Breastfeeding and TTC

I second the idea for charting... cervical fluids can tell you so much.

For getting your period to start sooner... how often are you breastfeeding? Are you co-sleeping? This is not scientific by any means... but my friends and I all breastfeed for quite a while... varied from 13 months - 2 years... for those of us the stopped breastfeeding in the middle of night and stopped co-sleeping... our periods seemed to emerge within a month or two... again, no scientific data... just what our little group saw... we happily breastfed during the day... just not at night... it also seemed to help with the sleeping.

I have no personal experience (although that might change in the not so distant future), but I do know of many women who have conceived while breastfeeding. It is definitely NOT the safest form of birth control when used alone! :) I don't think you have to wean him in order to conceive. And it's certainly possible to conceive without having had a cycle (i.e., you could get pregnant the first month that you DO have a cycle, so you'd never have a period). Good luck!

L.,
I don't have personal experience. I do have experience as a natural childbirth educator. Congrats for taking time to continue to nurse your son and pay attention to his rhythms.
Many moms that I know and work with have conceived while nursing. I'd talk with your local La Leche League leader. They are wonderful resources. Also, I know of several midwives that would be willing to speak with you by phone, on line or in person about this issue. Please feel free to contact me if you want more info.
L.

I conceived while nursing my 11 month old. While I started my period at 4 months post partum, it wasn't regular (never really is). We got pregnant the first month we tried. I went on to breastfeed until I was 4 months (and my daughter was 15 months). Then, my supply dropped drastically. I've read/heard about that happening, but honestly didn't think it would ever happen to me since I always seemed to have SO much milk...and was horribly engorged when I weaned my first child. But, my body was working on something else.

I had about a month of being "dried out" before I had colostrum.

Good luck!

I got pregnant while still exclusively breastfeeding, but my cycles returned after 3 months anyway. It was difficult nursing while pregnant, since my breasts hurt so bad, and my son didn't put up much of a fight to wean, but he was still really young, since I got pg when he was 5 months old.

With my 2nd son, we went straight to sippy cups, but he also had his brother to watch, so that may have helped. At 11 months, your son can eat small pieces of food by hand. Try cooked vegetables (take the liquid out of veggie soup, although that has a lot of salt), or cut up whatever veggies you are eating into small chunks and let him have at it. Try small pieces of soft fruits, like banana and peaches. The more regular food he'll eat, the less he'll nurse, and the more likely you'll start cycling again.

As long as you have your period (and sometimes even if you haven't, I know a couple people who have gotten pregnant without having their period) you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I am 18 weeks pregnant (with another little girl) and I breastfed my older daughter up until her 2nd birthday about two weeks ago. It was mutual. I had dried up and I needed some downtime before nursing this new baby and she was fine with it. So you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I have no tips. I just went off the minipill (I had no cycle prior to this) and two cycles later I was pregnant. Just giving you hope. In most cases, you don't have to wean to get pregnant. I bet you will get your cycle back soon. Especially as he starts eating more and nursing less. I think the average is 12-14 months.

I am breastfeeding and am pregnant. I didn't have any problem conceiving, but I have had my cycle since 5.5 months PP.

While it is possible to conceive before your cycle returns, you would need to be charting or otherwise know if you are ovulating.

If you are not ovulating, you may want to consider night weaning. Reducing the number of night feedings is usually enough to bring back your cycle.

There are many cases where women get pregnant while nursing and if you do you can continue to nurse just make sure you are getting that extra 500 or so calories; I have a freind who did just that and after the baby was born nursed them both. That is entirely up to you and your life style.
Good luck

You might need to start cutting back his feedings and that may bring back your cycle. Good luck!

I conceived while still breastfeeding but I had already started my cycle and my child was already 13 months old. We weaned very quickly after that. We were not trying very hard to get pregnant but I was taking my vitamins and was very aware of my dates. It can be done but let me warn you about the pull I'm sure most moms feel when they have the second, having to nurse the new one when the old one just stopped is difficult. Of course my youngest is now 14 months and they play together all the time and giggle like best friends. It's awesome.

Most people (including myself) I know get their period back around 12 months. The women I know who went longer than that with no period nursed throughout the night (I on the other hand, was not a night-nurser, needing my sleep). Anyways, my OB did mention that if there are significant periods of time (such as 10+ hours at a time) where the baby does not nurse, that can increase the likelihood of starting to ovulate. Anyways, it's not scientific, but just something to think about.

What if you son wants to BF until he is 5? Is that ok w/ you? Because some kids do. So if you really want to conceive now or soon then it might be time to wean. It also might be easier before he has much more of a clue or opinion about whats about to happen.
I havent conceived while BF'ing. My cycle returned w/in a couple of months. You might want to get a box of ovulation predictors to see if you are even ovulating. If you are not then you wont conceive and will have to end BF'ing in order to. If you are ovulating and just not menstrauting, then you can get preggo, it will just be more difficult if it even happens at all.
Best of luck.

I nursed my first child for 3 1/2 years, including through my second pregnancy, and nursed both kisds for 8 months after second child was born. Happens all over the world for thousands of years. Make sure you eat and drink enough!

Hi L.,
I was breastfeeding with only cereal & minimal sweet pot introduced & conceived when my first son was 6 months old - they're 15 months apart. Don't assume that just because you haven't had a period that you are not ovulating. Maybe get some of those ovulating test kits & test every few days to see where your ovulation hormones are.

My son weaned himself at 9 months - I guess he didn't like the taste of the 'pregnant' breastmilk. Some people have told me that the flavor changes b/c of the pregnancy hormones. So, sorry, I don't have any weaning advice.
Take care & good luck !! - M.

Congrats on breastfeeding for so long. I'm currently 3 months pregnant and still breastfeeding my 18-month old. We are actually in the process of weaning him so he doesn't feel pushed out by the new baby. So it definitely is possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding. I would probably suggest cutting back on the number of times you nurse him during the day. My cycle came back when I stopped nursing full-time. I think weaning my son has been harder on me than on him. He loved nursing but he also loves the independence he gets from the sippy cup. My son doesn't like to be spoon fed very much either but he loves doing it himself. It gets very messy but we let him have a turn then mom has a turn. It has worked for us.

Good luck!

L.:

Hello! I understand the desire to want your babies a little close in age. I was 34 when my first was born (after almost 4 years of trying to get pregnant!). I breastfed my son until he was 2 years old. During that time I got pregnant with my second one and all was fine.

My OBGYN only wanted him weened by my 3rd trimester to avoid any cramping, etc. Other than that - no issues what so ever!

Oh yeah - and like you, I didn't have a period for a 14 months after my son was born and still got pregnant. Keep in mind, my second didn't WANT to breast feed after one year - he weened himself and BOY was that hard!

Good luck and take care!

Cheryl

There are a lot of things you can try including night weaning. You might not even need to wean all the way at night, dropping a feeding or two could bring your cycle back. Keep in mind that just b/c your cycle comes back you may not ovulate right away. Charting may be a good idea to see where your body is.

Check out this link. Maybe it'll be helpful.

http://www.kellymom.com/nursingtwo/resources/ttc-while-bf...

I would consult a midwife. a Certified Professional Midwife. CPM they are very naturally oriented and would probably have a lot of good tips and tricks while still respecting your nursing child.

When you think sooner, maybe consider moving that to two years instead of one. Your body will thank you. Three to four years is really ideal as far as time needed to heal from the stresses of pregnancy, which is what I'm aiming for myself. Good luck with your decision.

P.S. I applaud you for not weaning your son before he is ready. I plan to breastfeed to at least two years if that is what Odin wants (I really enjoy not having a period, haha).

I got pregnant while nursing and I didn't have my period yet. However, as soon as I found out that I was pregnant I stopped nursing under the advice of doctors. Nursing can cause early contractions. Good luck!

I also got pregnant while still nursing my first, he was 12 months. I may have gotten a period but I really can't recall. I do know that I was no longer nursing at night. My son really liked his food and was nursing somewhat less at that point. My milk supply dropped off somewhat and he weaned himself happily by the time I was 3 months pregnant.

Hi,
My son was still nursing (though eating table food and some formula) at 10 months when we conceived our daughter. I continued to breastfeed my son after speaking with a lactation consultant who assured me it would be fine. When my son was almost one year, we introduced organic whole milk to him (in a bottle, now in a sippy cup). Because he loved drinking whole milk, was easily distracted while nursing, and almost a year, I chose to stop breastfeeding. For us it was easy to stop. My daughter is due in two months, and my son continues to drink two sippy cups a dayof whole milk. Good luck!

I successfully conceived twice while breastfeeding. My first child was a little less than 11 months old, and my second child was 15 months old. For both, I thought they were young enough to use a bottle for alternate drinks/supplement formula/pumped milk/whole milk. (They didn't like sippy cups yet either) Try letting your child feed himself...it's messy and more than half of it will be all over the place, but your child will enjoy the sense of empowerment and my actually eat more overall. (Just move the highchair to the middle of the room and lay down towels...I will even strip mine down to diapers at that age and hose them down in the sink when they are done.) I continued to nurse about three times a day...not much more than that. For both, I had one cleansing cycle, then a month or so later found out I was pregnant. My first seemed to sense something was different and soon afer I got pregnant weaned herself. After finding I was pregnant with my third child, I finally "convinced" my second to wean by gradually decreasing nursing times until she lost interest. I also had to feed her filling foods about an hour before bed so she wouldn't wake hungry or go to bed hungry...yogurt, whole milk...whatever. I put a baby bottle full of water in the crib for both babies and that seemed to satisfy their need to suck and/or thirst. There were many times with my second that she wanted the breast for comfort, so I would snuggle her close and let her mouth on a bottle...she didn't really resist that because she was still getting mommy. Also, both my kids would wake HUNGRY! I would arm myself with a bananna or something else nutritious for them to snack on right away while I made my apple pancakes (great breakfast fingerfood..and if you don't use syrup from the start, they won't know they are missing it! When they get old enough to use a fork, you can top with yogurt or applesause...something healthy and filling with a little more body that makes it less messy)
Hope this helps! Don't get discouraged!

I did know of women who breastfed while they were pregnant, but usually this doesn't work. I was nursing my daughter when I got pregnant with my son. I had to quit the nursing because my breasts got very sore due to hormone changes. If I were you I would wait a few months longer before trying to get PG. AF

L. - my OB/Gyn always said to have our birth control method in place while nursing if we DIDN'T want to get pregnant. According to my Dr. it is quite easy to get pregnant during nursing. She said you don't have to have periods to be fertile during this time. So good luck - and you need not be worried!!! S.

Hi L.,

First, you don't need a cycle in order to conceive (trust me!) all you need is to not be breast feeding exclusively, which means waking at least once a night to breastfeed, plus daytime feedings. Once you move away from that (which you have) your body may very well be ready to conceive at any time. So good luck!

As to weaning while pregnant, I will weigh in with my experience. I got pregnant when my daughter was about 7 months old. My milk supply dropped off pretty fast, because your body will prioritize feeding the fetus before it feeds the baby. However, I wasn't ready to stop nursing entirely, and thought I would supplement. The OB/gyn nurse practitioner told me to wean in the first trimester. When I asked if it was required or just her suggestion, she admitted it is a suggestion because doing both (nursing and pregnancy) makes a lot of women tired. All this to say, it is really your choice to continue breastfeeding as you like while pregnant, it is not going to take resources from the baby, as long as you are eating a healthy, sufficient, diet.

L.~
I haven't done this myself, but I know it can be done. A friend of mine kept nursing her older daughter (only a little, though) even after her newborn arrived. She, clearly, had a great supply of milk. I would see how your supply holds up, but also, when your little guy turns one, you can give him whole milk... even give him a bottle if you need to. Good luck! :)