Can I conceive whilst breastfeeding

[Vialarooski]

Hello,

Me and my husband welcomed our baby girl into the world in September. She's just 6 months old today! We want to start trying for baby number two but because I'm still breastfeeding my periods haven't come back.
I'm aware you can still conceive but without a period to help time it right, and without having to go at it like rabbits (sleep is still important to me and time by ourselves is limited) how else can I find out when or even if I'm ovulating/fertile?
Any advice welcome :) thank you x

Checking your cm is always a good indication Hun. Also do you get times of the month were you get pms symptoms without the actual period? Xx

If you aren't having periods you aren't ovulating currently.

That doesn't mean you can't get pregnant - many people get pregnant the first time they ovulate after birth if they're having unprotected sex and thus never have a period between pregnancies at all - but it does mean that you won't really be able to predict or time it. You could use OPKs but you'll have to do them every day until your cycle reestablishes itself - temping indicates you have ovulated AFTER it happens, rather than before.

Once your baby starts eating solids you may well get your period back - my cycle came back at 8/9 months PP with both babies when they really got the hang of solids and I've conceived easily twice while BF, although it was while feeding a toddler rather than a baby. Everyone's different - some people conceive as soon as they ovulate while BF and some people have to wean completely to conceive even when they have regular periods again. All you can do is try and see what happens, then if it doesn't seem to be happening, evaluate whether you are willing to drop feeds/nightwean/wean altogether (in order of severity) to see if it helps.

Frequency of feeding and particularly night feeding is what controls the return of your fertility. Over the next few months you will be weaning and the night feeds will hopefully reduce until one month you will ovulate and two weeks later you will have a period. No need to go at anything like rabbits, just have sex two or three times a week and with luck you will fall pregnant.

Yes, you can. Get the sleep you need, you definitely won't get it if you are pregnant the potential have two under 18 months! You might want to take into account how long you'd like to breastfeed your baby for, bare in mind that milk production usually slows at around 20 weeks pregnant and can dry up in later pregnancy. And feeding with sore pregnancy nipples is fairly painful!

Women can but it doesn’t necessarily mean that your body is ready yet. My periods returned at six months - basically as soon as I introduced solids I must have ovulated - and I’m still feeding through the night at 10mo. So you never know. But it is very personal to you

I had one period between my
Two kids when my son was 15 months old, the next one never can as I got pregnant right away

Yes you definitely can, talking from experience

Just to add I exclusively breastfed and was feeding throughout the night as well. Periods returned about 6-8 weeks (I think) after birth and I was pregnant again within a couple of months after stupidly and naively thinking pull out method and BF would be enough.