TTC while Breastfeeding (or recently weaned!!) regular cycles and baby dust this way!

[expatvet]

Hi guys... here we are, shiny new thread for all those TTC while breast-feeding or recently weaned (for pumpkin and I!!)

come on over!

Thanks for the suggestion Dolphin! Will bear it in mind if things don't settle down in the in the next few months.

Welcome Eclectic!

That's great dolphin thank you. I might give it a few months, then try it if still no AF. Never thought I'd be hoping for AF to appear!

When did you stop BFing during the day? And what does LO have in its place? Cows milk?

Hi baking

glad to know I'm not alone in TTC but not yet ready to fully wean

Hi eclectic we stopped daytime feeds when LO was 18 months, now I've told her it's just for sleeping and she seems fine with that. Tried a few months earlier and she just kept asking to feed all day still so I gave up but this time it was much easier to distract her and she didn't seem to mind at all so she was obvs just ready. She likes having cows milk in her sippy cup, but I also found it helpful in the first few weeks to have snacks prepared in advance like blueberries and chopped up apple and lots of fun activities for times she would normally feed (pound shop is great for colouring books, stickers etc!). The only time she asks to feed now during the day is if she's tired and usually she's happy to go in the sling for her nap but if she ever gets upset about it I just feed her, it hardly ever happens though.

I've found having snacks and a beaker of oat milk (DS has CMPA) at the ready has been helpful for cutting out daytime feeds too and we've been getting the paints and playdough out more too :)

Hope af shows up for you soon Eclectic. Mine didn't return till 22 months, but DS was feeding very frequently until a few months ago. I couldn't have imagined weaning when DS was 11 months either. He' nearly 26 months though, so now feeling I'd like to be just feeding before bed before too long, but best made plans :)

Hello, can I join too? Still feeding my 23 month old ds, made a half assed attempt at ttc last month, got a bfp when af was two days late and unfortunately started bleeding a few hours later, chemical pregnancy

Having read a bit of this thread I really hope bf isn't causing a problem, I don't want stop yet and he loves his milkies

Welcome foggymist :)

Sorry to hear about your chemical pregnancy.

I haven't read much of this thread tbh, but I know people in real life who have successfully conceived while breastfeeding, so hopefully you won't have to stop :) How often does your DS feed at the mo?

Thanks, I know loads who have conceived in real life while bf but I do know many think it can be related to problems conceiving too. He feeds quite a bit still, 5 or 6 times during the day at least and probably 1-5 times a night (we have successfully night weaned but I don't deny him if he's teething, upset, etc). Af returned at 18months and is completely regular as it was before.

That's the concern I had foggymist when I had my early miscarriage when I conceived on cycle 1 and then had BFNs continuously afterwards. I spoke to a doctor about it who said that breast feeding doesn't affect conception, I.e the sperm easily fertilises the egg, but the hormones involved in breast feeding prevent the egg being able to implant sufficiently to lead to a pregnancy. He said I could potentially be conceiving every month but not getting pregnant as such because the egg just can't attach to my endometrium wall.

How much truth is in that I don't know but he seemed quite confident in that he was saying.

Foggymist sorry to hear about your chemical pregnancy. That must have been really difficult. Do you mind me asking how you night weaned your LO? I'm looking into gentle ways to do it, without any tears! Would like to keep cosleeping too, love the cuddles :)

Dammit But then at the same time I do know many women who conceived while bf, particularly when their child was 18+ months as I suppose they're not feeding/taking as much then.

Thanks Dolphin. He was 22 months so old enough to understand and I explained that milkies would be going to sleep when he did, no milkies during the night, milkies would wake up again in morning with him. The first night I wore high necked layers and when he woke I explained no milkies until morning. He roared and thrashed for 15 minutes, I was prepared for 1-2 hours of that but I kept cuddling and explaining and after 15 mins he just fell asleep. When he woke again I explained again and he just went back to sleep, on repeat (he wakes a lot, and still does).

That's what I thought foggymist so I didn't really pay much attention. My DS was almost 2 when I got pregnant and probably only fed twice a day at that point (he was pretty much completely night weaned) and sometimes due to my shifts he didn't feed for 48 hours at a time so I didn't really think I was at risk of the BF affecting me getting pregnant so just put it down to bad luck that it wasn't happening

my son was almost two when I got pregnant but had the miscarriage I meant to write.

Yeah, my son does still feed a lot I suppose, but then my friend's son feeds just as much, is kind of night weaned now at 2.5 and she's pregnant, her periods were still irregular when it happened too.

I'll keep up night weaning and see, still cosleeping though because he gives lovely cuddles but still wakes so much I can't function at work if I'd to get up every time!

...at 2.5 and she's pregnant, her periods were still irregular when it happened too.

I genuinely do believe that some people are just lucky

My periods had come back when DS was 4 months old and were as regular as they were before I'd been pregnant so I felt really angry that I just wasn't getting pregnant. Two people I know who were still breast feeding their toddlers got pregnant at the same time me and DH were trying and I felt so upset and jealous that I had to withdraw from them a little. I hated myself for feeling so resentful towards their happiness but I was just so angry and confused as to why other BF'ing women could get pregnant but I couldn't.

I really, really didn't want to stop BF'ing DS for the purpose of TTC but after 10 cycles of trying and no pregnancy to show for it I decided it was worth a shot. Thankfully DS didn't take it as badly as I thought he would

Thanks foggymist, I might try saying the milk is sleeping! She'll probably think it's funny and try and wake it up! lol!

I'm going to get to 2 anyway with him which is only a few weeks away now, will decide then after that as I think he will self wean other than bedtime within the next six months anyway, he can go all day without if we're busy and obviously is fine if I'm away overnight.

Its interesting to hear when AF returned for you ladies, guess I should just be a bit more patient!
I don't think I'll be ready to wean LO during the day for a while. I'm expressing for her whilst she's at nursery and think I'll continue for a few more months. I'd like to continue morning, evening and night feeds for as long as she wants milk (she is a boob monster!)
Thanks for the suggestions ladies - I'm sure these will come in handy when weaning.
Hi foggy and writer

[waves]

Ahh, I don't know what's with me this cycle...maybe frustration that I'm approaching the end of cycle 5 already, combined with knowing about 3 people with DCs around my daughter's age who are pregnant (or even have DC2 already in one case...)....whilst DD took 10 cycles (over 16 months!!!) in total, I think it was only about 6 months after I got diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism. However, not long before my BFP the wheels were being set in motion for fertility treatment and DH had had 2 sperm analyses with really low sperm counts, so a bit of me is scared that she was our little miracle and a second just won't happen.

Anyway, this month's craziness has involved peeing on a vast number of ics since Friday (when I dropped one on the floor and when I picked it up I though I saw a squinter- but probably just mess from the floor). All BFNs and yet I continued. AF due maybe tomorrow but hard to judge as my opks ran out before I got a positive.

I'd like to think about weaning DD off the boob (she's 18 months) but no idea how I'll get her to sleep otherwise. A bottle just doesn't seem to cut it.

Sorry for bleathering and good luck everyone x

It's hard Curlie isn't it when others with children around the same age as yours are pregnant or already have another. Sorry it's been a difficult cycle for you. It's cycle 3 here - DS was conceived 1st cycle, should have realised we wouldn't be so lucky while breastfeeding, but was still disappointed. Keeping positive though, as just managed to wean off his pre-nap feed with the help of a nap in the car. DS stopped feeding to sleep at night around 18 months - he still has a feed, but then has a cuddle and then rub his back to sleep in his cot. Not sure if something similar would work for you? Hoping to switch his bedtime feed to a beaker of oat milk in the coming months, but will probably try to move away from his wake up feed first. Good luck!

How is everyone doing?

Curlie did AF come or did you get your bfp? It's tricky when you're surrounded by others' good news, but I guess you don't know how long they've been trying or whether they've had miscarriages along the way.
Your time will come! Good luck with night weaning, let me know if you find a good way of getting baby back to sleep, I'd be all ears

Baking how are you?

Still no AF here... Never thought I'd be hoping for AF to come, but there we are! My daughter is turning one soon, I'd rather naively thought I'd be pregnant at this stage

Sorry to hear no AF for you yet Eclectic. Hard when you want it to show up - I was like that with my 49 day cycle and after getting BFN was relieved to see it. Hopefully your periods will start again soon. Mine did restart while DS was still feeding in day and overnight albeit quite a bit older than your little one.

Lost track which day of cycle I am, but had ewcm last couple of days. According to period tracker based on average length of cycles AF due 18th March, but who knows! Have managed over 2 weeks without any daytime feed and at mo only 3 feeds in 24 hours, so fingers crossed we can keep this up!

Geez Louise a 49 day cycle! That's a long one. It's tough keeping track of cd, but good to hear you've ewcm - finger crossed for you this month. Are you doing opks?

Just out of interest can you remember when your AF returned? not that I'm obsessing or anything

Mind if I hop on? Wanting to ttc again but periods haven't returned 16 months post birth. Ds still feeds morning and night (and is an utter fiend for it, he'd be attached 24/7 if I could...)

I'm reluctant to wean totally as it's his only source of comfort, so any advice on ttc again or getting periods back?

I'm not really sure where I'm at in my cycle...been trying to use opks but I find it hard to not drink for a few hours during the day like you're meant to. we've been reading the book 'Nursies when the sun shines', my LG likes the book but when I actually tried telling her the milk was asleep when she woke in the night she got sooo angry! Think I'll try again with the night weaning when she's more ready!