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

999 replies

eagle2010 · 28/09/2014 10:33

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.

Seeing as I filled up the old thread I thought I should start the new one!

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). I hope I've worked the links properly.

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

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peardrop2 · 28/12/2014 14:10

Hide ~ today is cd9 for me and I supposedly will OV on cd19 so I've got 10 days to go if previous cycles are anything to go by. I'm really trying to relax but I'm very nervous that I won't ovulate again like last month. What Cd are you? I'm sure you're just gearing up to it. My new cbfm sticks and cheapie Ov sticks should arrive next week!

peardrop2 · 28/12/2014 14:26

Sun ~ did you order the Clearblue sticks in the end?

NewYearNewYou · 28/12/2014 16:43

Hello!

Hide glad you are feeling better! Sounds like the OV sticks are being a bit confusing. Perhaps DTD every other day for the next couple of days just in case...? Although I realise you might not feel like doing it much if you have just got over an infection. Sad

Pear how do you know you didn't ovulate? I have heard that ovulation sticks can be a bit hit & miss. I stopped usng them when I was TTC the first time around because I never got a postive. Since I now have a DD I obviously was ovulating... Have your AF been regular since they came back?

I am going to use them again - but just the cheapie ones to even just give me a hint that there might be some hormones in my system. I have used them sporadically over the last few weeks whenever I got a little bit of EWCM but never got a proper positive (I got a line a few times but it needs to be as strong as or stronger than the test line and it was faint). At least they are cheap...

I decided last night that I am going to start weaning DD. I want to do it gradually and so first am going to cut right back to a max of 2 feeds per day. I will try for 1 if I can (and obviously if she doesn't ask for it then I won't give her any). This is making me miserable, jealous of my friends who are having more DCs and a bit resentful of DD that she is stopping me having another DC so something needs to change. I am 31 so not old but equally not exactly a spring chicken. I would be really happy if I could get pregnant without weaning but it doesn't look like that is going to happen...

NewYearNewYou · 28/12/2014 16:44

PS slightly terrified of weaning as I have zero idea of how to do it without a lot of tears from both of us... Sad

peardrop2 · 28/12/2014 20:20

NewYear ~ Awww big MN hug to you! It's an emotional roller coaster at times this whole weaning business! My AF returned when I dropped DS down to two feeds (7am & 7pm) at 14 months. It returned very soon after the weaning took place. I am now on cycle 5 but I have only been TTC for 1 cycle because I didn't want another summer baby. I know that I didn't ovulate because I use a cbfm. I didn't peak in cycle 4 but did in cycle 3 when I couldn't TTC because it would have been a August baby Confused I am 32 years old.

NewYearNewYou · 28/12/2014 22:36

Thanks Pear. It is so darn hard isn't it!? Ironically I have been self-medicating with wine over christmas and then feeling really guilty just in case by some magical fluke I had actually got pregnant somehow (I am 99.9% sure that I am not but I guess there is always a chance). I can't win!!

Fingers crossed AF returns as quickly as yours did. Sadly, I have a feeling that I am going to be one of the minority who need to wean completely because in the past I have had times when I have night weaned and I was working so not feeding at all during the day and STILL no AF.

Typical that you OVd in the one cycle you didn't want to conceive! Fingers crossed that means that you will OV this cycle and get a nice sticky bean.

Good to hear that we are a similar age. Don't know why but it's comforting to have other people in the same boat!!

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 00:32

New ~ I know what you mean...it is comforting to know there is someone else in a similar position! I'll be super relieved just to ovulate in January. TTC always feels like jumping hoops for me! I was soooo hoping it would be less frustrating second time round but I guess because I've left it until I really really want it...it's just how it is!

hideandsqueak · 29/12/2014 13:50

I'm 31 so a similar age to you both. In on day 24 of a 28 day cycle and the clearblue sticks still say no ovulation! Ended up in a&e with DS yesterday so didn't feel like Dtd last night so suspect this cycle will be a BFN which won't be a surprise. Will resume endeavors today just in case I haven't missed ovulation. Is it common to just not ovulate some cycles? I was so grateful to be able to feed DS and comfort him in the waiting room yesterday. It really is the best medicine.

hideandsqueak · 29/12/2014 14:02

Oops meant day 14 of 28 day cycle!

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 15:42

Hide ~ just so I'm sure, are you using the Clearblue smiley sticks? You still have time to ovulate, don't loose hope yet! Oh my you poor things ending up in A&E! May I ask what happened? bf is sooooo the best medicine! It's amazing how quickly it calms them in so many ways.

New ~ I just wanted to ask how weaning is going today? PleSe don't beat yourself up over stopping. You're amazing to bf for this length of time. 9 out of 10 in my NCT group stopped at 6 months and only 4 bf exclusively. The percentage that bf is so tiny, you should be so very proud of yourself for coming this far and being the best mummy you can be Smile

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 17:01

NEW ~ It isn't really fair that us...the ones who want to keep bf a bit longer seem to have to consider giving up completely to get fertility back is it! Confused

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 17:03

9 days until possible OV day...that's single numbers now Wink

hideandsqueak · 29/12/2014 18:00

Pear I am using the slightly cheaper option where you need two dark lines! I used a gift card to buy them. Hehe what a gift.

DS had a febrile seizure. It was horrific and we thought he was dying because we didn't know what was going on. Got to a&e and was given nurofen and sent home. Happens to 1 in 20 under fives apparently. Id never heard of them. He was blue and floppy and 999 put me on hold for 5 minutes then accidentally hung up on me. I am still in shock now to be honest. Gonna take a loooong time to get over this!
9 days isn't long to go at all! Especially with all the commotion of new year to make time go faster...

NewYearNewYou · 29/12/2014 21:23

Evening all!

Hide - oh my God! That sounds terrifying. So glad that DS is OK. I have heard of febrile seizures but haven't experienced any. I can imagine how horrible that must have been for you! Hope you and DS are recovering! You're right about breastmilk being the best medicine. It really is the ultimate comfort food isn't it!!

To answer your question, yes it is surprisingly common to have an anovulatory cycle - can be for a number of reasons ranging from stress to breastfeeding to just one of those things! I have read a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is really good at explaining all that kind of stuff. However, always worth giving it a go just in case something has happened to shift your cycle along a bit and you are ovulating later. Also, I have never, ever got a positive with an ovulation stick - think possibly because I always drink too much water and so my wee was too dilute... I am going to keep trying with internet cheapie in the new year and fingers crossed!!

Pear thank you for your kind words. I have been feeling quite emotional about weaning and I am still hoping that dramatic reduction without stopping completely will be enough for me to get my BFP. So far it has been easier than I feared. I have limited DD to just one (admittedly massive and very long) feed the last 2 days and it has been OK. Not too many tears. DH is going to be in charge of putting her to bed for the next few days as she tends to be more accepting of no milk if he is doing it. With me she gets more hysterical if I say no. If she gets really upset I know that I will give her milk as perhaps she really needs it. Anyway, so far, so good - let's see how it goes!

How long did it take you to conceive your DC1s? For us it was 3 months but that really means nothing I guess as you never know what will happen next!

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 22:41

For me the reason I didn't ovulate last month was because bpear was sick so I fed him in the day...I'm sure of it.

New ~ yes my son is like that (out of sight out of mind). In fact he unusually woke up last night at midnight and I instructed DH to put him back to bed as there was no way I was going to feed him back to sleep and disrupt my cycle unless it's an emergency!

Hide ~ OMG indeed! You poor things. I can imagine you'll need a few days to recover after that! I've never heard of that medical condition. There is so much you don't know until you become a mummy! It's shocking Shock

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 22:46

New ~ it took me 4 months. However, very different scenario because I was on the pill and when I came off I never had AF return. That's why I found clear blue smiley Sticks the best method as I had no clue what my cycle was doing!

Hide ~ I can believe you used your gift card. I was only contemplating yesterday whether I should do the same to buy conceive plus Wink

NewYearNewYou · 29/12/2014 23:00

That's interesting Pear - did you find that the OV sticks showed when you were ovulating despite not having AF for such a long time?

And I would totally go for it on the gift cards! If it makes you feel better, you could then spend the equivalent amount elsewhere on a treat!

peardrop2 · 29/12/2014 23:24

New ~ I remember getting one smiley face (you're meant to get 2) in cycle 3 and then 2 smiley faces in cycle 4. I don't think I was tracking in cycle 1&2 as it took me a while to get my head round it all. I measured my temp in cycle 2 but quickly gave that up and brought the sticks!

hideandsqueak · 30/12/2014 18:01

I have some cramping today which could be ov pains? But my sticks still say no! I think I will try FMU tomorrow but I never ever remember when I am in my half asleep state in the mornings. What's the difference between the sticks with lines and the sticks with smiley faces? DS we were lucky enough to conceive first cycle but I was younger and just very very lucky. Hence my ineptitude at all things TTC-ing..

hideandsqueak · 30/12/2014 18:01

What kind of thermometer did you us to measure you temp pear?

peardrop2 · 30/12/2014 18:18

A basal thermometer that beeped from boots. The difference between the sticks is that the smiley face ones show a face when you're ovulating. The lines you have to determine yourself by comparing their darkness.

peardrop2 · 30/12/2014 22:07

Oh dear. I forgot that my Clearblue would start asking me for sticks. They're still yet to arrive in the post. Hope this doesn't screw up my data Shock

So, is it just us 3 on the thread then? Pear, Hide and New?! We must have more TTC peeps hiding out there?

hideandsqueak · 30/12/2014 23:05

Ooh asking for sticks? That sounds like it must be getting to your window of ovulation! What other info does the monitor track? Temperature? Hope your sticks arrive soon! It's only Thursday that is a bank holiday so post should be normal apart from New Year's Day!

Yes there must be other TTC BFeeders out there! DS has woken twice tonight already and I fed him back to sleep. I managed to get a good look in his mouth earlier and he has 3 teeth poking through poor thing..

peardrop2 · 31/12/2014 14:10

Still no sticks Hmm According to my app my fertile window starts on Friday. The cbfm normally asks me for sticks from cd10 so this is normal, I just didn't order the sticks in time. I have the old cbfm so it doesn't measure anything other than the LH surge. It's meant to tell me my 4 high days and 2 peak days.

hideandsqueak · 31/12/2014 18:33

Fingers crossed they arrive on Friday! I finally had two dark lines on my sticks today. Which is good because I only have 1 more left and was worried I had wasted £16 on a cycle where I wasn't ovulating! Today is cd16 and I've had more period like pain today. Happy new year everybody! We are staying in and organising toys after buying some storage boxes. Fun! With a glass of prosecco of course.