Absent AF, screwed up ovulation, luteal phase defects? Sign in for the all new ttc while breastfeeding thread! BFPs guaranteed!

[MrsHuxtable]

As if ttc wasn't nerve wrecking enough, we like the extra challenge of getting that BFP while still breastfeeding a baby or toddler. While this isn't an easy endouvour, it certainly isn't impossible as many graduates on the previous threads prove.

I'm posting a link here for any newcomers about fertility while breastfeeding.

kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility/

Am also wonderig if you'd like to have some sort of stats for the tread members. I'll just start myself.

MrsHuxtable, 29, ttc#2 from April, on pp cycle 4, luteal phase defect

She's 10.5 months now. After lots of rocking and cuddling I just managed to settle her down to feed but it took a long time. And even then she regularly comes off and/or bites.

It does coincide with it getting warmer so maybe it's that. Heat wave please stop!

DH thinks it is time to switch to bedtime bottles but I would really prefer not to. Plus aren't they bad for teeth as well?

Thank you - really helpful to have your advice and support .

Not dropped any feeds recently - we are on bedtime, morning and 1-2 night feeds at the moment and have been for a while.

You'd think that heat would make DD drink more, wouldn't you? She has lots of water during the day, but I was wondering whether she just doesn't want the closeness and warmth of bf right now.

My next theory is maybe I'm dehydrated - I'm not very good at remembering to drink which is obviously worse in this weather.

Anyway, will struggle on and hope it passes!

Harriet - thanks again. DD fed like a dream tonight - very calm and long feed! So hopefully just a temporary blip!

Hope all is well with naps at that end

Hi Skylark so glad to hear everything is going well for you

Wild, my DD does a similar thing too sometimes... just loses interest and I almost have to force her to BF (not that you can actually do that but you know what I mean ) I have also noticed that she is fussier when I'm ov and just before AF is arriving, so maybe the hormones change the taste???

Harriet you are so right about that mental switch, especially as it seems there are suddenly bumps and babies everywhere (and there were never that many before ). I think I managed to remain calm about things last timefor about 5 mins 2 months then started reading about charting!

Harriet I really hope AF arrives before you have to drop the bedtime feed! 13-14 hours between feeds is a really long stretch, surely that should be sufficient... Any more symptoms?

What would you do if you dropped the bedtime feed? Would DH give DS a bottle or would you go for settling without milk? I can't remember if your DS has bottles at all actually.

Eggs good point re hormonal changes and bf taste. That could very well be the explanation. I was so relieved last night to be back on track. Are you SWI again?

Manically POAS here but no sign of ov yet.

Hello all-would it be ok if I joined this thread..I am 36 and breastfeeding 25 month old with no sign of AF...I'm thinking this is a long time...toddler feeds couple of times during the day and 4/5/6 times per night (we co-sleep) I would welcome the experience of others...has anyone else gone this long without AF?

Thanks

Hi June and welcome! So impressed with you still bf - hope we manage to keep it going that long! Hope AF turns up soon though.

Harriet so sorry to hear re illness and redundancy. It must be a difficult time for you. And the hearing issue as well. I can understand that is very worrying/stressful. What a good thing though that your DS had such a lovely mother who still manages to give him all the comfort/nurturing from bf. Fingers crossed you don't need to drop any more feeds. Just a thought: saw in the shops today that ov sticks are getting more and more sophisticated tracking two different hormones. Don't suppose there is any point in you POAS to get a sense for what's going on? Not sure if that would work as this stage?

Hi all. Haven't posted for ages as we were away for the last couple of weeks of June. (Re-cap: bf DS, who's 2.9, about once or twice a day on average; late ov and 8-day lluteal phase, which I managed to bump up to 10 days with vitamin B6).

While we were away I gave up temping because DS was waking in the night (unfamiliar bed etc) and getting up at funny times, and my chart was all over the place. I took the B6 for about the first week of my cycle then it tailed off with all the holiday excitement. What with all the night waking, late bedtimes etc DH and I only managed to DTD twice and rather halfheartedly so in the end decided to look at it as a month off from TTC.

So imagine my surprise when I got a BFP yesterday! ! Very definite line on a cheapy test, twice.

Gulp!

Trying not to get too excited because I had an early MC once before and I know bf can make you slightly more prone to it. But it does show that the B6 works!!

Wow count - fabulous news! Congratulations! It was about time we had a BFP on the thread . How are you feeling?

I'm really sorry to hear about your previous mc. And scared to read about a potential link with bf?! Do you know why this is? Fingers crossed though that everything will be fine for you!

Harriet a word of warning if you go for the new sophisticated OPKs..: I couldn't resist yesterday and bought some, but they are a bit more complex than the usual sticks, you have to remove lids and insert things and press buttons, meaning I completely messed it up and had an invalid test

How is everyone doing? Surviving the heat I hope! It's certainly making bf a very sticky business!

I'm going a bit mad on the OPK front and using my new sophisticated ones in the morning, and the usual ones in the afternoon. The new ones picked up high fertility earlier (starting yesterday) but the old ones also got a positive result today. So today/tmw is it for trying. Bit frustrated that its already cd20 so no doubt another short LP. Must remember to start bit B6 next cycle.

Wow Congrats Count! Good luck for your pregnancy

I feel your frustration, Wild, I've been oving (or attempting to anyway) around d21 too. Grrrrr! Must try the OPKs next week, maybe I just need to go all out and test twice a day too! I never get positive OPKs, but do get a temp shift, so hope that means I'm oving. Good luck for the dtd

Thanks eggs... Far too hot really but were putting in a good effort . Will be quite happy in a couple of days time when we can have a break, haha.

Yes, I found the OPKs quite handy although a bit pricy. The new clearblue digital ones do seem worth it as they picked up the fertile period earlier, and were also non-ambiguous. With the other ones I'm forever staring at the stick and debating whether both lines are equally strong.

Harriet how are you? Hope you & family are doing ok!

Hi all. Just started TTC #2 (as in... this weekend) - hasn't quite sunk in yet and could probably do with some handholding, but don't want to tell anyone I know irl.

DS is 18mo and was conceived the first month of trying, so I guess I'm kind of expecting it to be that fast this time around as well, but we're not dtd as often (who does, with a toddler?!) and I'm still bf 2 or 3 times a day on average, though only quick snacks rather than prolonged feeds as a general rule.

Until i saw this thread I hadn't even considered that the bf might have an impact as my cycle seems to have gone back into its old routine.

Anyone else with an 18mo old?

Hi Cakes and welcome!

Yes, who knew cycles were affected by bf. I certainly didn't before having children. But if yours seems to be back to normal you may not have any issues at all!

My DD is 10 months but bf roughly the same frequency as you are. Periods are back but I ovulate late in the cycle so short luteal phase. Are you planning to track ovulation etc?

Good luck!

Oh and I think in some cases, cakes are definitely the answer

Wasn't planning on tracking things much. I use a Mooncup (TMI alert) so am quite aware of what's going on, but more than that I think I'll leave for the future. Like I said, I'm kind of expecting things to go fast like last time, perhaps if there's no BFP in 2 weeks then I might start getting a bit technical - who knows?!

And the nn is an evolvement of my previous name :) They're never the answer, but sometimes they are a very nice embellishment ;)

Just out of interest... how many days after dtd would you be likely to get an implantation bleed? Would 2 be unlikely?

Hmm I think it tends to be around the time you might otherwise have your period, but could be earlier. No expert on this! Fingers crossed!