Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

Original poster

Anyone got pregnant while breastfeeding?

21 replies

daniwalkes · 24/05/2009 20:33

Hi, my little man is now 5 months and im still fully breastfeeding. recently my nipples have become very sore while breastfeeding him and i've never had any problems in the past, along side this i am extreamly tired all the time and my, have headaches and feel a bit funny, not sick but just not right... there is a chance i could be pregnant but if i am i would only be 2/3 weeks (last period was 1/05/09)so too early to take a test and im just wondering if anyone has got pregnant while breastfeeding and if so did they get these symptoms or is it simply part of feeding and im not pregnant at all? Also is it too soon for pregnancy symptoms?
Sorry for all the questions but any advise or other experiences would be great!
Thanks x

OP posts:

tomsmom2003 · 24/05/2009 20:42

I'm pretty sure that Jools Oliver did when she was bf Poppy which is why Daisy is so close in age. She said she thought you couldn't get pregnant when bf.

Don't know if that helps or not really....

JulesJules · 24/05/2009 20:42

Yep, I got pg while breastfeeding. The first thing I noticed was dd1 obviously thought the bm tasted different. Also sore boobs. That was also at about 2 weeks, when I did a test 2 weeks later, it was +ve - dd2!

slushy06 · 24/05/2009 20:44

My friend got pg while bf and said she went to the doctor because she was having headaches and feeling really tired. Bf is only ok to use as contraception if your child feeds either every 4 or 6 hours I can't remember which though sorry. Its not to soon for pg symptoms. After feeding I now only have a 26 day cycle. I would wait a week and then do a pg test. Hope you get the result you want.

rainbowdays · 24/05/2009 20:47

I have got pregnant while breastfeeding, and also got pregnancy like symptoms while breastfeeding while my hormones were still settling down.

On the sore nipples thing, I got that just before my dc's popped out a tooth, as they generally adjusted their suck due to sore gums. It is a little early at 5 months, but could he be teething?

The first time I got pg while breastfeeding, my symptoms were not too bad, in fact felt more pregnant in the previous months that I was not, as hormones were fluctuating (was pg when 1st baby 6months old).

I have just got pregnant again whilst weaning off breastfeeding, and my symptoms were strong early on, I 'knew' I was pregnant two days before getting a positive test.

So it is possible that you could be pregnant, but as you say it might be a little early for symptoms too. So not sure I am much help!

norktasticninja · 24/05/2009 20:49

I got pregnant twice whilst BF too (was TTC), I got sore nipples pretty quickly and the general PG symptoms seemed to come more early and be pronounced than during my first pregnancy...

TBH I just knew at about 2 or 3 weeks both times. DC2's due on the 9th of June

I hope you get the result you want when you can finally test!

Original poster

daniwalkes · 24/05/2009 21:03

Thank all for these messages, it really reasuring to hear other peoples stories on this.
Rainbowdays, i think he might be teething as he has all the signs for it but he's been like that for about 4 weeks and they have been sore for just a few days.
I am really hoping i am pregnant, it would be brilliant news but im not getting my hopes up as i know it could all be hormones.
I'm also craving ice pops.. i am eating about 20/30 a day, it's mad! but i know its too early for cravings.
Confusing times... hate having to wait to take the test!!!

OP posts:

mama2leah · 24/05/2009 21:08

i did... n didnt know until i was past 3 months...

preggersplayspop · 24/05/2009 21:11

Hi, I got pregnant while breastfeeding (was TTC as well). My nipples were pretty painful at the start but they seem to have settled down now (I am about 13 weeks). It felt like he was tugging on them really hard but I think they were just more sensitive than they had been before. With teething he was obviously using me as some kind of pain relief so the pain in the nipples seemed to be more from being over-used rather than the immediate 'ouch' I am getting now, if you know what I mean.

I didn't feel immediately pregnant this time, last time I just knew and felt like I didn't even need to bother taking the test but this time I definitely felt like I needed to test to know or not. Hope you get the result you want anyway.

The ice pops craving could be just the weather?!

Original poster

daniwalkes · 24/05/2009 21:25

hi preggersplayspop... when feeding it almost feels like he's tugging on my nipples - not bitting them. it feels as though he's been sucking on them for days and they raw but it's no different to how he normally feeds so im just not sure.
i'm shattered all the time, i feel sick but only when im travelling and i've never had travel sickness before, could that be brought on through a change of hormones after giving birth.
didn't have any sickness when pregnant last time but i was very tired all the time and i really suffered with that but again i could just be tired becuase i've got a baby.
When can a test be taken?

OP posts:

justlookatthatbooty · 26/05/2009 23:31

Dunno where the old myth that you can't get preggers when BF'ing came from. I did, and I know many women who did.

PinkTulips · 26/05/2009 23:34

i have twice

2/3 weeks after your period you might be able to get a +ive with a very sensitive test

llareggub · 26/05/2009 23:36

I got pregnant 3 times when breastfeeding, but only one pregnancy ended up with a baby. He is 3 weeks now. I definitely noticed a change in nipple sensation early on.

Original poster

daniwalkes · 27/05/2009 08:30

is there a bigger chance on loosing the baby because of breastfeeding or is more to do with having the babies closer together? or do the odd still stay the same?

OP posts:

WoTmania · 27/05/2009 08:37

I got pregnant twice while BF so I have a 17 and a 20 month gap.
There is no evidence that BF while pg can cause mc.
Some people I know get pregnancy symptoms when ovulating.

ladyofshallots · 27/05/2009 08:37

Breastfeeding works as contraception if your baby is under 6 months old and your baby is exclusively breastfed, no bottles, no dummies, no solids; your periods have not yet returned; you are breastfeeding on demand round the clock and co-sleeping. If any of these conditions are not met then you can become pregnant.

Divvy · 27/05/2009 08:45

You could also be ovulating, as my nipples feel sore around this time. So if you want to be pregnant again just now, it may be wise to go have some sex now, just incase!

mummylight · 27/05/2009 21:20

I also got pregnant when my daughter was 8 months old. She was exclusively breastfed until the age of 20 months. My doctor told me that as soon as the baby starts solids you can quite easily fall pregnant if no contraception is used.

Original poster

daniwalkes · 27/05/2009 22:05

i've only just started weaning him onto solids so his milk intake is still the same as its always been yet i started my periods back up so im presuming i've started ovulating? It's all very confusing, taking a test tomorrow so we'll see!
My whole body aches, i've had a headache now since saturday and i feel lightheaded and sick but not enough to be sick. Spoke to my health visitor today and she said if im not pregnant to go and see a doctor just to check everything else is ok.

People who have been pregnant this soon after having a baby (he's 5 months) is the pregnancy more difficult and are there higher chances of things going wrong?

OP posts:

mum27 · 28/05/2009 04:24

Ladyofshallots, I was BF my DS2 every hour, no periods and as I was feeding every hour I was certainly cosleeping and I got pregnant with DS2 when he was 31/2 months old so not even meeting all those conditions guarantees contraception.

ladyofshallots · 28/05/2009 20:14

mum27, I bet that was a shock! You must have been one of the 2%it doesn't work for.

mum27 · 29/05/2009 09:11

Lol i just added it to the list of contraceptives that didn't work...hence why I'm on number 8 :-D

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread