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

Congratulations Weebairn!! Fab news Fingers xed for lots more BFPs soon!

And Manderel, sounds very frustrating but hope you caught it on the Friday. Good luck with the 2ww!

Congratulations weebain! !!

Thank you mrs diddly for the well done for surviving! First week done. Tears from both ds and me (more from me!!)

For those of you with no af how often do you test?

Congrats weebairn, fab news and great to have a BFP on the thread to give us all hope!

Well done for surviving week 1 g0ldie, it does get easier!

Hasn't been a great week here to be honest, I had a family bereavement earlier in the week, we knew it was coming but still very sad. AF arrived this morning, a few days later than expected, which has totally depressed me as I thought this might be our month. So I am wallowing tonight and consoling myself with pudding and Baileys. We have a weekend away with friends so that should be a good distraction and I will start with temping on Monday.

How's it going radiator, still getting hopeful symptoms?

I'm sorry mister for the bereavement and the af.

Iook after yourselfx

I'm sorry mister for the bereavement and the af.

Iook after yourselfx

Congrats wee!! And sorry about the news Mister, as well as the AF: what a bad week.

All looking hopeful here still I think. Still feeling nauseous on and off, boobs have started to hurt (mainly my nipples, which feel heavy if that makes sense), and slightly dodgy bowels (nice).

I'm also having very weird discharge: it's white/milky (sometimes yellow-tinged) and lots of it. At times it's shiny and stretchy (like EWCM but it only stretches the once and then snaps back). DH's been away all week so definitely not spunk related.

My cervix is still super high and very soft: am very soft and wet inside.

If I hadn't had such clear O symptoms, I'd almost say I was approaching O (again), but I just don't see how that can be.

I think I'm somewhere between 10-12dpo, so I'm trying desperately to wait until this time next week to test if AF doesn't arrive. I'd rather get AF and be excited about my fertility coming back whilst still BF than get a BFN and get upset over that, if that makes sense.

And am afraid I'm sitting here having a beer - reverse psychology ;)

Thanks for all your congrats. I am thrilled (and a bit tired and sick) and feel very lucky I got my periods back and that so early.

MisterSafety - you poor thing - a triple misery - feeling shit with your period and feeling disappointed and then I am so sorry to hear about a bereavement. I hope you have some wine and are being nice to yourself… thinking of you.

And now I have bleeding gums: whole load of blood when I cleaned this morning.

Saw the dentist last week and everything was fine, so no idea what this body of mine is doing. Kind of wish it was next weekend already, and I had a bit more clarity.

Well I cracked and it's a BFN.

Really frustrated.

Have given the tests to DH to hide until Wednesday when I'll definitely be late (think I o'd sometime around the Monday).

So fed up right now.

ooo congrats Weebairn. Just what I needed to hear. Sometimes convince myself it's just not going to happen unless I stop BFing, but then remind myself that I could stop and it still could take a while. Definitely going to try the regular sex plan now. Vaguely tried last month but finding time is so difficult esp around illness. How did you manage it?

Sorry about the bereavement Mister. Knowing it's coming doesn't make it any easier.

Not sure about the canestan Painty. I tried to find out a couple of cycles ago but there's conflicting info online and I never made it to the doctors. Just stuck to using the cream (which seemed to take forever) and cut out caffeine till it cleared up.

How frustrating Radiator. Hope the brand new day helps take your mind off it.

I've been trying to do all the things I liked to do before DS arrived. Managed to get DS looked after for a couple of hours yesterday and went climbing which was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Sat here with super strong coffee and planning on eating some stinky cheese with lots of wine later before SWI begins in earnest later/tomorrow.

Happy Sunday guys x

Radiator I'm sorry about the bfn- but it's not over till your period is here.. thinking of you.

Mrsdiddly, I guess I just prioritise sex- I do when not ttc also... We tend to do it first thing in the evening after baby has gone to sleep, before cooking and eating etc. I find my mood is so much better when I'm getting regular sex a d exercise... though exercise doesn't always happen...

Weekends during nap time is another time we often just say - fuck the housework, let's get into bed...

But it is so hard when you're ill. Or when baby is and you're just in with them all night. I work night shifts sometimes and that messes with everything too. But yes- immediately after baby has gone to sleep, a cheeky cuddle does wonders, that's my tip!

Sounds lovely MrsDiddly - lucky you :)

We struggle to prioritize sex as well. DH works crazy hours, generally travelling during the week, so weeknight sex is rare and Friday nights are for sleeping (he often doesn't land until 9.30pm). Which leaves Sat/Sun mornings and evenings, and invariably one of our two offspring prevent us getting down to it.

When we were SWI this cycle though we did put the baby in his crib and bribe our daughter to stay in the kitchen with her breakfast whilst we shagged. I was impressed with DH's ability to concentrate on the job in hand :)

Not really feeling any symptoms today other than a low dull backache: no more bleeding gums or nausea. Cervix is still very high and soft and still very wet though, so I can't believe AF will be here today or tomorrow. I'm not too disappointed - this month was a veeeery long shot - but all the symptoms definitely got my hopes up, even though I tried to be rational. I think that something did try to do something, but didn't quite make it: it definitely wasn't a normal luteal phase..

Painty - it is tough. I understand. But it'll be nice too - you'll have some time for you which you'll need before #2 :)

God I hope I didn't sound smug or anything. I just like sex. I work quite a stressful job with shift work and long hours sometimes, but I am so fortunate that DP works a stress free job mere minutes from home. So he is not only very hands on with child care but also less tired than me and has the energy for nookie... I know I am very fortunate in this.

Also AAARGH the thought of coping when they don't nap any more!!!

Not at all weebairn - thank you. Inspired by you I jumped DH yesterday morning before the kids were awake - he was very pleasantly surprised..:)

Well I'm about 14dpo (give or take) and there's no sign of AF. Nausea again this morning although that's lessened over the course of the day. Still very soft and wet with a high cervix and milky white discharge.

No. Idea. What. My. Body. Is. Doing.

One question though - I can 'feel' my left ovary (I only have one, so it's definitely the one I ovulated from!). Not painful, just a pressure. I've felt it since around the time I think I o'd. Is this a good sign? Bad? Indifferent?

Just want this cycle over now so we can get on with the next one....

Well AF has arrived I think.

Am strangely happy-it seems heavier already than the other episodes of spotting I've had, which means I'm getting back to full fertility whilst still bf-ing.

I feel that something happened but didn't quite make it, which again gives me lots of hope for next cycle.

I'll be so happy once we have #3 and our family's complete-will be glad to be done with all this ttc stress!!

Me again and it's just getting weirder.

So what I though was AF turned out to be a little bit of spotting and then brown blood (odd for me): but a very small amount which has now stopped.

I was feeling some pelvic pressure yesterday around my ovary which seems to have stopped.

My CM is now sticky. I took my temp this morning, just out of interest and it was 97.7, which is just about in my post-O range (although I haven't temped since falling pregnant in mid-2012 so who knows if this has changed).

So now I'm wondering if I actually O'd yesterday. Which wouldn't explain all the funky symptoms etc but would explain some other things.

Sigh.

How's everyone else (and I will stop monopolising this thread...:) )

Sorry about the thrush Painty, how annoying (both for ttc and in general). Re not ovulating, all of my cycles since ds have had more than one patch of EWCM although only the last ended in ovulation (I assume as afterwards my cm changed and I got AF 2 weeks later), thought it might be a bf thing? So maybe there's a chance you might still ov this cycle.

Sounds confusing radiator, is it worth testing again? I know it's reasonably common for pregnant women to get light bleeding around the time they would expect AF, so if it's def not AF maybe you should poas just to be sure. Or could it be implantation? Hope things become clearer soon, it's frustrating not knowing where your cycle is at!

Thanks for all the condolences, we had a nice weekend away which helped take my mind off things and all the family are getting together for the funeral next week, which I am sort of looking forward to in a funny kind of way though it will be sad too.

This week I'm starting on an action plan of healthier eating, limited caffeine, temping and positive thinking - hoping that will do the trick! Although I have just had cake

Weebairn I hope you're not suffering too much with sickness, do you have a due date yet?

Radiator - god, the symptoms must be messing with your head. I had very similar things the few months before my periods returned properly - pmt symptoms but no period, or just light spotting and mucus and that. Mine came back at a year. I had a coil in until xmas though so no idea when my fertility actually came back. I am well impressed with those of you trying so hard when your babies are only 10 months old, btw! At that time I was just returning to work and couldn't even imagine it. Didn't really enjoy sex properly till my periods came back, either.

Painty you poor poor thing with the thrush, that is miserable. I keep seeing your name around mumsnet saying kind and sensible things and thinking, oh, that's the lady from my breastfeeding thread! As for a TTC while breastfeeding guide, this thread is roughly the closest thing I've found yet!!

MisterSafety I'm glad you had a nice distracting weekend. I hope the family get together is ok, where you can remember good times. It's funny how there are whole sections of family you only ever see for weddings and funerals -especially poignant for funerals. I'll be thinking of you.

Due date: I'm going with 27 Sept but my cycles were a bit irregular and I wasn't charting or anything so it's just a guess. I'll call and get a docs/midwife appointment at some point this week.

I do feel a bit nauseous and tired but it's not too bad. Skipped a few meals and sleeping a lot but nothing worse. I am just starting a very well-timed holiday - I worked over Christmas and new year as well as loads of family stuff so I was about ready to drop. Thank god we decided not to go away, we have put DD in nursery for a few extra days to have a break and get things done, so me and DP have had a lovely relaxing day getting some stuff done around the house, having sex & naps, and going to the cinema!! (Do you guys even REMEMBER the cinema!) We sat in a cafe for ages and discussed baby names like losers, he is so excited. I keep telling him I am only 5 and a half weeks and he must calm down and not get too excited yet. Oh thank god I'm not back at work for a couple of weeks … I work shifts and they are long and brutal! Also my lovely baby has picked this time to finally start sleeping through the night properly - hooray! 6.30pm to 6am last night!!!! Last time I was pregnant my boobs got bigger and sore but this hasn't happened at all (because of the breastfeeding, maybe??) I didn't show for ages and ages last time -after 20 weeks- so I'm wondering how it will go this time. Generally very happy, just a little tired :)