Ttc and still breastfeeding? Thread #3: Pull up a chair for some support from others on the journey!

[auroraboringalis]

Yes, we know all about how emotional and hard it can be! All the pros and cons, all about missing Aunty Flo's and wtf cycles with no ovulation, all about children being cute and pointy. No matter if you are five months or twenty months down the breastfeeding timeline, if you're ttc again, this is the thread to join! Welcome!

I'm also looking to wean but have no willpower to withstand the crying! But actually distraction and bribery is getting us some very slow progress. I think I'm gong to focus on daytime weaning first as DD already goes without 3 days a week at nursery. Yesterday she didn't feed at all from her last in-bed feed at 5.30am, until bedtime at 19.30! It was a nursery day, but still a massive breakthrough that she didnt demand milk as soon as I got home, but waited until bedtime.
Our tricky issue is on the days I'm home, she wants to watch tv and have milk. The two seem linked in her head. So I'm trying to get her onto books with a bottle of milk instead.

Another thing that has helped us is letting her have a cup of 'tea' (actually mint tea or warm milk) instead of BM. I have a real cup of tea and she has her 'tea' on my lap, and she feels really grown up about it. She has her own special mugs, including one that is a mini identical version of one of mine! That sometimes works as a substitute for breast milk.

I'm also thinking of making a big lucky dip box of random cheap things wrapped up like pound shop tat, box of raisins, sheet of stickers...then letting her have a surprise from that instead of boob at the times she would normally want it (which tends to be when she's bored and flagging!). Dont know if it will work though....

Wax, we are exactly the same! I am at work 2 days a week so she only has boob when I get home, then once again at bed time on those days. Then sometimes during the night too I have tried so many methods of distraction, but she wants both. She loves to sit down with a book, but she wants 'boob' whilst she's being read to; she'll have her cup of drink, but she also wants boob intermittently. The only real succcess we've had is distracting her with naughty stuff like chocolate, but I don't want to get into that habit. She loves healthy snacks so I might source some new ones she hasn't tried before so they'll be exciting to her and try that instead. I bet she'll want snacks then boob after though

It's just occured to me that, if I can keep her out of our living room and bedroom if we're ever at home during the day (the 2 places she has boob and likely associates with it ,out of habit, I think) and contain in the conservatory where we do our play-doh-ing and crafts and she's occupied doing that, I think I might have more success. Can't believe I hadn't thought of that earlier

Wax, I love your ideas. I'll have to give them a try

Ava, please can you give me some of your healthy snack ideas?

Tomorrow morning my plan is to take her down for breakfast straight away then hopefully she won't miss her morning feed as much

Wow congrats Ruth How long were you trying for?

Congratulations Ruth

Mumo, I've mainly been avoiding bread, biscuits and general snacking, which is my downfall. If I'm hungry between meals I'll have unlimited fruit. For breakfast it's cornflakes without my usual sprinkling of sugar. Lunches are Ryvita, low fat cheese spread and sliced tomato and cucumber unless I'm at work, then I allow myself a small portion of pasta to keep me going. Dinner is jacket potato and salad with a veggie meat substitute (I'm veggie anyway); or lots of noodles with veg; or rice with a sauce and veg; etc I've had 2 cups of tea (without my usual sugar) in 4 days, I'm drinking lots more water and my morning drink is now hot water with a slice of lemon.

I told myself I'd weigh once a week but I caved and weighed this evening and.... I've already lost 3 lbs! Crazy!

Wow Ava, that's brilliant! Well done you Snacking is definitely my downfall, along with large portion sizes!

Thanks Mumo I'm such a greedy guts I've easily been filling up on 7 pieces of fruit a day since starting on Monday

Btw, just noticed that my temperature is below my cover line now with today's reading, so I think I'm definitely out for this month. Just sobbed my way through the last ever episode of Mad Men and I'm more devastated to not have any more Don Draper on TV than the thought of AF arriving on Sunday

Guess it'll happen when it's meant to happen and in the meantime I need to focus on getting myself into the best possible shape and continue to try to wean DD

Congratulations ruth
I've just tested this am and BFP too which has really taken me by surprise.
Cd28 35 yrs cycle 2 of trying. Dc3 is 9 months and feeds upto 5 times in 24 hours.

Omg ruth that's amazing! I am so-ooo happy for you but sooo-oooo jealous! I can't believe that your lp just fixed itself like that and mine is still buggering around after all this time and weaning. Wow! You must be ecstatic!
Also congrats to you sparkles, and well done ava
Ff hasn't confirmed ov for me and my temp rise is minimal.

Congratulations Ruth and Sparkles so, so happy for you and not at all jealous Seriously though, well done ()

Ava, well done for sticking to a diet, I've just started a diet too to hopefully lose some weight before going back to work next month (I'm so much fatter than pre preg so should have started dieting months ago!)

Mumo, how'd it go going straight down for breakfast this morning?

Wow congrats sparkles!!! Amazing 2 bfps in 2 days! Let's hope this is the start of a run of luck! Sparkles please share your stats - how often were you feeding etc.

Lea, it went brilliantly this morning thanks I got her into the kitchen asap & then she drank quite a lot from the sippy cup - I'm so pleased

Wow congratulations you two lucky ladies! Still awaiting ov here at CD19. Would be great if some of your baby dust rubbed off around here!

We are just sexing every other day here, it's nice to make time for us and I do feel it is bringing us closer, but tiring with 2 preschoolers who aren't reliable sleepers! Plus we have had 2 holidays this month, I've gone back to work (albeit v part time) and we are both doing Couch to 5k and have started watching Breaking Bad which is totally addictive and leading to late nights

That's great Mumo love it when a plan works out

currant ditto on the DTD EoD and the Breaking Bad, though we have already watched it through once but figured as its on we'd start again lol.

Thanks everyone.
mumo dd is 9mths and feeds mid morning sometimes late afternoon, bedtime, dream feed and once overnight. So usually either 4 or 5 times. She eats a good variety of food and finger food but doesn't have the appetite my older two had.
She's not ready to wean yet and won't entertain a bottle & I think she still needs the calories so we'll plug on.

This was cycle 2 of trying and managed a good run of dtd mid cycle.

Have had 28 day cycles since af returned when dd 6 weeks old.

No symptoms at all fx that continues and fx for everyone else's bfps.

Really feel for those of you weaning toddlers. Dd1 was a nightmare. We went cold turkey in the end. Ds no prob at all though I think it's dependent on the child.

Congratulations Sparkles

My temperature has shot up today (still not as high as I would like, though) which leads me to question whether the 'dip' could actually have been Implantation after all... Hate all this confusion and possibly false hope! Especially since I'd resigned myself to not getting my bfp this month and envisaging a plan if action for future cycles....hmm, emotional roller coaster or what...

Congratulations Ruth and Sparkles. Can I make it a hat trick of bfps?
I got a good strong line on a FRer last night. I can't quite believe it.

I'm terrified of losing it again though.

Congratulations Mary!!

So many BFPs

Marys!! Congratulations. It must be bittersweet after a loss but, for now, no matter what happens, you are pregnant and that's wonderful news

You're all talking me out of weaning though!

mary omg! Fantastic news! Well done!
What is it with all of you? What magical tonic did you swallow? What marvellous medicine did you take? who did you shag?

Congratulations all 3 of you!!! I'm so happy for you all :)

And mumof1sofar, really well done on managing to get your little one to give up that breakfast feed. Must have been such a relief when you didn't have a battle over it!

Ava - nice to meet someone else in the same weaning boat! Good luck with the plan to keep her in the conservatory - I similarly need to avoid getting settled in the living room. It's much better if we're out all day, I find. We're actually moving house soon so part of me is a bit worried that that + changing nursery + weaning is too much change at once, and I should hold off....but I am really ready to stop bf now! Anyway, I'm v impressed at your weight loss - well done you! I'm terrible - just live on caffeine and sugar and snacking and have absolutely no willpower....