Ttc breastfeeding

[Mommybear05]

Anybody ttc breastfeeding? I’m 13 mo pp and still awaiting af. No cycle so barely even a chance unless I catch the first egg which I hear is rare. Quite down about it! Would like to have a cycle so at least have a chance?
Can anybody share their ttc breastfeeding stories? Thanks

I'm ttc no2 and still bf, was exclusive until about 9 months when she had to have expressed for nursery (frozen stash so dropped a feed 3 days a week and now I'm down to 1 or 2 feeds a day) but my periods returned about 6 months pp and have been regular since about may. Have you tried using opks just to confirm if there is any hormone shifts even if you arnt having a period or actually ovulating yet?
I'm hoping not to be forced to wean to conceive so will give it a few more cycles then see (she's 16m now)

Hello.

I'm TTC whilst bf a 2yo. My milk had dried up in summer when I was pregnant with twins and lb barely boobed. Since losing the twins at 16w my milk came back and my lb is loving life!

It took a year for me to get my first period after having my lb. Hoping yours come back soon @Mommybear05

So very sorry to hear of your loss. I can’t imagine such pain. I hope you conceive again soon

Wow regular periods are a good sign :)
I did buy some opk but I’ve stopped using them. I lost my patience when they kept coming back as negative every single time

Hi,

I am here too ; my baby is 9 months old. I have cut bf to 3 feeds a day and no night feeding in the hope it will bring AF back. I am 41 so in a hurry.... but do not to completely wean my ds for a baby I may never have.

I didn't get a period until 14 month pp with DC1 and that was when I stopped expressing at work. I weaned completely from BF 16 months pp and was pregnant in the following cycle. Whereas I had BF friends who got periods after 6 or 9 months and got pregnant while BF with no issues.

I say listen to your body. If you suspect BF is inhibiting your cycle and you want to start TTC, then make a decision about reducing or stopping.

I had to completely wean DS (at just over 2) before I ovulated. We were down to a feed every few days by the end but I still didn't ovulate. Got pregnant immediately after stopping.

No signs of ovulation yet with DD, she's 12months.

I wasn’t trying but I fell pregnant with my second when 1st was around 15-16 weeks and exclusively BF . Must had fallen pregnant on first cycle as I hadn’t had a period yet. Hope things work out for you xx

7 mo, no cycle, hormones all over the place and desperate to start as we really struggled with #1 :(

I’m trying to conceive number 2 and still breastfeeding my 15 month old.
My cycle started back at 6 months though and I have been regular since then.

@Sammyclaire22 I thought if periods had returned breastfeeding shouldn’t affect fertility. Is that not the case?

I read an article at the time that said It can still be affected if the levels of the different hormones arnt quite high enough. I think I posted a link on a similar thread at the time?
It's always worth checking to see if you are ovulating regularly though, so you can pinpoint when your fertile days are.
I tracked carefully with bbt and opks for a good few months and found I was ovulating earlier than I thought (about CD 10/11)
I took some extra supplements for a few months, and had an early mc in Feb but then conceived again in April and 21w pregnant now. X

@Sammyclaire22 thanks so much for your reply- that’s really helpful to know. Congrats on your pregnancy

@Bizawit I did a search and found the article I read, I found it useful to understand how bf affects your cycle. Good luck!
www.carolsmyth.co.uk/breastfeeding-resources/posts/2017/june/breastfeeding-fertility-and-subfertility-1/

My periods returned around 15/16 months whilst I was BF DD which I understand is fairly normal, so hopefully yours will return soon.

I rather enjoyed having 2 years of no periods, although TTC was the last thing on my mind when DD was small.

I found using opks and bbt meant I was sure I was ovulating, but mine was on the early side. I took a few supplements like Co enz 10 and a vitamin b complex, but the month I took agnus castus I ovulated cd12 which was later than normal and this little bean stuck. I've also only got 1 tube so that's part of the reason I tracked as my chances are less than most and I wanted to be sure early on if I was pregnant to make sure it wasn't another ectopic x

@Sammyclaire22 really interesting article! Thanks for digging it out. I don’t temp - I think I need a more accurate thermometer or at least learn how to use it more effectively as when I’ve tried its all over the place , but I was pretty sure I am ovulating as have had normal periods and this month (first month) ttc I got a positive OPK.. but it’s interesting to know that even if you are ovulating your hormones might not be able to sustain a preg 🤔 if you are bf-ing. It’s a bit worrying as my baby is still a breast addict 😫 and suckles all the time. I guess all I can do is give it a go and see.. 🤞🏻

@Bizawit glad it was useful. I found it explained things in more depth than most things say.
Regarding bbt I bought a specific one for temping and did it vaginally as I read it was more accurate. It can really be affected by doing it at different times or if your sleep is disturbed. Plus remembering to do it before anything else is hard with a toddler! But I did find it reassuring to know I had a jump in temp after ovulation.
I ended up doing the smep plan too for the month we conceived, not the sexiest method but covered all bases haha x

I got my periods back after 14 months the first time and 11 months the second time. I remember reading a sudden change in how often you feed can sometimes trigger your body to start ovulation. When my DD was 13/14 months, I left her with her dad for 4 hours for the first time and my period came back shortly afterwards. It could have been coincidental of course.

I've also fallen pregnant twice while breastfeeding (with my DS and I'm 5 weeks pregnant again so early days).

Best of luck as I know how frustrating it is waiting for your period to come back. Strangely, I've fallen pregnant much easier while breastfeeding as I needed IVF to have my first DC.

I got a nexplanon put in at the hospital when I had DS. He is now 15 months and I recently got the nexplanon out to ttc#2 but no AF yet and he is still breastfeeding a lot so I probably didn’t need the implant in at all! Can’t wait to get AF back to ttc properly!