Pregnant when breastfeeding? Anyone?

[SunnySideUp2020]

We have been trying (as much as we can) for baby #2 but really struggling with opks. Nothing positive. Cycles have gone from 30/32 days pre pregnancy to 45-49 days now. My periods returned at 3m postpartum despite breastfeeding.
DD is 9 months now...
She still nurses a lot day and night.

Any tips? How did you get pregnant while breastfeeding?

I started TTC when DS1 was 9 months and still breastfeeding a lot. It took 4 months, which was the first month of TTC when I was back at work so he couldn't feed on the day most days. Previous two pregnancies I got pregnant in the first month of trying.

Hi there! I conceived baby #2 whilst nursing baby #1: he was 13 months old and feeding three times a day (still does at 18 months!)
My periods only returned at 7 months pp once baby was sleeping a decent stretch at night.

I had read that you ideally need a gap of 6 hours with no breastfeeding (usually most likely to happen overnight). Is this the case for you?

Also, with tracking ovulation, you might have more success with tracking BBT and monitoring cervical mucus. As I understand it, OPKs will only show positive in very short window. I’m not an expert though!

Kellymom usually has wise things to say kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ttc-while-bf/

And this is an interesting read: www.carolsmyth.co.uk/breastfeeding-resources/posts/2017/june/breastfeeding-fertility-and-subfertility-1/

Good luck x

I conceived DC2 when DC1 was seven months at the first time of trying, which was a surprise as it had taken 11 months to get pregnant with DC1. My periods had come back at four months postpartum. I think the key was DC starting to sleep better so we dropped a couple of night feeds.

My periods didn’t come back till Dc was 16 months old! She was still feeding at least twice during the night and 3 times during the day at this point. My periods were abit up and down for a while once they came back but we managed to conceive dc no.2 after 5 months (sadly ended in a mmc not long ago)
I’m still bf dc now, but it’s more for comfort , she only actually drinks once early in the morning now.
Going to start ttc again soon.

From what I have read op, periods usually come back once baby has longer stretches of sleep( 6+ hours) without bf.

It sounds like your baby is still feeding too frequently, which will impact ovulation.
I conceived DC2 when breastfeeding DC1 but she was 12 months and only feeding 2-3 times a day and not at all overnight (my periods returned at 5.5 months, just after she started regularly sleeping 10pm-6am).

Thank you so much for the link @LabradorFiasco
Very very helpful. And totally explains what is happening. My LP is definitely a couple of days shorter than it used to be and the opk nowhere near as dark. I do get ovulation pain so pretty sure something happens but sub fertile is probably my case rn.

I guess I should probably stop tracking for now as I will need DD to breastfeed less often to get my fertility back fully.

Oh well....

Yep. Bf 20 mo and I’ve been pregnant twice. Mc in July and now 9 weeks. Dd still feeds a lot (and definitely was in June/ July). No tips but good luck!

Thanks for sharing.

Sorry for your loss @MangoLipstick
Wish you luck on your ttc journey too x

My DD feeds too often indeed. We do BLW and she refused to be fed purees, and is breastfed on demand ... which is all day many many manyyyy times. I call it the snack bar.
At night she wakes up at least 5/10 times and suckle to sleep.
It was a bit naive of me to think there was a chance of pregnancy tbh!!!

I am planning on slowly reducing nightfeeds when we stop cosleeping next month. 🤞

Congratulations!!! @Rrrob ☺

Hi there, glad it was helpful - definitely not intended to make you give up hope!!

I actually used ovulation tracking as contraception prior to having DC so just carried on once my periods returned and found it quite empowering, even when I was not TTC. I only did BBT and cervical mucus though. The cervical mucus was the most reliable sign for me that I was actually ovulating. And like you, I discovered that I had a shorter luteal phase (just 10 days - but this was enough to conceive baby #2, currently 22weeks pg).

As your DD gets a bit older and takes more solids she may well give you some longer stretches without bf and you will be able to conceive. You can still have a small age gap even if you were to conceive when she is 12mo for example.

Sending best wishes for a successful future pregnancy and continued breastfeeding journey x

@LabradorFiasco
How lovely that you are still breastfeeding and 22w pregnant 🥰
Hope this will be me at some point! I am not giving up, just now a bit more realistic.
Thank you for the kind words, 🙏
And congratulations 🎊 wishing you a happy and healthy rest of pregnancy x

Just to update, I think I am pregnant!
After reading the science i though it won't happen unti i reduce or stop BF but somehow I am having positive pregnancy tests for 2 days now. They are quite faint still but plan on taking a clearblue tomorrow 🤞
Crazy!

Congratulations!

Congratulations! If it helps feel more confident even though it doesn't side with the science I fell pregnant with DD2 when I was 10 months PP on the first try. Periods had been back since 4 months even though I breastfed a million times a day (he was feeding at least 4x a night and every 2 hours in the day he was a total boob monster) I'd started TTC thinking it would take ages to get pregnant as it had with my DS but not the case, literal first time trying. I noticed that post my first pregnancy I get loads of EWCM around ovulation so I kinda knew there was a chance it could have been the right time. Congratulations and hope everything goes well with your 2nd pregnancy!