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Conception

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 - not for the fainthearted!

49 replies

beartime · 16/03/2006 10:54

Here's my situation: My ds is 4mths, am fully bfing, and still have not ovulated yet, but I want a baby! So I'm now obsessive about charting GrinDH is in bad health and 43 yrs old so if we have more it has to be SOON!

\link{http://www.tcoyf.com/ourtcoyf/gallery/gallery.asp?typeid=11\Here's} a great page of charts of people who bfed and became pg, or not!

And \link{http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility.html\here's} a great page of links abt bfing and fertility.

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Racers · 16/03/2006 10:57

Interesting, thanks. Might be a little way off for me but well worth a read.
And good luck Smile

Rubymummy · 16/03/2006 10:59

LOL we crossed and now there are two threads! I will post here as you got in first!!

Me 25, DP 34 (DF?? We got engaged yesterday ) One DD 9mths (took 1 yr tc), breastfeeding once/twice a day)
First month TTC #2 Using Isis scope / CM. Had ferns beginning of the month so hopefully test soon...

Nice to meet you all... :)

Rubymummy · 16/03/2006 11:05

Interesting links beartime - those charts scared the hell out of me - never seen anything so complicated in my life. Will stick to my ferns for the time being!!

Original poster
beartime · 16/03/2006 13:56

Oh i guess I should say I'm 26. Congrats on your engagement Rubymummy! Hmmm will have to read up on ferns and isis scope as they mean nothing to me!

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fresco · 16/03/2006 14:21

question for you ladies: can you chart the basal temp if you dont get af yet? i dont know where i am with periods because i havent had one since my c-section 3 months ago.but i only stop b/feeding completely that is about 5 weeks ago.i b/fed for the first 8 weeks and then stoped at night first and then altogether.

fresco · 16/03/2006 14:22

beartime, do you have your periods back yet?

Rubymummy · 16/03/2006 15:11

No idea about temp fresco but i know you can find fertile period with saliva micrsoscope which is what I'm doing. I have no af yet but am assuming as i got fertile period then i must be ovulating (??)

bobblehead · 16/03/2006 15:31

Hi everyone and congrats on your engagement Rubymummy!

I am 31, dh 32 and have dd 9m, who is still bf on demand (and demands at night alot!). No af yet but have been getting cm around same time last couple of months so hoping that means I will ov soon. Agree those charts look very scarey! I am waiting for my 'scope' to arrive, hopfully by the weekend.

Good luck to us all!

Cristina7 · 16/03/2006 15:36

Good idea about the thread. We've been considering another but definitely don't want to get obsessive and do anything about it (apart from the obvious!) so I'll keep a low profile on here and only check in now and again. I'm BF my 13 month old. Good luck.

Original poster
beartime · 16/03/2006 17:44

fresco - yes you can - I am. But the only point of it is to see if you've ovulated really - to prevent false hopes and save money on wasted pg tests! Also to see if you've got pf b4 AF!

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Original poster
beartime · 16/03/2006 22:30

No I don't have periods back yet, even tho' I'm not feeding at all at night, for 12 hrs.

Rubymummy just because you have fertile period doesn't mean you ovulate - cos your body can go thru all the stuff preparing to ovulate yet still not get to the oestrogen threshold needed for ovulation. Also if you did ovulate you would have an af afterwards. The best way to tell if you've ovulated is either by doing your temps or waiting to see if you have af.

Oh and great news today on the DH with bad health front - one of his health problems was hepatitis C for which he underwent chemo last year - anyway he found it today he is completely healed of it - yay! Which means he may want more than one baby as he will live to play with them Grin

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bobblehead · 16/03/2006 23:10

Great news Beartime! Looks like you'll be busyWink

Wish my body would just stop preparing and get on with ovulation!

Original poster
beartime · 16/03/2006 23:12

me too!

It's not like we can do much abt it though is there! But my hope is to catch my cm everytime its egg white and not even get my af back - here's hoping...

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Rubymummy · 17/03/2006 12:33

What does doing temps involve? Not that I have the time or the energy - not that desperate yet!

At least I've stopped assuming i must be pg now! Thanks girls :o

bobblehead · 17/03/2006 15:19

Saved me a few tests this month too I think!Grin

Original poster
beartime · 17/03/2006 16:37

You can ovulate the first time before your period - so if you had fertile cm and no af it is possible that you got pg! But also possible that you're working your way up to it! See with temps you'd know!

All it involves is putting a thermometer by your bed and sticking it in your mouth b4 you get up in the morning - every morning - and waiting till its done b4 you get up - then just plotting it under date and temp on the chart which you can download free off the internet \link{http://www.tcoyf.com/library/pdf/preg_celsius2.pdf\here}. It's quite fun actually - and you can tell if you are pg cos your temp stays high after ovulation for 18 days, and you can tell if you've ovulated cos your temp shifts up afterwards - no more guessing!

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Original poster
beartime · 17/03/2006 16:46

\link{http://www.tcoyf.com/library/primer002.asp\Here's} a good overview

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bobblehead · 17/03/2006 18:00

Would a reg digital thermom do Beartime or do I need a special one? Also, would it make a difference me being up and down alot through the night seeing to dd?

Original poster
beartime · 17/03/2006 22:03

digital thermometer is fine - that's what I use. The only prob. with being up and down in the night is they do say for an accurate reading you should have been asleep 3hrs b4hand, and its best to do it around the same time everyday, within an hour anyway. So if you normally get up at 7am and you happen to get up at 5 to see dd you should do your temp then as you won't have had 3hrs sleep b4 getting up at 7. And you can write down the times you did it on the chart and allow for it - apparently your temp goes up about 1/10 of a degree for every half hour later that you get up. I would say its still worth doing, as you'd probably still notice the thermal shift if you ovulated. Because the whole first half of the cycle would be lower, and the second half a lot higher so it'd be pretty obvious even if there were some temps that were off. Plus if you correlate it with your cm its even more obvious whether there's been a thermal shift or not cos you know exactly when to look for it Smile

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Original poster
beartime · 17/03/2006 22:06

I've got a question - do you know how long bfeeds usually are at 4/5mths? Ds is on 4 feeds a day and I think he is putting some time in that he's just suckling for the fun of it (I don't use a dummy) or sleeping. So if I could take him off at the time that he'd have finished feeding then it might reduce his suckling time which in turn should increase my likelihood of getting AF back! Grin But I don't really know if he's s'posed to feed for less time than b4 cos he feeds faster or more cos he's bigger! He's still just on milk.

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bobblehead · 17/03/2006 23:42

i NEVER GET 3 HOURS STRAIGHT SLEEP, SO THAT WON'T WORK FOR ME!!!! sorry, cat been on keyboard!

As to the feeding, not sure. Dd fed more than that at that age, but was always quick and I use a dummy. You could try breaking the latch if you feel its just comfort sucking and see how much of a protest you get. Sometimes dd just slides off and sleeps when I do this.

Original poster
beartime · 18/03/2006 07:38

good idea! aren't you a walking zombie?!

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milward · 18/03/2006 08:22

Just checking in here - will read through.

Beartime I'm bf on demand & want to become preg. My ds4 is nearly 6 months & will start on solids in 2weeks. But even with this I'll have to cut down. I also co-sleep & bf & will have to stop nighttime bf to become preg - but he's never slept in a cot. Will be a tough time.

Time isn't on my side either as I'm 37. I became preg with dd2 & dd3 whilst still bf when they were 18 months. I can't wait this long now.

bobblehead · 18/03/2006 14:23

Hi Milward, I am in the same position regarding the bf on demand. Dd is 9m so has cut down alot but still feeds lots at night. I did alot of cosleeping, but she was fine in a cot in her own room. If I try to cosleep now she just starts to play so we all sleep better apart!

Good luck!

Original poster
beartime · 18/03/2006 17:45

soe people do get pg with night feeding I think but if u really want to go for it then u prob should cut back. they say the more sudden the cut is the more likely you are to get your periods back sooner - tho' that may not be easy!

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