TTC and still Breastfeeding? You are not alone - come to our bf-friendly cafe for a chat and some cake!

[MisterSafetyCatchIsNotOn]

Over here all breastfeeding ttcers! Welcome to our thread - a place for us to come for support, information and to talk about the extra challenges of ttc while still breastfeeding (or expressing like myself).

I thought I should go ahead and start the new thread as the old one is about to fill up and I didn't want anyone to get lost (hope that's ok Waiting and that you haven't already done this and I just missed it!)

For anyone who is new to the thread or needs a reminder, here are a few links to some useful websites (thanks Waiting for putting these together)

kellymom.com/bf/normal/ttc-while-bf/

kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility/

www.llli.org/nb/nbmayjune04p114.html

www.fertilityfriend.com/Faqs/Fertility-charting-while-breastfeeding.html

yes good point about the impact on careers. What ever equal opp's policies say, having children has a massive impact on career progression. I knew that I had to feel ready to effectively take a career break when we started to have our children - also a reason for wanting to have them close together.

Flowery....great that you didn't have to go back to work! Definitely not worth the physiological and psychological impact of that level of stress!

so how long of you guys been ttc? is it taking the same amount of time as the previous baba?

Hi everyone

I have used the cheap opk from amazon and have found them fine and easy to interpret. I usually test morning and afternoon-even though the recommendation is just afternoon and at the same time each day-I just don't want to miss it!

In terms of length TTC DD 1 was conceived after 4 months and 1 mc. Have been trying for number 2 since November 2013-had mc after conceiving in month 1 and then mmc after 4 cycles. Have had two cycles since mmc. When I think about it like that we have been trying for 8 months but have been pregnant twice... I suppose it is age taking its toll on me (37).

I would really like 3 children but think we are only going to have time for 2 (hopefully).

It's a BFN for me this morning

With ds it took 4 months. I started ttc number 2 when AF came back at the end of August, so nearly 10 months now but only had 6 cycles in that time. My hormone levels are clearly not quite where they should be so think I'll see if the gp can help. Now I just have to wait for cycle 7 to start, no idea where AF has gone!

Oh dear Mister. Hope in the nicest way AF turns up soon so you can move on to the next cycle or that BFN changes into a BFP. Hope that doesn't come across wrong... 2d writing things out never quite sounds the same as it does in my head.

I would love 3 really more but DH would have a field day children, but as long as DS has a sibling I will be happy. Started TTC #2 last October. BFP in March then MC end of April. DS came along as soon as we started trying first time round. Feel very blessed

How is everyone spending Father's day? We're off to a pub which never usually happens with a fab view for lunch with some family and then the park with homemade cake and tea so the LOs can play. I know there is little chance 1 SWI might turn into a BFP this month, but it's amazing how you just start feeling... 'what if'

Right need to bake that cake!

I got pregnant with DS 1st month and 2nd for DD. I'm on CD33 today. No sign of AF, and beginign to think it might be cycle 1 for DC3 too. No major symptoms so I'm not sure if I'm just getting hopes up but I keep getting twingey, slightly period painy type pains that don't turn into anything, which I had with both others. Might test tomorrow as house guests have all gone again now.

Just thought I wrote DD was conceived on cycle 2 not 4-it does seem that conceiving 2nd time around isn't as easy and I have been reading a little about secondary infertility.

Hope it is good news for you flowery and sorry it wasn't for you mister.

Didn't make sense! DD was conceived cycle 2 not 4.

Sounds very promising Flowery! Fingers crossed for you.

Going to have to google secondary infertility now june!

I'm afraid I'm not really a big fan so struggling to find any TV to watch and avoiding doing other things being on here. Sad or what!

Yep fingers and toes crossed flowery. That slightly period type pain does sound promising....!

I think I will avoid googling secondary infertility as that will probably send me doo-lally. I have heard though that it can be harder second time around which already makes be anxious, but who knows, just have to try.

I do have a question though - for anyone who can remember their cervical secretions before their first period when bfing (!) - do you still have cervical secretions with the anovulatory period? From what I understand, the first one is usually anovulatory so I didn't know if this meant that you do / donor have the other ovulation signs like mucus, libido etc. I ask because today I had definite mucus (egg white esque but not totally clear, some stretch) - I noticed because I haven't seen anything like that since before I got pregnant and am not sure how to interpret it.

No idea Guiseppino, but first cycle isn't always anovulatory. Don' know much about it - not something I've read about, but I think I've heard it often is but not always - and my Mum got pregnant with one of my brothers without having any periods between having my younger sister and getting pregnant with the next one, and still breastfeeding (and it wasn't intentional!).

Still no period. Still the twangy pains. I reckon I'm pregnant. Dh pointed out that I have been eating non stop since about Thursday, I hadn't even noticed.

Giuseppino I can't remember exactly what my CM was like before AF returned but I remember once it did I had EWCM at random times in my cycle. I'd probably DTD just in case! Practice can't hurt

Flowery are you going to POAS soon and put us out of our suspense?!

Maybe later. I haven't got a test so can't do it now. I'd have bought one yesterday but DH said no, he wanted 'at least a couple more days in denial' (said jokingly!). DH off work this week for the world cup so I'll perhaps get a test today and do it later, or save it for FMU tomorrow.

The eating thing could just be that he's been off work since then and has whittnessed just how much I usually eat while he's at work!

Hi,
I just came across this thread and haven't read the messages yet (will do when home from work!) I'm TTC no. 2 and still BF my 20 month old. My first was conceived on the first cycle but I'm now 3 months in to TTC no. 2 and get the sense it isn't going to be so easy. Really keen to read other people's experiences x

p.s. Should add that I got my periods back 4 weeks after no. 1 was born (!) but am not even sure I'm ovulating.

Rosepetal, getting periods back that soon sucks!

So to end anyone's suspense. Just did a test, BFP. I really thought it would take longer this time. And given the lube mix up, DH is particularly roud of his swimmers!

Big congratulations Flowery! Super news! Thank you for buying a test!

And welcome rose! Agree with Flowery that getting AF back that soon sucks. Shows it does happen though. I would have liked mine back a bit earlier than the 8 or 9 months it took so I could have started TTC sooner, but 4 weeks would have been a shock!

Omg congrats!!!! Woo hoo!!! That's amazing news! Ive never met you....but I feel over the moon. How old are your two? What will the age gap be with no 3?

Rose petal - I am new to this too and have alreDy found it helpful chatting to these guys. I haven't properly ttc no 2 as wAiting for periods to come back.

So do u think that the mucus is a good sign that periods might be coming?

Yaaaaaaaaaay flowery! Amazing news. What powerful swimmers getting past the lube and all . Bet DH has smug mode fully activated with footie on and you up-duffed!

Nothing to report here, no AF but only just hitting end of cycle (day 30), and I suspect this month's mega-AF will have messed things up (or do you ladies who understand biology better than me think cycle length likely to be the same regardless of how long it lasted??)

Welcome Rosepetal (or should that be soup?), these ladies are fabulous, full of knowledge and support.

Guiseppino, I don't remember what CM was doing before AF, especially as I've never been very good at analysing, um, outputs, but I think things stayed a bit mixed up for first couple of cycles. AF came back at 14 months. As MrsD said, a bit of practice can't hurt ... Good luck!

congrats flowery !!!!

I got pregnant (thanks to this thread I think!) in just one month for current pregnancy and it was a bit of a shock to be honest! DC1 took 4-5 months. DP was also very smug… men!

Good work Flowery stops self from enquiring about which spermicidal lube I should buy . So now your DH can enjoy the footie in all its glory and you don't have to worry about DTD with mates staying over. Everyone's a winner! Hope the early days of pg are kind to you.

Congrats Flowery, blimey that was quick! Brilliant news! How are you feeling?

Hi rosepetal, I think it can go either way, it is certainly not proving easy with number 2 for me. It took 4 months with DS and now 10 months in with no sign of a bfp. Fertility is a mystical thing! That is very early to get AF back, doesn't seem very fair I would have been so annoyed! I have read that the sure way to know if you are ovulating is to track your basal body temperature (i.e. first thing in the morning before you get up and start chasing toddlers around), the hormones released after ovulation cause it to increase and it stays up until the end of your cycle. I starting charting mine a few months ago and was very relieved to find out that I am ovulating, if not very regularly.

MrsC I think it's quite likely that an 11 day AF would result in later ovulation but it might not. I know AF length fluctuate from about 3 - 7 days on a perfectly normal cycle but I suppose your body would need time for your hormone balance to shift to the point of triggering ovulation, which on a normal cycle would be 6 or more days after your period stops. I don't know how much / if the long AF phase would effect that process though.

Giuse yes I would think mucus is a sign that things are gearing up again, but I know others have said they had patches of it every now and again over a few months before AF came back so it might still be a bit of a wait. Are you going to try for catching that first egg?

AF is still AWOL here, no idea where it's got to. I was expecting it 5 days ago at the very latest. I guess there are 3 options - A) I didn't ovulate at all this month B) I ovulated really really late C) I am pregnant but tested to soon / test didn't work for some reason. Much as I would love it to be C I think that's unlikely as I'm not really feeling it, so am hoping it's B rather than A and I can get on with a new cycle asap. I hate waiting around! DH always just says I should let nature take it's course and stop thinking / worrying about it. I tried to explain that I can't really do that as I'm impatient pregnancy / new baby has a massive impact on my body, life, career so I have to think about it now and not knowing when it's going to happen I feel like life is on hold a little bit, he didn't really get it though.

MisterS I will keep my fingers crossed for option C! Do you have any other symptoms at all? Did you have eArly symptoms with your other baba?
Totally get how you feel - even with the first baby I couldn't think about anything else other than getting pregnant, analysing every single twinge in my body and googling constantly! Sad! Can't help it though. Think it's going to be the same when I start trying for no 2. How are you coping / feeling after trying for 10 months?

My husband wants to wait until the baba is 1 year old before we start actively trying. That said, we're not using protection. But I haven't had a period yet so I am just hoping that I will feel confident I am ovulating by around September time. The mucus gave me hope that my body is gearing up but no af yet although of have v slight twinges etc so again hoping that will see af soon.

Thanks Giuse! Nothing obvious on symptoms. I did have a weird moment today where someone in my office was having chicken for lunch and I could smell it from the next room and REALLY wanted it, I had similar in my first pregnancy with enhanced sense of smell, being able to identify office lunches from a great distance! I also had some serious chicken cravings with ds, so it reminded me really strongly of being pregnant but probably nothing! I've had a lot of unprovoked weepies too and a few twinges, but nothing conclusive. I will wait til the weekend to give it a full week, then test again if still no AF.
Fingers crossed for you for AF to return in the next few months then, sounds like that's very likely. After 1 was my rule too but I hope you get there much quicker than me! My sister's 2 have an age gap of just under two years and though it was tough for the first few months they are lovely together now.

Hello ladies!
I am new. Be gentle. A bit about me- recently hit 40:-/
mum of 4 but would like number 5. My youngest is 20months and still feeding. To be honest it is decreasing during the night now as he is in his own cot- we were co sleeping you see so milk was on tap lol. Anyway i haven't had my periods return. Of course i have put that down to the feeding but i was worried that my age was a factor. So i went to see my gp. Didn't mention i was still feeding. She ran a blood test. Thankfully i am not in menopause yet lol. Everything else seemed ok.
Where do i go from here? I am hoping that the decreasing feeds might help. What else can i try or do? I am in your hands !
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