GP said I can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding

[Daisieblues]

Hi all.

Have just been the GP for preconception ‘advice’ as my daughter is 13 months old and I haven’t had my cycle return since giving birth.

He told me it’s lactation amenorrhea and pulled this up on google. He said the only thing I can do is stop breastfeeding.

I don’t want to stop feeding yet, any advice please? 🙏

it may well come back soon. I think mine returned about 14 months and 17 months. I was still breastfeeding my eldest when I was pregnant with my youngest.

@Daisieblues If you want to conceive soon then the best thing is to stop feeding over night - if you are going to do any sort of sleep training it’s far,far better to do it now then have to do it when you get pregnant with the next . After 1 year a baby’s main source of nutrition should be their solid food, so you can move to perhaps morning and evening feeds only.

It is anecdotal.

my periods came back exactly four weeks after I returned to work with both my children, so exactly four weeks after I stopped feeding in the daytime, about 12 months post partum. They were regular, but trying to conceive my second I just wasn’t getting pregnant. In the end I conceived on the first cycle after I fully stopped breastfeeding: for me, that was what it took. I will say though that feeding till she was two was beautiful and totally worth it. I only wish I knew I wouldnt get pregnant till I stopped and I could have taken some of the pressure off.

Also, the WHO now suggests not getting pregnant until two years after your last child for your own health so given you don’t have an age reason to rush id suggest as much as you can removing the pressure and seeing what happens. There isn’t anything else medically that can be done to return your body and hormones to normal, sometimes it just takes time. Do your best to prioritise your own rest and nutrition and cut back on some of the feeds but we’re all different and for some people that just won’t be enough.

A friend of mine got pregnant 8 weeks after giving birth. Your doctor evidently doesn[t know what he[s talking about.