TTC while BF - how do I get my period back?

[AnonymousXXIX]

Hi! I'm sure I've seen a topic like this but can't find it...

My baby is 9 months and exclusively bf... zero signs of my period returning. Don't want to wean but do want my period back so we can ttc again!

Any advice and experience here?

I thought as baby eats more solids maybe they drink less and then periods return... but so far 3 months of solids have made no difference.

I know everyone is different, but when should I typically expect any change? 12 months? More than 12 months?!

Hello! Hmm I am just thinking about TTC no2. I have just come off the pill and am curious to see what happens with my periods. DS is 15m so weaning is very well established - but he still has milk at 5am (sigh) 10am, 3pm, 7pm and sometimes in the night as well.

I was reading that there are 3 stages to your cycle returning. Initially bf acts as contraception, but your cycles are likely to return as your baby goes longer between feeds. Apparently this is 4hrs between feeds in the day and at least 6hrs at night. Once your periods return, you might have a short luteal phase (between ovulation and period), which makes it harder to conceive as the womb lining isn't thick enough for successful implantation.

How often does your baby go between feeds? Will they take a bottle? Apparently expressing doesn't stimulate oxytocin - it's the oxytocin which helps prevent ovulation - so pumping and giving a bottle to replace some feeds might help.

It’s not recommended to conceive until your baby is one. My milk sully pretty much dried up at 9.5 months of breastfeeding as DD1 was eating more solid food. Sorry, can’t you’re remember when my periods came back, but was probably around one year I think.

There is a topic in conception which has been running for a few months. A few of us tried metabolic loading (google it but basically eating a lot more calories for a month or two to kickstart periods) and conception supplements. I did this and my period came back at six months. However apparently you can then have 'sub-fertility' which I think I have, as my luteal phase is short so an egg never has the time to implant.

We've had a couple of pregnancies in the thread for those that stopped feeding or almost totally stopped feeding older babies. My baby is eight months so I'm not keen to do this yet. So my cycle is back and pretty regular, but ovulation seems very late (IF I'm actually ovulating) and period is then 5-6 days after this

Ooh @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 is it still an active thread? Do you mind people joining? Thanks

@Billyv thanks for responding! I used to pump all the time (lots of bf issues) and that never made a difference.

Not pumping so much now but baby easily goes 4 hours between feeds. Tend to feed at 7am (wake), 9am (snack), 11am (nap), 2pm (snack), 4pm (nap), 7pm (snack), 9pm (sleep) and 3am (comfort). Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Nights are still super hit and miss. Sometimes baby passes out at 9pm and wakes up at 6am, but more often I have to go back in to settle at 9:30pm, and then 3am, maybe once more at 5am... Sleeps like a rock when held, does not love being put down... especially when going through stuff like teething and colds!

@Spudina I wouldn't actively look to conceive until well into next year... I'd lose my mind not sleeping AND being pregnant. But I do need to have my period back to TTC next year, so I am just preparing!

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 yeah I have had massive postpartum weight loss. It seems to have tapered off a bit though (it was getting worrying so I took some action in terms of calories!)... so I am not sure how much that's affecting things any more now? I am a little bit anxious about gaining lots of weight without being able to exercise though? I do want to stay healthy... but there's nooo chance I can hit the gym time-wise right now!

I have always had a short luteal phase so that's a general concern. I take extra B vitamins to help with this, which seemed to make a minor difference pre-pregnancy..

We also have male factor infertility, which is why I am so impatient to make all the conditions optimal... we may well be trying for 2-3 years or require ICSI even once I get my period back and I am not getting any younger! If we didn't have that issue I would be a lot more chill about just waiting until baby is 2+. Baby 1 was spontaneous conception, but a bit of a miracle according to the doctors.

Yes an active thread and more the merrier. It's called 'Ttc while breastfeeding. Tips, advice and support.'

All ttc with babies ranging from aged six months to two years-ish.

Understand about weight gain worries! I'd lost my baby weight, did put on about 2kg over that six weeks or so of metabolic loading (they recommend not exercising for this period also) but gave gradually lost it since. I cut out the eating after my period came back 🤣

After many, many attempts to continue bf and have a baby... I had to completely stop in the end to successfully carry a pregnancy.

BF caused me to have a short luteal phase which meant on the cycles I did conceive I'd start bleeding almost immediately after a positive test.

Currently 4 weeks pregnant after stopping breastfeeding my 20 month old 8 weeks ago and all seems to be going well this time 🤞🏽

Best of luck x

To add - my periods came back at 13months but were irregular the whole time I was still feeding. They only really seemed to sort themselves out when I completely stopped.

@blueberry23 I'm really sorry that sounds incredibly stressful. And congratulations on your pregnancy now! I think the luteal phase issue is a problem for me also - some people do need to stop feeding I think to maintain a pregnancy.

I'm 38 so keen to get going with the next