Breastfeeding / ovulation

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I’m currently EBF 11mo baby, although daytime feeds have dramatically reduced over the last month, but night feeds still could be anywhere between 1-5! he doesn’t take a bottle, always refused, but has just recently got much more into food so now generally doesnt feed except for morning nap / bedtime.

First question is wondering whether there’s a common threshold of breastfeeds per day to maintain no period. I’m looking to TTC in the new year, so conscious I want to get period back soonish..

second question is I have taken ovulation test strips and I’ve had two lines (but control line is darker). Does a faint line mean I’ve ovulated and I’m a few days out or about to ovulate, or is that not how it works?

thanks for any help in advance

When my first was about 10 months old he was breastfeeding once in the morning and once at night, and I was expressing milk for him to have in the afternoons. My periods still hadn't come back and I wanted to TTC again, so we swapped the afternoon feed out for cow's milk so he was consistently down to two feeds a day. That triggered my ovulation again, and I got my first postpartum period a fortnight before his first birthday.

My second is 18 months old and still treats my boobs like an all you can eat buffet every night and weekend, and my period hasn't come back yet.

You don't really need to get your period back to conceive, well at least I didn't!

Have a read of Breastfeeding & Fertility on Kellymom.

It might help to do some gentle night weaning once he reaches 12 months

Thanks all!

With the night weaning. We have tried to keep to 1-2 feeds.. but he often will just keep persisting crying / falling asleep and waking up crying on and off until I feed him. He doesn’t always do this so makes me wonder if he’s hungry?! Or do they all just do that for some wakes? Some he goes down easily with no feeding

With the LH/ovulation strips - only a line darker than control means about to try to ovulate (a "positive" on these). The other strength of lines, you would need to know your general pattern. The tests measure LH. Some peoples LH is a slow long peak - increases slowly day by day, peaks and they ovulate in the next couple of days, slowly decreases. Some peoples LH is a short sharp peak - nothing, nothing, nothing, boom LH suddenly rises and they ovulate in the next couple of days, then disappears. Also I always think important to point out that even positive LH strips only show your body is TRYING to ovulate, not that it will definitely.

I think that the rate of growth is phenomenal until they're 12 months. Once the rate of growth is slowing down at 13 months I think it's fine to try and find some other ways of settling him at night and encouraging him to get his calories in during the day.

Did you read the article I linked to?

my baby is pretty large (98th percentile) hence trying some early night weaning! I’ve read the article thanks for sharing! The baby is very very persistent and we don’t have it in us to spend ages next to him to get him to sleep, it’s so hard!

I started ovulating around 18 months post partum with my second with kne break through period when we night weandd at 2 but no actual period until I fully weaned him at 3.

Currently ttc while breastfeeding my 3rd. Currently feeding early morning, nap and bed and that has also triggered ovulation again for me. He will be 3 this autumn and I'm keen to fully wean soon. He was a huge baby consistently 4.5kg/10lbs over the 99% he has also been very resistant to dropping feeds

When I wanted to ttc again it was a drastic change in pattern that jump started it- so when dd was having food and water in the day I just didn’t feed for 10 hours and my period started the following day! This was after weeks of on and off cramps as if my body was gearing up and stopping.
from then my cycles were much longer and ovulation came on day 21-25 instead of my usual day 12
so keep testing with the sticks it may be later than you expect