I am looking for some advice on natural family planning and breast feeding. I am currently breast feeding my 9 month old, and have not yet gotten a period. We are starting to talk about having another baby, but I don't know if I am ovulating because I haven't had a period. Is there anyway to tell when to concentrate trying to have a baby if you are not having regular periods? I'd like to try to space the babies about 20 months apart so I really hope to be able to conceive in the next few months.
Thanks for your advice!
Thanks for the advice, I'll pick up the book that you all recommended. I nursed my first son until I was 5 months pregnant with my second. I can't remember when I started getting regular periods, but actually I think I only had 1 or 2 before I got pregnant again (planned). I intend to nurse Joey till at least 15 months, so I'll be patient.
Some people will just not get thier period back until they stop BFing. I was one of those people. I too wanted babies 1.5 years apart but it just wasn't meant for me since I never ovulated until 2 months after I weaned my daughter at 14 months. I'm pregnant now (YAY) and my babies will be 26 months apart. Oh well. You might just have to make the decision if it's more important to you to BF or to have another baby. Good luck:)
My mom got pregnant while breastfeeding me. So my brother and I are super close he was a oops. So it could happen I think you could ovulate without a period.
Yes, get the book "Taking Charge of your fertility" It has great information on NFP and will tell you how to tell if you are fertile even if you have not yet gotten your period. Good luck!
You can research a topic called Fertility Awarenss Method that I used successfully to both postpone and conceive. I got it from a book, it may have been the book others are recommending called "taking charge of your ferility" but I am not certain. If you google Fertility Awareness Method the book I am familiar with should come up. Also using the ovulation test strips helped me solidify when I was ovulating or not along with all the charting I did. You may someone who just doesn't ovulate while bf-ing so you may need to be patient and be willing to space out your kids a bit more, I wouldn't recommend stopping bf-ing just to get pregnant again.
Good luck
K. H
If you are not having periods, you are not ovulating. You only get a period if you have ovulated. Obviously you and your husband can enjoy yourselves and hope to catch the first post-breastfeeding ovulation when it happens, but if you are serious about conceiving you will probably need to cut down on breastfeeding. I breastfed for 14 months and I think I got my period back around 12 months. As soon as you get the first period, you can start tracking your cycle, but you'll probably need a few months to pinpoint where you're at.
My two cents would be to keep nursing now and be patient. Get the book Taking Charge of your Fertility so you'll be ready to chart when your period does return. Your period will probably be back in the next few months, as your son starts to eat more solid food and nurse less. Many women can continue nursing while pregnant, too.
Good luck,
B.
If you're not having periods, then it's been said that you are not ovulating, however...I've also been told of those baby's that are only 12 months apart (or less) because the mother got pregnant right after giving birth. (My mom and her oldest brother are 11 months apart and I KNOW my grandmother nursed all of her kids, so I'm fairly certain that she was also not getting her period, but still managed to get pregnant only 1 month after giving birth.) You still could drop eggs, they just don't get expelled through a cycle and through your period blood...they just expire and sort of die so they can't be fertilized. I'd call your doc for advise, but if you are ovulating without periods, there are those ovulation kits that have 20 or so strips in them. You could use one of those to indicate approximately when you're LH surge is during the month, and go from there each month after that. It's a starting point. Good luck.
There are lots of websites out there that help you track your schedules. I would think the best thing would be to take your temperature before getting out of bed each morning. If you see the spike and drop you might be ovulating. Then take a ovulation test and you'll know for sure. That's what I would do. Many of the charts online will let you put in your temp each morning and track it for you. It's pretty cool. Check this out: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&...
20 months apart is a great space. We got pregnant the day after my first turned one because it was the first night she slept in her own room and we had our room to ourselves :O) That made the girls 20 months apart and we loved it that way. Then we adopted the boys and now we have 4 kids 5,4,3.5 and 1.5. I wouldn't change it for the world though.
Best Wishes,
J.
I got pregnant, while breastfeeding, no period, at 10 months. That's why we were never sure about the exact date of conception. I did not have a period for almost 4 years, but that did not mean that I was not ovulating. Get the book, or talk to a doctor. I would say use a condom for now until you want to get pregnant again.
