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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

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Original poster

Does anyone know if breastfeeding gets in the way of conception?

22 replies

arabella2 · 09/07/2003 08:01

My periods came back a long long time ago but I am still breastfeeding ds (19 months). I have heard that the hormones that keep the milk going can also make it harder to conceive - is this true?

OP posts:

Angiel · 09/07/2003 08:35

I have heard that it is more difficult to become pregnant when breastfeeding. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. There are probably plenty of women who thought that breastfeeding was a form of birth control and then fell pregnant again.

I heard it is more difficult for the egg to implant as the feeding gives you little contractions. Not sure if this is right though, but I'm sure someone else will have a better idea.

Bobsmum · 09/07/2003 08:54

I had heard that breastfeeding can work as a contraceptive if you're feeding 2/3 hours a day, 24 hours a day every day. I imagine it's only at that frequency that the hormones are being produced in any great number.
Someone more clued up is bound to post soon!

oliveoil · 09/07/2003 09:06

I've been told that once you stop breastfeeding your fertility goes through the roof, natures way of thinking 'right, one down, ready for the next' so there may be something in it.

My friend stopped feeding at 6 months and got pregnant straight away.....

sobernow · 09/07/2003 09:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mears · 09/07/2003 11:31

Breastfeeding only affects fertility when it is exclusive, frequent, day and night. Many women are caught out thinking they will not get pregnant whilst breastfeeding.
I fell pregnant with ds no.3 whilst breastfeeding ds no.2 at 7 months, and I was still doing a lot of feeding. I was happy about it though.

WedgiesMum · 09/07/2003 11:41

FWIW In my case my brestfeeding actually enabled me to conceive. I have polycystic Ovaries and before having fertility treatment (ovarian diathermy) only had a period every year or so and never ovulated. After getting pregnant with DS I breastfed him until about 18 months, by which time I was 3 months pregnant. For me the breast feeding and having had a baby kind of kick started my ovaries into performing properly and releasing eggs.

Original poster

arabella2 · 09/07/2003 18:15

Thank you. I've also been told that if you are pregnant and breastfeeding then it can change the taste of your milk. My friend advised me to stop before trying to get pregnant again as it might leave ds a bad memory of finishing feeding but to be honest I do not want to stop yet and I would like to get pregnant again so selfishly, getting pregnant might help ds and I along the road to stopping (neither one of us is ready I think!).

OP posts:

morocco · 09/07/2003 19:15

ha ha - no - am now 5 weeks pregnant and am bf ds aged 9 months. I had 2 'mini periods' a couple of months apart before that. Ds did seem to go off my milk a week ago and not seem satisfied - perhaps it tasted funny or the supply was lowering already. I'm cutting down and going to stop altogether in 2 weeks .sad day!

ames · 09/07/2003 20:36

and another 'ha ha no' from me!
Got pregnant with ds (now 13 weeks) when dd was about 7 months and was still feeding her at least twice daily.
DD sort of weaned herself off the breast after I became pregnant.

Not quite sure what your friend means arabella2 as it would be unlikely that your ds will have any memory of breastfeeding good, bad or indifferent! Unless of course has has some sort of regression therapy when he's older! (Not suggesting for a minute he's going to need it!)

I understand from my midwife that the taste does change when your pregnant but I would carry on as long as you both want to and can.

Original poster

arabella2 · 21/07/2003 10:10

Can't believe it, I'm pregnant!!!!!
Very early days yet - wouldn't really consider myself properly pregnant until I am 12 weeks as I have already had one miscarriage and with ds I had bleeding (probably was never going to be a miscarriage but felt like it at the time!).
Did a test this morning and saw the two lines come up and can't believe it really.

OP posts:

Gem13 · 21/07/2003 10:19

Congratulations Arabella2! I'm still b/feeding my DS (12 months) although just twice a day and got pregnant within the first month of trying.

I'm now 10 weeks and he's still feeding happily in the morning. At night he alternates between me and a beaker of cows milk. I think he likes the quantity of milk from the beaker and the comfort from me. I think there's only a few weeks left of b/feeding though - he's far too fidgety for it to continue for long and I wouldn't mind a break before it starts all over again!

morocco · 21/07/2003 14:04

fantastic news arabella2 - congratulations! it must be good luck vibes from mumsnet!

tinyfeet · 21/07/2003 14:54

Congrats arabella2? Out of curiosity, did you stop breastfeeding? If so, how long ago? I really did think that breastfeeding made it much harder to get pregnant. You seem to have defied odds. Good luck!

easy · 21/07/2003 15:03

Can someone please tell me how grown-ups know that the taste of breastmilk changes when you're pg?

Either this is anecdotal from one family (so unreliable), or someone has had the job of tasting milk from a number of women before and after they conceived (now did YOUR careers advisor ever mention that?)

I don't know what breastmilk tastes like (never tried my own), but if it's anything like formula then YUK!

sammyj · 21/07/2003 21:48

Congrats arabella.
I was wondering if it's advisable to breast- feed when pregnant. I've been asking my health visitor but she hasn't given me an answer. This is all assuming the first baby still wants to feed.

Original poster

arabella2 · 21/07/2003 22:23

Thank you everybody. Yes Tinyfeet I am still breastfeeding - don't know if this means I am more likely to miscarry because of the milk hormones suppressing the pregnancy hormones? (wild guess). Anyway at this point ds1 comes first so what happens, happens; we're not ready to stop feeding yet.
I am having difficulty believing that I am pregnant - very weird. I haven't started feeling sick yet (very early days) which might have something to do with it!

OP posts:

Demented · 21/07/2003 22:46

It's much nicer than formula, Easy!

Congratulations arabella2, there are one or two on Mumsnet who have fed whilst pg and at least one who was or maybe even still is tandem feeding, hopefully they can offer some advice.

morocco · 22/07/2003 09:34

just a quick answer for sammyj - I know that lots of people do keep bf during pregnancy and have no problems at all. I've just had to stop on doctor's advice though as I was getting a lot of backache (like early contractions) and had some bleeding. My doc thought it was linked to bf. I also read somewhere else on the net that the risk of miscarrriage is a tiny bit higher than normal but mostly in women who've already suffered a miscarriage in the past. I don't know if that is really true or not though.

bells2 · 22/07/2003 10:35

I'm still feeding my 19 month old and number 3 is due in around 9 weeks. Have to confess that I sincerely wish I had given up earlier but it's a bit late for that. It hasn't caused me any problems at all.

Original poster

arabella2 · 23/07/2003 13:20

Hi
Bells2 are you still feeding your 19 month old a lot?
Since getting my positive result to the pregnancy test I did on Monday (still can't believe I am really pregnant and anyway it's early days yet) I have kept more of a mental tally of just how much I am still feeding ds and it's quite a lot. Morning, evening sometimes twice in the day and in the night if he wakes up. I think I need to cut it down a) because I would like to stop completely before giving birth to number 2 so that ds gets a chance to "forget" about it and b) because I am a little worried about the increased miscarriage risks as I have already had one.
I'm just a real wuss about it. Ds and enjoy closeness when he feeds and I think it would also be a real battle... For both our sakes however he really should be sleeping through the night at some point. Imagine spending all of 4 years not getting enough sleep (that'll be me if ds is still not sleeping all night by the time no. 2 comes along).

OP posts:

morocco · 23/07/2003 13:57

hi arabella2
I feel very guilty about worrying you - have you checked with a doctor to find out the risk of miscarriage - I'm sure it's very very tiny anyway and you might be better making sure first before if bf means a lot to you. And I have read on mumsnet about quite a few other people who did fine bf while pregnant. But then again I know just what you mean about not wanting to be up all night with 2 children.
if it makes you feel any better, I found that after the first week, giving bottles was just as cuddly as bf - in fact I have to pay more attention to what I'm doing so better even. And if I'm completely honest, I'm still bf first thing in the morning as a comfort suck as he seems to need the attention more then. The rest of the time he took to the bottle really easily (I was surprised - and dare I say a little hurt!)so you might be surprised at how easily it can be done.

bells2 · 23/07/2003 14:50

Hi Arabella2. It is just morning and night. I feel a bit of a failure about the whole thing because it was my intention to have given up completely well and truly by now. I didn't want to be tandem feeding at all.

If I were you, I would certainly be trying to cut out the night time feeds. I personally have found pregnancy far far more tiring and generally more difficult when you also have a small child to look after and you need all the rest you can manage.

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