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

[eagle2010]

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

Austra the ewcm sounds promising I'm sure I've had it when it's been a little white as well. Probably other stuff getting a bit mixed in! Was it stretchy?

And good point about the milk. I will just keep offering it to him until he decides to like it!

Yes. Stretchy as all heck. Clear and white mixed. Please fx it's something happening!!! Still on two feeds a day.

Just did an opk, and there is definite but faint test line! So in combination with what may indeed be ewcm , maybe the cutting down worked!?!?!?! Will so do another opk tomorrow and maybe it will be strong, and feck it, just DTD tonight and hope!

Yes may as well DTD! I have had more ewcm today even though had some on Tuesday so feeling confused but figured may as well DTD! It is Friday after all

Sex-Friday. Better than a normal Friday.

How was everyone's weekend? Any symptom spotting those in the 2ww? I had period like cramps yesterday which was exciting but they didn't last long! Had really bad implantation cramps last time. Had to take paracaetomol and go to bed!

Hide, are you saying that you think they may have been implantation cramps?

I'm deciding whether or not to invest in more CBFM sticks for 24 pounds or buy a pack of smiley sticks for 15 pounds and then there is the conception plus stuff that I need to buy this month. More money and more patience is required

I don't remember implantation cramps at all. The first I knew of dc1 was immense immense tiredness. And that was only retrospectively when I found out I was pregnant at around seven weeks. What would implantation cramps feel like? Not that I actually have a hope on hell of anything really happening, but if I am going to start symptom spotting --->

Well about 8/9 days before AF was due I had period pain for 2/3 nights and had to take paracaetomol. It was painful cramping. I remember suspecting I was pregnant and then just tested the once when AF was 3 days late and BFP! How i waited 3 days is beyond me. I was obviously a lot more chilled back then!

Lol. So really quite obvious if you are looking for it. Damn.

Hi everyone!

How are you all? Sorry I have been AWOL for a few days. After the excitement of getting AF I suddenly got even more impatient with the whole thing.

Hide that's exciting about potential implantation!!!! Fingers crossed. So nice to have a sign like that!

Austral to sex Friday! Did you get a stronger OPK line over the weekend?

Pear would the smiley sticks do the same job? If so, I would be tempted to just go for that... It's so hard isn't it! We use conceive plus too (and did when we conceived DD so it obviously does work!).

Anyway in the frazzled house, AF has gone and I have started temping as well as using the OPKs. However, I have a nasty feeling that this won't be our month! DH is going away this weekend and then next week we have a combination of family staying at ours swiftly followed by a trip away to see some friends (where we will be sleeping in their very small house and sharing a room with DD) so almost no chances for DTD. If my cycles go back to the more-or-less regular 31 days they were before DD, I will be ovulating smack bang in the middle of all that - and we will need to be very lucky to catch it. And that's if I am ovulating at all because I have read it can take a few cycles for things to settle down. So I am trying to be relaxed about it and just count this cycle as getting back into the swing of things before we really go for broke in March! or so I keep telling myself

I frazzled. No. I actually just asked the feb bus thread about OPKs.

Oh dear...we're all feeling TTC glum by the sounds of it

Frazzled - Maybe a relaxed approach will work in your favour this month? It only needs to happen once right?!

Hide - why are you glum? It sounds like you've got a strong chance if you've had a OPK line and been DTD loads and now on the 2ww no?

I feel like I've given up this month. I really just can't be bothered. I've got 1 week to get my act together before DtD mission begins

Hah hah just read post and it looks like I'm totally confused about who's glum and who's not

Hide ~ how the hell did you wait 3 days?!?!?!

Austra ~ God I know how you feel. What's the point. I don't blame you for giving into random feeds. Tomorrow is a new day

austral - unfortunately I think you can get lots of lines on OPKs without it necessarily quite getting to a big enough surge to ovulate. That's what I had for the last year and indeed even last month before AF! But then I wasn't having periods at all so you are much more likely to ovulate. A few more feeds might set you back but if your DC really needs and wants them then I would just write it off and concentrate on the future! As Pear said!

It's so hard isn't it?!
Hopefully you will ovulate soon or, get this anovulatory cycle out the way so you can get cracking with the next one!

Pear thanks! I am the world's least "go with the flow" kind of girl so hoping I can manage to relax. Going to do some yoga! (And try to stop thinking that maybe we will be really, really lucky - we actually conceived DD in the month I decided to take a step back from TTC...)

And don't give up! Hold on in there. Only a week to go and you'll be in the 2WW! And then it's time for all the fun of symptom spotting and POAS

Frazzle - I am keeping everything crossed that the "whatever" stage I am now stuck in leads me into a more relaxed month Yoga sounds very calming!! It's actually 2 weeks until I'm on the 2ww though. I've got one week until the mission begins and then that will last 5/6 days

Ah thanks for the kind words! Yes more Glumsville than Preggsville!
This morning I let DC at me twice already. The normal early morning feed I was still doing plus a little top up five minutes ago since DC was being so cute and pointing at my boob with a questioning look on the little face

frazzled haven't actually had any AF either, so I'm shagging in the dark, so to speak. I'm going to take the advice purdey gave on the Feb bus thread of doing a few days twice a day since you can miss the lh surge as it can be as short as 12 hours! Did you know?
But I think if nothing happens, I'm going to xf that I may have ovulated based on faint signs plus ewcm, and poas around Feb 9 or 10 just in case I did strike it lucky. It will probably be a useless exercise and like you I will probably have to wait til AF shows up. And I won't buy any more opks after this month until AF comes then.

Enough about me! How is everyone else today?

Hi ladies

Exciting pear that you are getting close to testing

FX you manage to DTD at the appropriate times this month Frazzled I remember reading something when I was ttc last time that showed that women who took longer to start ovulating again after birth returned to a 'normal' cycle more quickly (and conceived in fewer cycles) than women who ovulated sooner after birth. Can't remember the exact statistics though (ha mummy brain!)

Still no AF here either Austral, although I have been having wicked cramps today so really hoping that's a positive sign Typically DD is teething (6 front teeth about to pop all at once) and really wanting to feed much more, I've been fobbing her off with expressed milk in a cup which is moderately successful for a while!

Hi weebaird glad things are going well for you 2nd time round, it relly is awesome having 2 children ay! That lovely settled period around 3-4 months old is even more lovely the second time round too I thought! I'm loving watching my DD1 BF her toys too although she was doing it from her belly button for a while, but the thought was there!

Anyway... BFP/AF thoughts to you all

Aw eggs breastfeeding from her belly button! That image has just totally brightened my day!!!!!!

I am making myself glum this evening by reading about people having to completely wean before getting BFP and convinced myself that I am one of them. I have said to DH that if we don't get BFP this month I am going to night wean. I can hear the screams of torture already...

"Shagging in the dark"

Amazing!!

Right that's it. I've just demolished a large twix in seconds. That was my final sweet treat on the sofa for 4 weeks until AF/BFP arrives. I can actually feel my belly wobble. All I do is stuff my face because I'm bored of waiting. Well stuffing face with chocolate is not the answer Taking full control back as of tomorrow!

Hide ~ I refuse to believe that nonsense. I'm sure there is a way round it before you have to completely wean

I've been taking pregnacare but might switch to plain old colic acid cos I have heard about pregnacare messing up your cycles and last month I had a random 23 day cycle! Hoping that doesn't happen again.

Twix sounds goooood. I asked DH to get me some chocolate last night and he came home with chocolate Cheerios

colic acid sounds both useful and frightening, hide

Opk line a little bit stronger this morning than past week. Fxfxfxfxfxfx.