TTC whilst breastfeeding anyone?

[ms93]

Trying to conceive baby 2 who is 13.5 months.
Only had two AF’s (10m and 12 m) and can’t really track my ovulation based on that.

DS feeds in the morning and before bed then once or twice at night.

Any positive stories of conceiving whilst breastfeeding? We are really ready for DC2 now

Hi, I conceived first try when I still bf my 18 months old. My periods returned 6 mo pp.
Bf in the early weeks was torture for me. We unfortunately lost this baby at 14 weeks and after this I also stopped bf.

Oh I checked my cm and also did OPKs if that helps.

I know a few people who had regular periods whilst bf a toddler but couldn't conceive till they stopped.

I stopped bf DS at 2 and a half, he wasn't ready to stop till then, but it drastically lowered my IVF chances (no. of eggs retrieved) for the 4 cycles I had whilst bf. We were about to try our first post-bf cycle when coronavirus shut all the clinics, so I don't know how much difference it made yet, maybe we were unlucky, but 4 cycles is a lot of bad luck.

I’ve conceived twice when BFing, but found BFing very uncomfortable in the early stages so encouraged weaning at that point. Mine were closer to 3yo though whereas I don’t think I’d want to wean a 13/14 month old.
If your periods have returned- even twice- it’s a good sign you will be ovulating. To be honest I’d just be noticing of cervical mucous and libido and try to have regular enjoyable sex. It’s a difficult time so not really the end of the world surely if it takes a few months to become pregnant?

thank you for your reply ladies and I definitely agree @Isadora2007 just going to go with the flow. I've heard that a lot of babies/toddlers naturally self wean when you're pregnant due to the taste/consistency of the milk. definitely not ready to end my breastfeeding journey (out of convenience at night). any other positive stories out there please? :)

My periods came back as soon as I stopped feeding during the night (after 11 months of no periods). I am still breastfeeding in the day, was twice a day when we TTC and it worked on the first go.

I am now nearly 12 weeks pregnant and from 6 weeks onwards my boobs were very very sore and BF is very uncomfortable. I’ve read that this passes and it seems to be getting less sore, but I am trying to wean DS now as he is over 2 and is getting less interested due to age. Milk taste had nothing to do with it and he is still very keen for his morning BF. I want to stop well before new baby comes though, not looking to tandem feed if I can help it

I've heard that women fall pregnant quicker when night feeds stop - maybe that's what's hindering my ovulation? that's very promising @edgeware thank you! I got pregnant with DS as soon as I came off the pill so I must have caught the first egg 😂

Me twice! Once with 2nd baby. Was feeding morning and night and my period hadn’t come back yet.

Also got pregnant when baby #3 was 11 months. was still feeding multiple times per day and night. Sadly I miscarried at 7 wks but bf definitely didn’t stop me from getting pregnant.

I still hang out on a breastfeeding forum and lots of ladies there feed right through conception and pregnancy.

Thank you @Moo678 I hope I’ll be one of those ladies soon! Any tips?

I'd had regular periods from when DC1 was a few months old. Tried to conceive from when she was 4m. I ended up conceiving within days of her 1st birthday... Which is when I stopped BF.

I suspect that for me, BF acts as a contraceptive. You might need to consider whether the same could be true for you, OP.

I got pregnant when breastfeeding when my first baby was 11 months old. Total surprise as my periods hadn't returned!! I fed her until 18 months then started feeding my son when he arrived 7 weeks later, no problems. My periods have returned this time after 15 months.

I bf-ed my first for 18 months. Periods returned at 11 months and we started trying when he turned 1. By 18 months he was down to just 1 feed at bedtime which he then dropped. First month of no breastfeeding at all and I fell pregnant! Could have been coincidence of course, but interesting timing.

Definitely interesting timing @KatnissK I hope I’m as lucky as you have all been when conceiving #2!

@ms93 I conceived twins while bf an 18mo, only dtd once and caught on. My lb still fed much more than yours does. My milk dried up but he continued to nurse.

I sadly lost my girls at 16weeks due to twin complications. My milk came back and I'm just starting to cut down his feeds at 2y4m.

So sorry for your loss @ejb86 ☹️ So happy to read that your breastfeeding journey didn’t end there though ❤️

I'm an older mum (40s) so more likely to have egg quality issues, but I would say especially reading the above that it's better if you can to let your body replenish a bit between finishing breastfeeding and TTC. I got my period back after cutting feeds by half but didn't conceive until I completely cut it out- but it happened first cycle so instantly. However the pregnancy didn't work out. I really think my body needed a break. Just something to consider, although I know it sounds negative. I think if you're young with no fertility issues I'd wait. Otherwise, try and see.