TTC while breastfeeding

[TunaJacket]

I have a 13 month old that I still bf. He probably feeds 3 times a day ish and then multiple times throughout the night, however I am now back at work 3 days a week and on these days he goes probably 10 hours during the day without a feed.

I don't want to stop bf but my period hasn't returned yet. I'm interested in other people's experiences of when their period came back and if there was anything I could do to help it along without having to stop?

After my DS1, my periods didn't return until just before he turned 2. I was still breastfeeding regularly day and night. When they did come back, my cycles were very erratic until I stopped feeding during the night, and then I conceived DS2.

With DS2, I stopped feeding a night when he was around 19 months (kept feeding to sleep and occasionally through the day) and my periods returned the following month.

DD1 is 18 months and no sign of them yet!

I think it's quite individual, but for me stopping feeding at night was the main thing.

I got my period back when my DS was in between 7-8 months even though I’m still breastfeeding. I’ve had 3 periods since they started, but shorter cycles than I had before. I used OPKs this cycle and got my peak on CD16, which is now the same as before I had DS, so I guess I’ll find out if it’s my luteal phase that’s gotten shorter. Or perhaps my cycles are lengthening again.

DS still has 3-4 feeds in the day and 1-3 at night, so I think Pandax3 is right and it’s really individual. Just wanted to give a different side where periods came back without stopping breastfeeding. I also didn’t intentionally do anything to help them come back, so I don’t have any helpful suggestions I’m afraid.

15 month old DD and no periods here. I feed her in the night (1-2 times) and before bed on days that I'm working, and maybe another 2 times in the day on weekends and days that I'm off. I've felt a few times like I'm going to get my period, but then nothing happens! I'm not too worried at the moment because we're not planning on trying to get pregnant until the end of this year. Current plan is to get serious about dropping feeds in September to give my body a chance to (hopefully) resume normal service. After my DS stopped feeding I had my first postpartum period a couple of weeks later, but I didn't settle into my regular cycle for about three months.

My DS is 16 months and still no sign of my period. He's been night weaned since April but still feeds 2-4 times during the day depending on whether or not I'm at work. I've started taking Vitex, high strength vitamin B and just ordered some maca root. I'm going to give all these a go for a couple of months and if my cycles still don't return then we'll start trying to wean completely which DS is not going to cope well with... I think in the long term he'll be happy to have a sibling though 🤞🏻

My period did take a while to come back, I think it was around 17/18 months, I’d dropped day feeds by then but was still doing some night feeds until this month.
i did find my luteal phase shorter while breastfeeding and it is one of the reason I’ve recently stopped as we are also ttc, we were both ready to stop though so it wasn’t the only reason, we’d only tried 2 cycles so no real evidence it did make a difference.

Quite a mix but looks like I may have to consider dropping feeds if I want them to come back!

We're probably not looking to try until next year so I'll give it a few more months to see if they come back and if not, probably start with night weaning and hope that'll do it

I've heard it can specifically be to do with when you stop/reduce nighttime feeds OP. It definitely was true for me. My period returned 18mo pp, 48hrs after the first one-off night I spent away from my daughter! I didn't stop feeding after that, even at night (in fact she only slept through after 2yo), but one night away was enough to get my cycles back.

My period returned at 14 months, about a week after I stopped breastfeeding. Had been down to one (bedtime) feed for a month or so, and only two feeds from around 10-11 months, as baby was never a big milk fan. Recently had number two and wonder if it will be the same this time, as I’d quite like a third…

@TunaJacket Hi, how's it going? Are you still BF? My DS is about to turn 1 and I think I am going to have to wean him completely to get my periods back. He is not going to be happy!!

I am at a loss as to how to do it though. It took 4 years to conceive him with erratic periods/ MC's so I want to get TTC in case it takes as long. I've been doing OPKS and I am not ovulating.

Hi @pontipinemum

I am still breastfeeding atm and no periods yet. We dont plan on trying till start of next year so not too worried just yet, im still hoping they will come back on their own but i think i will probably have to stop tbh.

I keep telling myself i should forget about it for a few more months and just enjoy feeding him but i still find myself thinking about it a lot.

I love feeding him and he takes so much comfort from it so sometimes i think just keep going and we'll have another one when hes ready. Then i think how weve always wanted about a 2.5 year age gap and that i should stop being silly and just stop!

Its so difficult isnt it

@TunaJacket it is difficult isn't it! DS gets so super excited when he knows it's boob time, like tries to jump out of the cot in the morning! Or flip out of DH's arms at bed time to get to me. It's very cute. I feel awful that I'm going to take it away from him. But I also didn't think I'd BF him for 6 weeks let alone a year. It will probably be hard for a few days then he will adjust.

I would like like less than a 4 year age gap. Ideally it would be 2 years. I'm 35 and DH is 40 so I am also concerned about age too.

I got my period back at 17 months while breastfeeding my 1st and was pregnant at 20 months . She was a boob monster day and night . I then tandem fed them . On my second baby I didn’t get them back until 20 months and then got pregnant after the 1st cycle on day 52 of it I was doing ovulation tests though during the 52 days I had a few high reading that would look like I was about to ovulate but it then it would stop . Went on to have our 3rd from that one who is 13 months . Hoping it comes back at the 17 months this time as I would like to try for our last . But I’ve another boob monster/terrible sleeper. I have started taking B6 and folic acid again in hope it happens soon.

@Snugglemuffins4me WOW going for no 4. You are a strong woman, I think two will be my limit.

I didn't know about taking B6, I am taking folic acid and vit D. I'm in Ireland and even now we are not having sunshine!

I'm in this boat. I had my first period about 30 days ago but am now 2 days late, so it looks like it's stopped again! I'm not pregnant, incase anyone wondered. That was at 11 months with maybe 6 feeds a day including nights. We want another and I want to TTC but I also had IVF with the first and so I'm half of a mind that we should get on with it and half thinking she might be the only baby I ever have and I don't want to stop feeding her earlier than we both want! I'm 37.

@Snugglemuffins4me did you just take an lh test every day? So quite a lot of tests? I'm not sure how to find ovulation given my current erratic cycles

@pontipinemum I’m in the lovely rainy Ireland to some summer ! B6 is meant to help with lutes phase which can sometimes be short when breastfeeding. It’s also linked to fertility . I thought 3 would be ours but she has been a dream and slotted right in .

@CycleGirl20 I had my cycle return on 12th of August and began taking tests around 14 days later . They would show my body trying to ovulate but then lower again and it wasn’t until September 20th that I ovulated . The easy at home tests with the premom app are very good value from Amazon. I’ll attach pictures you can see how it goes high then drops but there is no mistaking when it reaches peak.

@CycleGirl20

@CycleGirl20 I also use the easy@home tests and the premom app. I used them with DS to pin point my fairly erratic cycle. I had 2 previous pregnancies (both MC) and they took over 6 months to conceive, used premom and saw I was missing my ovulation day by using the flo app and conceived DS the 1st month using OPKs!

@Snugglemuffins4me it's actually brutal isn't it! I can only imagine being stuck inside with 3 in this weather. You might be surprised some of those highs might be your peak. My peak when I conceived DS was only 0.88 highest I have had so far had been about 0.25 this time so I don't think I am ovulating yet.

Did any of you feel like you were getting period pains etc. for several months before your period actually came back? For the past couple of months I've been getting days where I'm convinced my period is coming, but then nothing happens!

Thanks @Snugglemuffins4me . I'm worried I'll use several boxes waiting, but then maybe that just has to be!

I got mine back when my girl was 8 months and she was feeding constantly at night then so that felt very unfair! She's almost 3 now and still feeding a couple times a day however we've been ttc for a year now. We caught first cycle last time. I really don't want to stop but wondering if it's affecting fertility despite having had regular periods for two years.

@pontipinemum I also think Flo app was throwing me off! Finally started using Cb digital opk and my ovulation was not where Flo has been predicting at all!

Just to update that I've got my period back after 17 months of breastfeeding. DC is still feeding a few times a day so I haven't had to stop that entirely, which is nice as they are definitely not in a rush to give it up!

@TunaJacket Just wondered if you had an update please as I literally could have written your original post right now! 😊 xx

Hi @Hannah123456789012

Sorry, I just seen notification.

My period returned at 21 months when I was still breastfeeding day and night. And I got pregnant 2 months later.

Continued to feed throughout pregnancy and now tandem feeding!

Not sure if that's what you want to hear cause it still took a while but it did come back on it's own without me having to 'do' anything.

I did read a big gap is what you need to allow hormone levels to rise. So night weaning can help 🤷🏼‍♀️ good luck!

Dd stopped breastfeeding at night at 8 months and period returned at 10 months. Didn't get pregnant until 2 years 7 months but only started trying at 2 years and 1 month, likely because I was still breastfeeding (I couldn't say how often, a few times a day).

Just updating my experience. I continued to breastfeed until DD was 22 months then made a conscious decision to stop because I wanted to start TTC and wasn't ovulating even though I had my period back. Stopped breastfeeding and started TTC, but had another anovulatory cycle then ovulated and got pregnant the following month. I'm currently sat on the sofa holding my now 3 month old baby.