BFing No period Yet, and want to TTC

[umma79]

I am still bfing my 14 month old, and would like to ttc soon. I have not got my period back and i'm getting some what impatient about it's return. I would like to have 3 or 4 children and I am 30. I don't want to wean an don't think it is necessary to get pregnant. My son still nurses 3 or more times in the night and 10 times during the day. Does any one have any advice or wisdom to offer?

[Chloe'sMama]

Right here with you. I am 30, nursing my 14 month old and dont want to wean. I just had something, although I wouldn't call it AF. I am planning on Acupuncture in the next few months to get my cycle started. I know people say night weaning helps, but that is not an option for us.

Good luck

[GearGirl]

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but I got my first pp af at about 16 months even though my ds2 nurses like he is a newborn! You probably don't have long to wait even if you don't do anything specific to encourage things. I know some people can go almost 2 years if nursing, but I think that is pretty rare.

[LadyCatherine185]

I am there with you, no PP period yet, nursing my 12 month old. I am only 24 though, so not in a huge rush, but we want to TTC around the beginning of 2010.. so in about 4 months. He is still nursing at least 4 times (usually more) at night, and every 2-3 hours during the day..... And not very interested in solids either... :

I guess for us, I should wait until he is more interested in solids in case my milk dries up. But I would love to continue to nurse through pregnancy and tandem if DS wants to.

Good luck mama!

[AngeliqueW]

Do you do fertility awareness charting?
I'm in the same situation as far as lactation amenorrhea goes (although I'm in no rush for another at this time). 15 mo DS nurses a lot at night.
I started taking a class (which is 2 days a month) and spent the first full day (6:30a-8:30p) ever away from DS last week (before that we'd only rarely been apart for 2hrs at a time). My temperature went up, my cervix is high and firm, and I'm feeling "randy" so I suspect I'm ovulating. We'll see if there's a period in a week or two.
We didn't night wean, just spent one 14 hour day apart (which was a special father-son bonding time). I only pumped once at lunch time.
I know my experience is very personal and anecdotal, but maybe your body would respond to a little nudge without having to make any permanent changes?
Good Luck.
p.s. At my class, I met a 49 yr old woman who's 13th child is 18mo. She told me don't focus on your age, there's plenty of time for more!

[Amila]

I am EXACTLY in your shoes! And was also in these same shoes 2 years ago. I started charting and taking Vitex (2 droppers full 3x a day) and within 2 weeks I ovulated and conceived. Now we want to try for #3 and I have started the same procedure over again, so we will see! Once you DO conceive, it is best to stop taking vitex, according to my naturopath. Good luck!

[umma79]

What is vitex? Is it safe while for babe while bfing? Will it mess with milk supply? How much do you take and how often?

[Cory]

My experience

Originally Posted by umma79

What is vitex? Is it safe while for babe while bfing? Will it mess with milk supply? How much do you take and how often?

Vitex is Chaste tree berry-a natural herb. It is safe to take while bf-may even boost your supply! Right now I am taking capsules-300mg 3x a day-so 900 mg a day. When I took a tincture I took 40ish drops 3x a day. If I remember right, you shouldn't take more than the recommended doseage as it could seriously up your prolactin level-which is great for milk supply but will probably prevent you from becoming pg.

I don't have absence of af while bf-I get af back about 1 month after my post birth bleeding stops-but my "cycles" are really wacky for a while. After dd1 was born I was having 14 day "cycles" and even had one cycle where I bled for 26 days! I started taking vitex and b6 (b6 to lengthen my luteal phase) and I think it took about 3 months and I was pregnant with dd2. She's now almost 7 months old and i have had nutso cycles once again-and right now I am on day 15 of my cycle and still bleeding. Taking my vitex adn hoping to get normal again soon!

Hope that helps!

Cory

P.S We aren't ttc-but i would be totally happy with another kiddo!:

[Cory]

oh, yeah I forgot to say that if you get pregnant while taking vitex they say it's best to wean off the herb rather than stop it suddenly. That's what I did and dd2 was/is fine!:

[umma79]

Thanks for the helpful information, I started the vitex and b6. I feel like you can really feel this stuff working in your body. The second day after taking I was feeling pretty strange (weak, upset stomach, headaches, and body aches) now i feel fine. Could be a little bug, but who knows.

[justimaginelove]

Continuing with the Vitex should help. You could try cutting back on nursing as well.

When my first son was 15 months I chose to night wean only. That brought my period back a week later. You might try it. That way you don't have to stop breastfeeding.

It is also easier to wean a child that only nurses in the day time. (From my experience).

Dalene

[Latte Mama]

OP I bet you'll get AF back SOON! Vitex works well. I'm 41 and wanted AF back very bacly due to age and wanting to TTC 1 more. At 11 months PP I started Vitex and got AF within 45 days. I was told by most it takes 4-6 weeks to work and it did. Good luck!

[umma79]

So I've been on the Vitex for 2 months and we are working on the night weaning. Choose to do the night weaning because we really really needed to get sleep.
I'm seriously still wondering when this AF is going to start up. I thought I had an O, because of the CM I saw. I have not seen period or pregnancy. What gives? I hope I'm not one of the rare who can't conceive while nursing. I wonder if weight loss could have anything to do with it. I am about 16 lbs. less in weight than when I got pregnant the first time, but by no means under weight. I am not trying to lose either. i do some light running 3 to 4 days per week, could that be an issue?

[mammal_mama]

I think at 30 you have an excellent chance of having your 4 children -- even if your fertility is as slow to return as mine was.

I didn't marry 'til age 35 -- our oldest was conceived right away and born 1 month before I turned 36. Then my period didn't return until 21 months postpartum ... but fertility took even longer to come back: dd2 was conceived a couple of months after dd1 turned 4.

Now dd2 is 4 1/2 and I'm not pregnant (with her my period returned at 30 months postpartum). I've had a few very early miscarriages, and think things are just winding down for me (I'm 45 now).

If I'd started at 30 like you, I'd probaby have at least 3 children -- even with a 5-year spacing between each one. But most women don't have lactational infertility for as long as I do -- I'm really way way at the long end of the spectrum on that. Most women are fertile much sooner, and you probably will be, too.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by umma79

I am still bfing my 14 month old, and would like to ttc soon. I have not got my period back and i'm getting some what impatient about it's return. I would like to have 3 or 4 children and I am 30.

you are still very young and have lots of time. I'm 44 and still fertile and thinking about having *just one more*!

I don't want to wean an don't think it is necessary to get pregnant. My son still nurses 3 or more times in the night and 10 times during the day. Does any one have any advice or wisdom to offer?

The reason you don't have periods yet is, IMHO, your body knows that it isn't ready right now to meet the needs of your baby as well as a pregnancy. Focus on loving the baby you have and parenting it the way you want to, and your fertilityy will return at the right time.

My first two kids are closely spaced because I was in my early 30's and thought that I needed to rush. All I did was make it really hard on myself. I could have enjoyed my kids as babies so much more if I had trusted in my body a little bit more. Trust that everything will happen at the right time.

Enjoy where you and your baby are right now. This is the ONLY time that you will have just one toddler to love on. With your next one, you will be so busy and tired.

[LROM]

Linda you have no idea how much your post means to me! I'm going to be 44 next year and DD is 10 months old, and I've been STRESSING about not having gotten AF back yet.

But haven't wanted to night wean because a) I trust that if DD still wants it and I have it, I should still give it to her, and b) she may be the only baby I ever have and I want to cherish this time.

Your post helps me appreciate that yes, I am getting older (and there are no guarantees of another), but the DD I have will only be a baby once and I DO want to enjoy it as much as possible!

And i keep thinking of how busy I am with one... it's actually hard to imagine 2 but yes, if I think my life will never be the same now, I'm sure I'll REALLY feel that way with #2!

So I'll keep hoping for fertility while I keep the nursing up and enjoy my DD. And I TRUST MY BODY!

What will be will be. Thanks for the reminder!

[roxemama]

I am thankful to hear others in the same situation, because I do not want to night wean. My LO is 19 months and I am a WOHM full time and have been pumping once a day (althought I'm stopping soon). There is no sign of AF yet. DD is in his late 40's and we would like to try again in the next 6 months or so. I definitely have the bug to try again. I will try Vitex soon. I came on today to find a herb to help jump start my AF. Thanks! I hope it works.