TTC and still breastfeeding? Thread #4: Pull up a chair for some support from others on the journey!

[Augusthomotherium]

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!

Sorry to hear that Pear and iSpy fx it happens soon for both if you x

Update - My temp has reached 98.20! Totally baffling as I fed DD so much more yesterday - an extra feed before nap time and a couple of extra feeds before bed - all failed attempts at getting my full-of-beans 2 year old to settle down I don't think I need to be concerned about progesterone anymore (unless my LP is further shortened but one thing at a time...) I did eat extra calories to try to compensate though, so although my waistline is taking a battering, it's helped the production of progesterone, I think Despite the slow rise and confusing ov results, this now seems to be the most promising cycle I've had temps-wise future cycles have a lot to live up to

I have a good feeling about this cycle for you Ava .

I'm joining pear and ispy on
the wtf cycle bench. Yesterday mornings opk the 2 lines were the same so I got all excited thinking my positive was on its way but yesterday evenings test line was lighter and it's faded to almost nothing today so no ovulation this weekend after all. Semi-relieved as this weekend was crap timing anyway but still annoying .

Hi bfeeders! I know I've weaned but I still like to pop in if that's okay.
ava good luck, girl. It sounds good. I am around 5 dpo and will know in three days if my LP will make it beyond 7 days this time around.
Everyone else, I haven't read back as things are a bit godawful rubbish here at the moment due to deathly things, and I have been ignoring the internet completely this last week. Buu-uu-ut I hope we've had some good bfp news on here, and I offer some for those who are back into another cycle. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

I can't believe I've found this thread! I was just lurking around, considering posting about getting pregnant while breastfeeding, and here's a ready made thread!!
Hi everyone, I'm MiniLop, DS is 4 months and still exclusively breastfed. Haven't had AF since he was born. DH and I would like to try for DC2 around September time, so DS will be around 7 months. We want to do BLW when the time comes so I realise he might not actually eat anything for a few months, and therefore still have all his usual milk feeds.
So, any tips for encouraging AF / ov to return?
Thanks in advance

Thanks Trinpy and August

Good to hear from you August, sending you

Hi MiniLop, and welcome. I've read that, to encourage AF to return, you need a 4 hour gap between day feeds and 6 hours at night (supplementing the breast milk for another drink in between breastfeeds) AF returned for me at 16 months, but we weren't getting many long stretches without feeds as I was still feeding on demand and we co sleep too. I had returned to work 2 months prior to AF returning though, so I was at work 2 days a week, so this might have had something to do with it? Good luck on your journey

Hi August, sorry to hear things haven't been going well recently . Good luck for the rest of your lp!

Welcome to minilop. Ava has already covered everything, I think, but I just wanted to give you my experience - bf on demand past 1 year and blw. Af returned at 10 months but I had a couple of practice cycles before that with period cramps and everything , so I knew it was on its way . For me it was ds really getting into eating solids at around 8 months that triggered af.

Thanks Trinpy and Ava, last week or so I've started doing formula for every other feed during the day. He feeds every 2 hours during the day and 3-6 hours at night so hopefully this will be enough to get AF going!
Good luck to everyone else. Looking forward to sharing this journey with you

Hi August/Auto, so sorry to hear that things are not good at your end I hope you're OK

Welcome minilop!

Cd23 for me. If I don't get a smiley by Wednesday then I know I'm really out as CD26 is the latest I've ever had a smiley. I've been looking into how I can regulate my irregular cycles. It talks about Agnus cactus a lot. Has anyone tried it? I was so dead against going the herbal route but now that it looks like I could have another 39 day cycle (this would be the 3rd 39 day cycle since August last year). Apparently the liquid is better then capsules. Sounds gross I now feel like I need to do something! DH and I have now switched to dtd EOD and we've just had enough Unfortunately I've organised a cinema trip this evening which means we will be getting home past 11pm and DH got up for work at 5am today Good luck for us dtd tonight!! Sorry for my woe me post...feeling incredibly down about it all.

Sorry Pear, hope you get your smiley soon, good luck

My temp had dropped a little bit today, so if it drops again tomorrow, I know I'll be out for this month. I do appreciate the heads up charting your bbt gives you

DH and I have discussed skipping next month if we aren't successful this cycle We never seriously would have entertained the idea of taking a break before, but this month has taken it's toll on us both emotionally as well as physically so we definitely think that a ttc hiatus would do some good. Also, it wouldn't be practical to be ttc during our big family holiday, and leaving the stress of ttc behind would make the break more relaxing - I might even get a massage

Ava, that sounds like a really sensible decision. It sounds like a month off would do you both good, and you'd be really resentful if you ruined your family holiday with ttc and it came to a BFN. I have high hopes for this month for you tho!

Welcome minilop

Pear, no helpful advice (I also have hideously long and irregular cycles, but I did before DD so not such a problem) but I really sympathise. I hope next month is a more normal one for you.

I'm 7dpo now. Trying not to symptom spot. Nothing really to report except some mild cramping yesterday and the fact I am stressed out of my mind and beyond furious most of the time. Could be hormonal, or it could be normal moving house stress! The 'irritability' box on FF just does not cut it

Hi Wax! for house moving stress during the 2ww. I remember the irritability (when you're trying to unpack, get settled, take care if a toddler, Breastfeed, fit in eating and sleeping) well, and mine lasted a good couple of months after the move Hopefully a bfp this month will help x

I too am 7 dpo and apart from mild cramping on my right side (which I've had in previous cycles and not amounted to anything ) sporadically since ov, I have no symptoms to report. I think Mumo started feeling her symptoms at 7 dpo with aversions and sore boobs, nothing like that here atm though, unfortunately. I didn't get symptoms with DD until I was 5 weeks pg though

Sorry you're having a stressful time Wax, we moved house last year so I remember it all too well!

Trin, sorry ovulation isn't looking good for you either. Anything today?

Pear I've not done any research on herbal remedies (yet) but I know that desperate times call for desperate measures and I certainly wouldn't rule it out in the future. They can be pretty powerful and they wouldn't have the reputation if they didn't work.

Welcome Mini! 4mo is pretty early days compared to most of us here but hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones!

So I've gone from über confident to anxious to downright dejected and I'm now at the 'clutching at straws' phase. What if I actually ovd early (as I suspect I always used to) at about cd8 when I was only on my first couple of sticks that always show negative anyway? Would I still be getting flashing smileys afterwards? I've today used my last stick (8th flashing smiley ) I'm wondering if I bought more and got a static in the next few days would that still actually indicate ovulation even after so many flashing smileys? Today is cd16. Or should I not bother? Grrr ????

I agree it's a sensible decision to take a break Ava, taking all the kit on holiday, remembering to do it, not leaving it laying around where others could see it, the disappointment is not the way to relax. I bet the month will pass much quicker as well

I spy - buy more sticks if you think it will buy you not knowing. I didn't and regretted it.

Ava - I wouldn't throw the towel in but take a different approach. Can you really forget it all? If I was you I would keep testing casually without DH knowing. Don't temp all month. Instigate dtd for fun on holiday. With all that you won't be out out

Great advice as usual Pear

Pear, I don't know if it's going to be possible to forget about it altogether, but, like iSpy said, I can't poas like I would at home with shared bathrooms. I'm not going to take my wee cup with me, and used opks in the bins would lead to questions, I'm sure And I really don't know how we could realistically dtd on hols with 12 people under 1 roof well, 2 roofs next door each other We'll see how I feel closer to the time

Ava - yeah sorry what I meant was don't poas on holiday but do so before incase you ov early. I do totally get the break though...I just know if it was me I would probably try and dtd the night before going away and once whilst away in the middle of the night... I am serious TTC loopy now though I would probably leave a sponge bag in the bathroom with a small lid and some sticks hidden just because I am that nuts now lol Nobody would poke in your sponge bag surely?! Anyway, it will be good if you get a break but I too feel confident that this is your month You'll be worrying more about not letting your news slip when the time comes

Aww thank you, I still haven't got any symptoms though - my slightly achy back is no doubt thanks to fitting DDs play house curtains today and excitedly playing in there with DD when it's not even finished yet

Don't give up yet Ava! Fx for you. When are you testing?

How are you doing pear? How many dpo are you now?

Good luck to all

Ladies...I'm not going to make it to Saturday (13 dpo). The distraction of the house has been and gone and now I am ttc obsessed again. I'm now 7dpo. When would you recommend testing? I dont want too high a risk of a false BFN, so want to be in a fairly safe testing zone...11 dpo?

It might be quite nice to have a break Ava. It does get very stressful ttc for a long time and I think it takes a toll on your relationship when you have to plan sex all the time. Not very romantic .

Pear I'm still convinced you're going to ovulate this coming week. Definitely delayed ovulation. Speaking of which...

My body gave it it's beat shot but it's definitely given up on me ovulating for now, all fertile signs are gone now, so I reckon it's going to be another couple of weeks before it gears itself up for round 2. Stupid hormones .

Thanks Mumo I'm testing Wednesday - feel like I'm still feeding too much tbh x

Wax, I'm testing at 10 dpo and every day until 14 dpo. I only have 4 sticks and I'm determined not to waste them this month by testing too early. I have early playgroup sessions with DD tomorrow and Tuesday so I definitely won't be setting the alarm any earlier than I need to to poas If anything, I'm less obsessed this month if I had the symptoms I had back in March I'd be dizzy with excitement right now, but I'm just not feeling it

Definitely Trinpy, it's not ideal having to fierce yourselves to stay awake to dtd after DD has gone to sleep when you have to be up early for work. It's worse still to wake DH up, when he's already fallen asleep, to dtd

Sorry to hear that your fertility signs have gone, it sucks it'll all work itself out though, and hopefully soon for you, good luck for the next cycle

Fierce?! force

Mumofone - hah hah...how many dpi am I? Big fat -0 How's life on the other side going?

Trinpy - thanks, I'm still literally clinging onto your success story

Just managed to dtd again. Took a ridiculous amount of time due to us not being in the mood I realise now that I need to pace ourselves better thanks to my stupid irregular cycles!! Next month I would start on CD10 and dtd EOD up until the end of the cycle. Can't quite believe that it has taken me so long to learn this lesson. I guess that's why they say heinsseight is a wonderful thing?!

If I could just have a smiley face in the morning that would make the most wonderful birthday surprise for DH! (Apart from a bfp obviously).