breastfeeding and wanting to concieve

[Maka]

I had a baby few months ago and I am breastfeeding. We are wanting to try for another baby already as we want a big family and we are already in our 30s. Have any of you got pregnant while breastfeeding or did you have to stop. I wanted to breastfeed my lo till at least 6-12 months.

 

[Birdie]

From what I understand it depends from person to person. Exclusively breastfeeding on demand and co-sleeping can be a fairly effective contraception for lots of people, but not everyone and at the other end of the scale, I am feeding my 2.5yr old son at bedtime and have wondered if just that feed is producing enough prolactin to cause me issues as we have been TTC for months and all other tests are coming back normsl?!

One thing that seemed pretty consistent from my research, was that when babies weaned night feeds, that increased the rate at which women found they could get pregnant. It was like that long stretch between feeds produced a signal that it was biologically ok to have another baby.

Good luck!

 

[Tigger87]

My experience was that my periods didn't return until I'd gone back to work (full time) and a few months later stopped expressing during the day - so around his first birthday. I didn't manage to conceive until we weaned completely - my periods were so erratic during that time, I just don't think I ovulated. However! I'm not sure I ovulated every month before having my son so I'm possibly not the best example. We seemed to really need "optimal conditions" so to speak, and for us, breastfeeding meant we weren't conceiving! I wish you much better luck than we had xxx

 

[G4YLE]

My periods returned when wee one was 9 months old and I continued to breastfeed her beyond her first birthday. Started ttc number two in October and fell pregnant straight away. I only stopped breastfeeding her on Christmas Day when she was 19 months old. I think if you're periods have come back then it's more likely to happen but it's not impossible to conceive even when they haven't properly returned.

 

[Maud]

I still breastfeed my toddler twice a day and am pregnant with my second. My periods had come back when I conceived though and it took a few months of trying.

 

[Rose83]

My daughter was born December 2014. I exclusively breast fed but by 8 weeks was exclusively expressing the breast milk due to problems she had feeding from me due to chronic thrush. I was expressing over 1000ml a day but my periods came back at 4 months ish, had my first period, 34 days later my next period and I got pregnant that cycle (we also want a fairly big family and didn't want to wait). When I got my periods back the week before my period and the week of my period my milk supply drastically lowered and nothing I did improved it so I had to rely on freezer store of expressed milk to make up the shortfall. However once I feel pregnant my milk supply almost instantly dried up, there is nothing you can do if that happens, pumping extra doesn't work or anything like that, it's just hormonal. I carried on trying to get what I could out (maybe 300ml a day) until 7 and a half months when I switched her (reluctantly) to formula. I had started weaning her at 4 months but she didn't drop any feeds until about 6 months so was having just as much. By the time I stopped she was only having about 500ml a day. She has always been healthy and loves her food and on the 75th percentile on growth chart so no adverse effects. I'm due next month and hopefully this one will feed more easily from me! X

 

[Cosmogirl7]

Im still breastfeeding, my period returned when my wee boy was 7 months after I started giving him solids. I'm still breast feeding now, he's 1 in 2 weeks and have just found out I'm pregnant again. He's only feeding morning and night now though xxx

 

[Maka]

Thanks ladies. We are down to one feeding during the night but he feeds a lot throughout the day still. He sometimes will take formula but only when I want a break. My period hasn't returned yet. I'll cut him back when he's about 6 months when he's on solids and hopefully that'll help.

 

[Kholl]

Just seeing this- I got pregnant while breastfeeding my 14-month-old many times throughout the night and during the day. He's 16.5 months now and we have night-weaned him but he still nurses a lot all day. The game changer for me was maca root- I started taking 3-4,000 mg of organic gelatinized maca daily and got pregnant immediately. The first cycle I started taking it. Highly highly recommend maca!

 

[Yess]

I am feeding my girl who was 2 in November. Got my first period in December and got pregnant on next ovulation. Currently 8 weeks and still feeding. Think if your period has returned you have more chance x