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 fall pregnant while BF and not realise?

23 replies

2sCompany · 07/01/2010 19:47

I don't know if this has been asked before, sorry if it has. But I was wondering if anyone had fallen pregnant whilst breasfeeding and not realised? What I mean is, as I'm still breasfeeding DS (6 months) and my period hasn't returned, it just occurred to me that there is a possibility I could get pregnant and not know.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Just for the record, DH and I are not ttc but now and again I have an internal debate with myself as to whether DS should be our last child (also have 7yo DD), and thus this hypothetical question arose!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

AntPants1 · 07/01/2010 20:02

As far as I know if you are not using any contraception and you are having sex, even while BF, you can get pregnant. Although BF can suppress your fertility it is not 100% and I am sure you will soon get posts from women who fell pregnant this way. So you are either happy to leave it to chance and get pregnant or you are going to have to sort out your contraception............

peppapighastakenovermylife · 07/01/2010 20:06

Are you using contaception?

With my DC's my periods came back at around 9 months and I BF for around 15.

I am currently pregnant and breastfeeding but my periods had returned.

My friend got pregnant whilst exclusively breastfeeding AND being on the pill. Very rare though .

It all depends on whether you are having unprotected sex really. I think even if you were using contraception and got pregnant you would notice or have signs that would alert you.

I'm sure someone here did not realise until 5 months ish though - it might be flightattendant although I may be making that up!

pigleychez · 07/01/2010 20:07

I know a few people who have fallen pregnant whilst BF so it can happen. They only discovered when they started feeling symptoms and put two and two together.

Original poster

2sCompany · 07/01/2010 20:16

nope, not using any contraception as such...mainly that I'm usually too tired to even contemplate sex, and the rhythmn method (is that what you call it when the bloke 'pulls out'? I can't think of a wholesome way to word that!) I know this is not exactly a fool-proof method, but it worked for us for years before we decided to ttc DS.

Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who thinks I won't get pregnant just because I'm breast feeding - I was really just wondering if it could happen unnoticed.

Now I'm really thinking we should be a lot more careful on the rare occasions of getting jiggy, until we make a definite decision about number 3!

Thanks all

OP posts:

AntPants1 · 08/01/2010 08:42

Does not sound like you would be too upset if you got pregnant..."letting fate decide" in a way. So if you are not going to sort your contraception out perhaps do a pregnancy test a couple of weeks each time after you have sex...or every couple of weeks if your sex life picks up - should pick up if you are....

nancydrewrocks · 08/01/2010 08:46

Yes. I was still BF DD at 8mths, period hadn't returned since birth and I discovered I was 14 weeks pregnant.

ziggyf · 08/01/2010 09:24

My Mum was BFing my sis and her periods hadn't come back when she fell pg with me! First time they dtd after my sis was born too, poor mum

mamasunshine · 08/01/2010 09:38

I fell pregnant as soon as i introduced solids at 6 months! I knew befre a test could pick it up!

Beasknees · 08/01/2010 09:43

Yes - my little boy was still just breastfed at 5 months when i got pregnant - i just didn't realise until he was 8 months old as a)i never got my period back - funny telling the dr that the last one was in Sept 07 so not very helpful wrt dating the bump and b)i didn't have any symptoms til around 11 weeks when i felt a bit sick but put that down to a winter bug....

ds2 was born in Sept

Original poster

2sCompany · 08/01/2010 09:51

I'm going on a wine tasting break in April, so definitely don't want to be pregnant for that! I don't know if I want any more, but to say that's it and DS is the last one seems so final and a big decision to make, I'll be 30 next month, so I'm not all that old really.

So those of you this has happened to, what made you finally think you must be pregnant and do the test?

Beasknees - how did they date DS2 in the end?! Never occurred to me about that (although at the moment I could probably pinpoint the exact time and date as sex is not that regular for us )

OP posts:

Slovenlymummy · 08/01/2010 10:11

This happened to me - BF'd DD for 12 months, no periods. Stopped feeding and periods did not resume so after 5 weeks or so i did test. Had no symptoms as such but was aware of possibility. Was pg by about 8 weeks from scan but unfortunately lost it later. Cowbag at the EPU said that it was quite commmon to lose a baby conceived whilst BFing!! I obviously was really upset at this but have researched it and found it to be absolute nonsense and in fact it seems that you are v fertile towards end of breast feeding.

Beasknees · 09/01/2010 18:16

i took a test cos my feelings of sickness weren't going away and i knew we had had a fairly active time in Feb so i thought i'd rule out pregnancy before going to the Dr. And got a result i really wasn't expecting.

Dr sent me for a dating scan - i thought i was possibly 5/6 weeks pg but even before doing the measurements the sonographer told me it was at least 14 weeks and on measuring all the vitals settled on 15+1 weeks. Quite a surprise indeed.

MumNWLondon · 09/01/2010 18:30

BF is effective as a contraceptive only if:

baby under 6 months
exclusively breastfeed (no solids, water, formula)
no dummy
feeding every 4 hours, day and night
periods haven't returned

Even then its only around 98% effective.

Beasknees · 10/01/2010 20:12

My flaw was the too big a gap at night time... but i ticked all of the other boxes. I'm very rare, me

MrsCrawf · 11/01/2010 09:00

My sister's periods didn't return for over a year after her first. She was TTC so went to the docs to ask why her periods hadn't returned and was told she was pregnant! She must have conceived literally as she stopped breastfeeding! (In otherwords, be careful!!)

Babieseverywhere · 11/01/2010 10:30

I am tandem feeding, 3.7 year old DD and 17 month old DS AND I'm 3 months pregnant with DC3, so yes you can get pregnant whilst breastfeeding

tiggergirl · 11/01/2010 12:51

my mum had me and i am twin was breastfeeding us til 8 months but fell pregnant with my little sister when we were 6 months old it made us all close

cakeandwine · 11/01/2010 12:52

I was breastfeeding my dd, and concieved dd2. i didn't realise as period not returned, it was sickness that eventually made me test, although initially thought sickness due to anxiousness about returning to work! i had no idea about dates and had dating scan which put me at 12 weeks, a couple of weeks after doing the test. I must have concieved when dd1 was 3.5 months. There is 13 months between dd1 and dd2, probably wouldn't have planned to have 2 so close

ShowOfHands · 11/01/2010 12:57

I was bfing every 2hrs day and night, exclusively and my periods retuned when dd was 13 weeks. We weren't having sex though so no chance of a baby but I could have been one of the 2% if we were!

Friend was exclusively feeding twins, felt rough when they were around 5 months, saw a doctor. Was 3 months pg. With twins.

Beasknees · 11/01/2010 18:21

Showofhands [gulp] at your friend. She probably needs more than just a medal for surviving.

vickyob · 11/01/2010 19:53

My Dr told me as long as I was exclusively feeding I would be fine up till 6months. I fell when when DS 2 was 4 months and Ds1 was 21 mths. So the oldest was 3 when number 3 arrived, trying to explain that when they came to visit Ds 3 was funny. But Im glad I love it taht they are soo close.

Original poster

2sCompany · 12/01/2010 11:19

Thanks for all your replies

Dating scan would be the obvious answer as to how to figure out dates - doh

Crikey showofhands, agree with Beasknees' [gulp] at your friend!

So I guess more reliable precautions are needed and if I start feeling nauseous I will be doing a pg test pronto.

I must say, I am full of admiration for all those of you with an active sex life so soon after having babies... all I can think of when I get to bed is going to sleep

OP posts:

wordsonascreen · 12/01/2010 11:29

I was still bf'ing ds (at 18 months) never had a period inbetween finding out I was PG with DD. I did stop BF as soon as I found out I was PG (I know some tandem feed but the thought of all that going on with my already knackered body made me give up!)

Needed a early dating scan as had no idea how far along I was with DD.

Flip