TTC whilst breastfeeding. Tips, advice and support

[Porridgeaddiction]

Hi all,

There doesn't seem to be a thread for TTC whilst breastfeeding, so I thought that I'd start one. All welcome to jump aboard if that's your journey too, or offer tips and insights if you've managed to conceive whilst feeding a young one.

Down to three feeds a day and still waiting for my first period with a nine month old

Sorry it's been a while, life has been a bit hectic! But my AF finally returned hurrah! Still BF my 2yo but starting to try to wean as it feels the right time for me. Does anyone have any weaning tips? 🙈
So excited to be able to start properly TTC now though 😁 I'm going to read through the thread now and try and catch up ☺️

@Mc3209 congratulations on your BFP!!! So pleased for you 😃 hope the early scan today went well?

Fingers crossed for Christmas BFPs! @Orangio @Golaz 🤞🌲👶🏼

@TulipVictory so sorry to hear what you have been through. I hope you are doing okay ❤️

@Porridgeaddiction How are you doing lovely?

@Golaz great! It's a good time for a tww I think - so much going on to take your mind off things.

@Countingchicks keep at it, you'll get there ☺️ The variation is huge. Once you are bf your last baby you'll be delighted your periods take a while to come back!

Hey @Katnissx good to hear from you again! Glad your period's back, and good luck with the weaning! How are you going to do it do you think? Are you still feeding daytime and nighttime?

@Orangio hello! I’m actually 11/12 DPO and I got a BFP on 8/9 DPO on an FRER and a CB digital 😊 Almost can’t believe it! Very happy though of course! Been testing nonstop since 😂 think I’ll stop now though.

@Katnissx congrats on AF returning!

@Countingchicks ive heard that 10 months is the most common time for it to return…think I read it on KellyMom. Mine returned at 10 months and I was feeding more than you. Fingers crossed for you!

@Mugascauld ahh amazing!! Congratulations 🥳 😍. Yea, step away from the sticks now if you can 😁. How old is your baby - I forget?

@Mc3209 how did your scan go?

@Katnissx good luck with weaning and started cycle one 🥳. Where abouts in your cycle are you?

@Countingchicks that sounds really normal I’m afraid. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 fx it comes back soon for you. I’m having my first regular- ish cycle this month and my baby is over 1 xx

Congratulations @Mugascauld what lovely news!!

Aw that's fabulous @Mugascauld ! 😍 Really happy for you. Have you worked out a due date yet? That's the first thing I do 😆

Congratulations @Mugascauld! i think I could be in the tww I had some good looking OPKs last mon/Tues. didn’t really DTD at the right time I don’t think thanks to DS and I don’t temp or anything to confirm ovulation but interested to see if I get a period in the next week or so I would absolutely love a Christmas BFP but I think I would also be happy with a period knowing I ovulated and cycles back 🤞🏻 DS definitely feeding less now and we’re down to 2 feeds a night which I’m going to try wean. Hopefully some Christmas BFPs on here 🤞🏻

Seems I killed the thread. Well got my period! Downside seems like 8/9 day LP which I don’t think is long enough and no Christmas BFP but upside is hopefully they’re back and LP will improve and can start trying. 🤞🏻
DS still having 3-5 feeds a day and 2 overnight so hopefully they are here to stay. He’s had a cold so not wanted to upset him too much and he’s been sleeping pretty well 7-7ish up at 12ish and 4ish for feeds which is no more than 10 mins awake each time for me and him so I feel I can cope with that so reluctant to interfere too much but then on the other hand maybe hes ready for nightweaning and without milk he would sleep through, maybe that’s too hopeful! Also worried the dreaded 8-10m regression is round the corner….

@justwantobeamum I got mine also, almost two weeks late, started yesterday! I'm noticing a pattern, when baby is sick and feeding constantly (has been ill all this month) my period gets delayed.

Now he's feeling a bit better, I'm weaning a little by introducing some formula for a couple of the feeds. I don't know if we've just had the ten month sleep regression or just illness, but he's been up feeding every couple of hours through the night for the last 2-3 weeks and I've given up and am cosleeping.

@Mugascauld and @Mc3209 how're you both getting on?

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 I’ve been so bad at keeping up with this chat, work is very busy in the lead up to Xmas break! How are you feeling about getting your AF? Hopefully with weaning things will stabilise for you a bit! Remind me how old your baby is?

all good with me. I booked an early scan for jan so I’m just counting down the days for the reassurance that will bring.

I think someone asked me ho old my baby was but I can’t remember who - he’s 14 months. My cycle came back at 10 months with an 7 day Luteal phase but I seemed to gain a day each month. I was expecting it to be 11 days this month but we conceived.

@justwantobeamum i got my BFP at 8 DPO so a short LP isn’t a total blocker. I’m also on a thread for short LP and there have been quite a few success stories there recently. Fingers crossed for you! Also, the 8/10 month sleep period is ROUGH! Sending love to you and @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7! It will pass….eventually 😂although my boy still hasn’t ever slept through.

hope everyone is doing well x

@Mugascauld good luck for your scan. Nice it’s Christmas it will make the weeks pass quicker for you early pregnancy weeks seem to have 15 days!!!
DS is 8.5 months so I’m pretty happy with getting my cycles back (hopefully they’re here to stay) and glad to have a bleed after my very early chemical in sept. Also confirms ovulation I suspected. I had some pains, Ewcm and confirmed with an OPK so quite happy I spotted all that. Would love to be pregnant before DS turns 1 and I go back to work in April but we’ll see what the universe decides I suppose!

@justwantobeamum and @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 sympathies on the sick babies! My DS has had the cold this week too, it's so much harder not giving extra feeds when they're sick isn't it. I'm not sure if the 10m regression happens to everyone... can't say I noticed it. But maybe DS was just such a bad sleeper anyway that there was no scope for getting worse!

@Mugascauld glad everything is going well 😊 Hope you get through Christmas before the nausea starts! Be pretty tricky to hide that from whoever you're spending Christmas with 😂

@Golaz how are you? 8dpo today?

Hi all, another one here with two sick little ones. Baby has been feeding non stop all bloody night 😫. I’m 10dpo! You too @Orangio ? I’m trying to hold off testing , but did pee on an OPK this morning lol and barely a whisper of a line 😒. Is that a bad sign?

@Mugascauld it was me who asked how old your little one is. 14 months, what a lovely gap that will be ☺️. That’s what I was aiming for between my first two, but ended up taking much longer to conceive than I expected.

Good luck to all of us coming to the end of our 2ww! 🤞🏻

@Golaz yeah I think it will be a lovely gap! He’ll be just shy of 23 months when the baby arrives.
not that it means much and I’m not trying to get your hopes up, because everyone is so different! But last month I got a darkish but negative OPK around 9/10DPO and AF arrived the next day. This month OPK only had one line, couldn’t even see the second one, got a BFP the next day. So I don’t think it’s a bad thing anyway! But I also don’t know if it means anything.

@justwantobeamum Oh that’s nice and early for getting your cycle back! Fingers crossed for a BFP soon.

@orangio I’m already feeling hints of nausea, happened early last time too but never got really bad. I already feel my coffee aversion coming in which is a shame because I am exhausted😂

Hi I’m trying for number 2 now. My little girl is a few days shy of 10 months old and still milk mad especially overnight. I did get my period back quite quickly within about 4 months I think it was. I’ve been doing ovulation tests which indicate I am ovulating and this is our second proper month of trying. Good luck to everyone!

@Golaz that is definitely exciting! Are you going to do a proper hpt tomorrow? Yep, I am probably 10dpo too (although FF thinks 9dpo).

@Mugascauld oh no! I really hope you can still enjoy some tasty Christmas food. Do you have to help cook it? I think poking around in a turkey bum would massively give me the boak during morning sickness time! 🤮

Hi @Ciaonow good luck! Do you temp at all? Just recommending it as it's been so helpful for me to be certain I've ovulated (which opks don't do). What kind of age gap would you like ideally?

No af yet but got a blazing surge on the LH strips so hopefully will ovulate soon!

@Orangio no I don’t but thanks for the tip I will have to read more about it! DD1 was not really planned so all this TTC is new to me! It’s a bit of a minefield.

How's everyone getting on? Sure you're all busy with Christmas prep! I'm just grabbing a second to message while DH is getting DS in the buggy - hopefully a slightly more chilled out day today 🤞

@Golaz any more tests? Or has AF arrived for you? Think you're 13dpo today too? If you're still AF free that's a great LP!

@Countingchicks do you reckon you've ovulated? Perfect timing if so! A few drinks over Christmas and keeping busy during the tww, ideal!

@Orangio I think so. Nipples were really sore from the day after peak plus I have been feeling too warm in bed and a bit bloated and like I might be retaining a bit of water

@Orangio how about you, have you tested?

Quick update here, we are sleep training (in the room with him, bottle in his cot etc) first night half an hour, 2nd night 3 minutes. Hoping it continues to go okay, then we will tackle the night wakings

@Countingchicks that's good news ☺️ Are you an early tester or do you prefer to wait until missed period? Just wondering if you might know before Christmas!
What about you @Ciaonow , are you an early tester?

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 do you mean he fell asleep in 3 minutes on just the second night? That's amazing!!
I'm 14dpo today so I'd expect my period tomorrow morning. If she doesn't show up I guess I will do a test. A G&T for me tonight, just in case it's the last one for a while 😆

@Orangio eek you have crazy patience! Good luck.

Ha yep fell asleep in three minutes - a little squeal then straight down. I've been dreading this and putting it off, and three bloody minutes 🤣