please please please?! :) DS is 20 months and a boob addict. AF came back when he was 11 months and I thought whoo-hoo, but after trying a few times (a bit half heartedly / guiltily / what the hell am I doing??ly) I actually got preg a few weeks back then had a v early MC. V horrid. I had a v early (chemical preg) and missed MC before DS born so threw me this time - I (stupidly) thought all would be well now we had one in the bag :(. Anyway, at least I can get preg (hurrah) but not sure I can keep (boo hiss). Consultant advised taking low dose aspirin (did with DS), poss heparin and progesterone (although he thinks hokum). He said all are safe for DS. But, he did point out several times how we're putting ourselves at disadvantage, shouldn't I just wean etc etc. I know DS isn't ready (nor am I) so not an option. Also takin things day by day but not averse to tandem feeding (if I ever get that far!) - is anyone else up for it? Am terrified but need to follow my heart....I think. I do panic though at the thought of how the heck I'll manage - that's me, worry pants, and I can't even get off the starters block! Soz for long intro, but hopefully will latch on (boom boom) to some support here - feeling like I really need it (sick of rod for own back comments, especially from pregnant 'friends') xx

[Thinkingof4]

Hi tizzy sorry to hear about your losses.
How much is your ds feeding? Lots of us (including me with ds3) got pregnant while still feeding so I don't think you are necessarily putting yourself at a disadvantage by still feeding.
Are you on aspirin now then? Presume that's ok when you are feeding and will hopefully help you get a sticky one next time

What age are you?
If you still have plenty of time I would keep feeding till you are ready to stop

[TizzyNo1]

Hey! He currently has morning boob, before dinner boob, before bed boob and in the night boob (lunch boob and in the bath boob have not been requested for a few days ;)). Long feeds, he loves it, often during the night. The aspirin is low dose -75mg- which nhs guidance says is ok if your doc says so. You start taking it once preggo so not on now and unsure whether will take ifit happens...bit apprehensive still. Thanks for your condolences :). Life eh? I would love DS to wean 100% at his own pace, hence tandem feeding thoughts, as I can't wait that long - am (gulp) 38 :(. Not going to even consider weaning for a good while yet, only if we get desperate. Just keep hoping it won't come to that! Congrats to you, and brilliant to hear success stories! How old was the bubba you were feeding when you got preggo? Did / are you taking the tandem route?

[WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid]

BR44 thanks. I think I got to him in time. Got positive opk on Wed and dtd that night. The opks were still positive at 11pm thursday night (but neg Friday morning). So we dtd again this afternoon just in case the egg puts in a late appearance. Not actually holding out much hope this month as very little ewcm so I don't think the body is up for it this month.

Also re feeling you are not pregnant, doesn't mean a thing in my book, you won't have any symptoms yet anyway.

tizzy sorry for your losses. They must have been so hard for you. I am really impressed that you can ovulate and still feed your ds that much. Hope the aspirin does the trick.

[Jakeyblueblue]

Welcome tizzy, sounds like you've had a bit of rough time so hope goes well from here on in. Not sure what your consultant meant by you being at a disadvantage?!! I would understand if your periods hadn't returned but seeing as they have, I don't really get it. I'd let nature take its course and carry on. If you do fall preggo then your little one may self wean anyway. I have no intention of weaning so think we should trust in mother nature and carry on as we are! I spent weeks worrying what would happen when I went back to work as ds was still feeding in the day and two weeks before I went back, he dropped them! Same thing has happened this week, got to go on a course and he has still been having a tea time feed that I wouldn't be back for and again, he dropped it of his own accord. Sometimes these things just happen!
Can't wait to try the opk's, should be Interesting if nothing else. Whens best to do dtd in respect of getting a positive opk? Feeling horrendously broody today as it's my ds's first birthday today. We went to twycross zoo and I caught a glimpse of my reflection feeding him in a window and nearly had a breakdown! He looked enormous! Where has my baby gone !!!

[haloflo]

Hello. Welcome tizzy I am very sorry to hear of your losses. You sound very positive though and fingers crossed you will be lucky soon. I got pregnant when DD was 14 months (ie last month) My periods came back when she was 10 mo. She feeds morning, evening and all night during the night. I don't fancy tandeming and actually am wondering if DD isn't happy with the new taste of milk as she is crying when feeding. Not ideal but I can't exactly help it?! I'll let you all know if she weans.

I am fine thanks BR44 I had some spotting 4 days ago and unfortunately was told it was too early for a scan but since then no bleeding and nausea has ramped up a notch. (I wasn't sick last time either, just felt rough!) so fingers crossed all is ok.

Jakeyblue - Happy Birthday to your DS! I hope you all had a nice day. With OPKs the best time is before the positive I think. You ovulate within 12-36 hours of the positive and I found these stats on baby centre-

four per cent if you have sex five days before ovulation
15 per cent if you have sex four days before ovulation
25 per cent to 28 per cent if you have sex one or two days before ovulation
eight per cent to 10 per cent if you have sex within 24 hours of ovulation

The cycle I conceived we DTD on day 12 and 14 and I got the positive OPK on day 15. HTH x

[TizzyNo1]

Thanks all :). I forgot to mention the before, after and sometimes during nap boob - my boy sure does feed a lot! :/ I asked a nurse about OPKs and she advised DTD on alternate days from day 10 of cycle onwards as OPKs give late positives and can be affected by breastfeeding? Jakeyblue you are v wise :) - and v right! Haloflo congrats! Enjoy the sunshine everyone :)

[Tancub]

Hi all
Anyone mind if I lurk here and try to understand the lingo? We're not trying yet but I'm massively broody. Still BFing DS (16 months), and have just cut out his afternoon feed for various reasons. No sign of AF.

Good luck to all, and congratulations to those expecting.

[WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid]

Hi tancub feel free to join in, I warn you though we will make the broodiness 10 times worse.

My dd is 16 months old. I stopped bf at 13 months and my period came back a month later. Really jealous of those who can bf and ovulate, dd was down to one daytime feed and my body still refused to ovulate.

[messtins]

Can I say a quick hello? I've been TTC no 3 for 10m whilst BF no 2, but at 25m old he has just decided to self wean. Haven't quite got used to describing myself as a non-BF mum yet (sob). Have had regular periods for >6m, and before that a bit screwy for a few months after coming off the pill, so am assuming his couple of feeds a day wasn't wrecking my chances of TTC, but who knows?
Does anyone have any experience of using a CBFM whilst BF? Have had confusing results and wonder if BF hormones are screwing it up? It does say you can't use it whilst BF but am assuming they are thinking of exBF a young baby which would stop you ovulating - of course feeding a 2 yr old is probably not what they had in mind!
Good luck to you all - hope you manage your BFP very soon. Jen xx

[BR44]

Hello all, especially all the new posters! Tizzy - It sounds like you've been through it a bit, but I think you sound brilliantly positive. Like you, I'm not ready to wean my 21mo DS yet, even if it is putting us at a disadvantage in terms of TTC. We'll see what the next few months bring. I completely agree with Jakey that there's little point tying ourselves in knots worrying about things we can't control. A bit off topic, but until recently I would have said there was NO WAY IN THE WORLD that my DS would have settled for my DP in the middle of the night. Previously he has screamed blue murder if anyone but me comes near him. Last two nights? DP has gone in, calmed him and even got him to go back to sleep. He's just ready now, I suppose. Sometimes I forget he's nearly two and probably underestimate what he's ready to do. The same will be true with BF eventually, I know.

I am 10 dpo. No AF yet. I did cave in and do a First Response test yesterday which was a BFN. Stupid, I know. Should have waited a few more days. Ah well. At least it's looking like I'm going to have a decent LP, which is really good news for the next cycle.

ONWARD!!!

[TizzyNo1]

Ah, BR44, too kind. I am soo impressed re DP settling your DS!! Do you mind if I ask how they did it? My hubs has kindly offered to go in but I'm scared to let him try...but, also conscious we will have to cross this bridge if we do get lucky with number 2. He settles him for naps beautifully, as does Grandma, so am I being too hesitant? Just this morning (at 5.30) as I was feeding DS I was fretting a bit about what I'd do in the same situation if a newborn needed me at exactly the same time. We don't cosleep with DS anymore as he and hubs are both v light sleepers, we were glued to the bed trying not to disturb DS and I swear I was getting pressure sores cos of staying in one position so damn long for fear of setting either of them off! DS settled in his room v well (at 1 yr) - I was traumatised! Anyway, in spite of the wake ups he does sleep better in there and I don't mind getting up to go sit in my comfy feeding chair, it's so much less disruptive overall. But, all I've read about tandem feeding seems to rely a lot on cosleeping all together - not sure this would work for us so would love to hear of other experiences. Will cosleep with a newbie again no prob but not sure could handle all together...sometimes I wish we had the space for a room with loads of mattresses on the floor...ho hum!

[Jakeyblueblue]

Evening guys,
I have been having similar thoughts tizzy, I am still co sleeping with ds and have no intention of changing that in the foreseeable future. Dh actually sleeps in his own room and has done for several years Due to his horrific snoring issues! It's actually his Choice for us to have separate rooms as he was getting sick of me poking and kicking him all night to shut him up. So there's no rush to get ds in his own bed and plus I love co sleeping! I have to work 3 days per week and feel like co sleeping is like our together time. It's so lovely! We just cuddle all night lol! But how would this fit in with another baby? Wouldn't want to turf ds out to make way for new one! Was kind of thinking I would just buy a bigger bed and go in the middle of them?!!! but even then, wouldn't ds1 get disturbed by ds 2 and what if they both wanted a boob at the same time? Hmmmmm!
Anyway, on what I think is cd11 and did my first ever opk. Did it at 5 pm coz heard its better to do it in the evening. Was neg. so will keep going and see what happens.

[BR44]

Tizzy - definitely let him try. What's the worst that can happen? He's about the same age as my DS (21mo) and I think it's easy to just keep following the same routines with them that we followed when they were much younger, not realising that they have developed a lot and may well react to change better than we think.

It's really interesting what you and jakey have to say about night feeding and co-sleeping etc. We have only ever co-slept during illness, and although I have loved having the boy so close and snuggly, my quality of sleep has been lamentable (our bed's just not big enough) so he's back in his own room as soon as he is well. He sleeps better there, too. FWIW, I don't feed him before 4 am (okay, okay, sometimes 3.30...!). Wake ups before that time (at the moment one or none but in the recent past CONSIDERABLY more) are tackled with a cuddle. He then has a bit more milk upon waking (anytime between 6 -7) and then nothing until bedtime (6.30 ish) when I essentially still feed him to sleep. Tizzy- how often at night does your DS feed? I have found that his sleep improves dramatically overall when he has less milk at night.

Good luck with the OPKs Jakey! I had to wait so bloody long to get a positive I was convinced my ovaries had gone on strike in solidarity with the local bus drivers, but it happened eventually.

Today I am 12dpo. No AF. Another BFN yesterday. (seriously, there should be a helpline for women addicted to pregnancy tests. This could bankrupt me quicker than a mild gambling habit). I don't feel in any way pregnant but I also don't feel in any way pre-menstrual. So far this cycle is 39 days. The longest cycle I have had since my periods came back is 41 days. Last cycle was 35 days. At the grand old age of 33 I think my body has gone to pot.

[TizzyNo1]

BR44 sod it, I will! I'm too change-averse, but I will try...soon! He slept through last night :). Night before woke twice: consistently erratic!! To be fair we went on holiday recently which threw him and he's getting his canines. so it's understandable, bless him :) bit reluctant to refuse boob til all teeth in (scaredy cat!)...but soon ;)

[BR44]

Good for you! I can also be way too hesitant about change but am always glad to be proved wrong!

AF arrived this morning. 13 dpo, so that's a decent length LP, right? A bit disappointed but not at all surprised. Fingers crossed for next month...

[Jakeyblueblue]

Well guys, have reached cd15 today and no positive opk yet . Last cycle was 30 days so maybe it will be today or tmrw. Line looked darker yesterday but nothing you could call a positive. No ewcm yet either! Fingers crossed everything still works! Maybe I am actually a late ovulator, took a year to conceive ds. Never once did an opk in that time just kept dtd around day 14. The month I conceived we had really ramped it up and dtd three times a week for the mid two weeks. Who knows! Hope all ok with you guys!

[TizzyNo1]

jakeyblue I understand some opks can be affected by bf hormones. I was concerned that I wasn't getting positives a while back so checked , found this out n gave up on them. Nurse told us do it every other from day 10 of cycle. Did that last time and continued til v late in cycle, got preg but then miscarried v early - but got preg, that's good eh?! ;) got af after mc at the mo. Steeling self and working up courage / madness to try again...riddled with concerns and hormones, gah!

[Jakeyblueblue]

Ah tizzy, sorry to hear that, but you are right! It's good you got preggo! I am sure everything will be just fine next time round and hopefully you wont have to wait long.
Well it's cd 19 tmrw and still no positive but I am sure I have ovulated. My skin has broken out and my boobs are sore. Also had bloating and cramps on sat so am sure it was then. All pretty typical for a normal cycle for me. I did do one opk on cd 14 and the test line was darker, not as dark as the control line, but clearly visible. The test line is not even visible now so am thinking it may have actually been positive then. Anyway to cut a long story short, I am going to carry on using what I have got but will ditch it after they run out, especially if I get AF on time, as that will mean I did ovulate afterall. Makes sense that Bf messes with the hormones. Might google it and see what comes up. Have ordered myself a fertility thermometer and will try that method instead for a bit I think. Seems a bit more reliable!

[Thinkingof4]

I've been away on holiday so just trying to catch up
tizzy ds2 was about 11months or so when I got pregnant with ds3. I stopped feeding him when I was about 10weeks pregnant as I was so tired! But he was only feeding once a day by then, and sleeping through the night very reliably! Where have I gone wrong with ds3 who is still feeding 3-4 times overnight but not at all during the day. Aargh when will he sleep through??!
Hello to the other new posters, I'll be back later!

Incidentally I'm about cd21 now and we had one slight (ahem) lapse 2 days ago when I was probably still fertile, so another sort of 2ww here! So much for waiting a few months!

[TizzyNo1]

Hi thinkingofyou, wow, doesn't that just show how much natural variation there is with bfed bubbas?! My friends son weaned himself at 14 months, another friends son at 4 years! Amazing and rather lovely!

[TizzyNo1]

Ha sorry, thinkingof4! bit dazed, bedtime, busy day, boob brain etc etc...soz!! wink

[Thinkingof4]

thinking of you too tizzy

Maybe the co-sleeping has made ds3 addicted to the boob! I didn't co-sleep with ds1 or ds2!