Nursing Mamas TTC March - Page 2

[wembles]

Originally Posted by rcr

HA! I say pee on sticks all you want, especially ICs.

I have a 'close to xmas' baby and would love to have another. We are not big on huge bday parties where people give all the kids cheap plastic crap in a little bag, so trying to have a sane bday party (which is very contrary to the norm around here!) together with a sibling seems better than two different parties!

We also have a close to Christmas baby (12/19)....plus MIL b-day (12/11), DH b-day (12/20), Christmas day itself (family get-togethers), and our wedding anniversary (12/27). I don't know if we can cram another celebration in there At the same time, I really don't want to stop trying!

I started taking maca last week, trying to kick start my body into ovulating. We've also nearly night-weaned DS! He is still waking up 3-4 times during the night, but DH is able to get him back to sleep with drinks of water and back patting. DS sleeps on a twin mattress, so it is easy for DH to lay with him until sleeping. DH was out of town last week, though, and when I tried to get DS back to sleep w/o nursing, it was a nightmare!! So, we had a little break from nightweaning until DH returned But, last night DS went from 8:00 pm until 5:00 am, milk free! FX for ovulation soon!!!

Oh, and thought I'd link to my (sad looking) chart. I'm still pretty new at it...http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/2d07d8

[tourist.]

Hi Ladies. I hope you don't mind adding a new member, especially one that is prone to lurking. I'm going nuts here waiting for my first PPAF and was excited to find that I am not alone with the nursing/cycle confusion. Hopefully I can keep up with the group here. I love reading what you all have to say.

A little bit about me: I have a 13 month old son, we co-sleep and he still nurses at night and in the evenings when I get home from work.

Cycle: I think I might have ovulated yesterday. I had a very positive OPK, abundant EWCF, and general ovulation type pain on Sunday, and also dtd. Yesterday, afternoon my OPK was negative, there might have been a tiny bit of EWCF mixed with creamy but maybe that was semen, and there was continued ovulation pain in the morning. Today my temp was somewhat elevated, although nothing to get super excited about. Hopefully the next few days temps will confirm ovulation. I think we lined everything up good to catch that first egg...as long as there was a first egg! And if we didn't catch the egg, I'd even be happy to just have AF. They cycle limbo is getting ridiculous.

I don't have a chart at the moment...I'm having trouble launching TCOYF on my laptop.

[SoCaliMommy]

Updated List From Here



tourist.~ Welcome to the group. i put you under waiting to catch first pp egg.


wembles~ I added your chart next to your name on the 1st page. fingers crossed you O soon.

[MamaFern]

going crazy..

im really REALLY trying to be zen..but im starting to go crazy! im 3 days late now and have no way of getting my hands on a test unless i go to the drugstore and face all of the ladies there who already give me looks when i go in there with my 3 kidlets in tow... or call the midwife here who i know quite well as a friend.. and really don't want her to think im a total dork if im not..and im not sure i want her to know if i am right away anyways... im trying to just be. but Arg!!. i really just want to KNOW@! it sounds silly but i live in a very small town and if im pregnant i would like it to be a secret for a while..mostly just because i want to be excited and happy without anyone negative thoughts or reactions changing that for me.

just a vent i guess.. i so wish i had temped this month..i wouldn't be wondering like this would i..

[Yuba_River]

Thanks for the hugs, everyone! My OPK are starting to fade in a bit, so I guess there is hope that I will O after all. I really feel convinced that I won't get pregnant until DS stops nursing, so my hopes aren't super high, but I'm sure I'll forget all about that during the TWW, anyway. :-) . He is nursing the least he ever has at this point, anyway, so maybe I will have crossed the magic threshold... we'll see. Of course, my parents are coming to stay in our tiny house for the next two nights, so we'll see if we're able to get in any BDing.

My DS has been doing something weird lately--most nights he does just fine with no nursing until it is time to get up (about 6 lately), but a couple of times lately he has woken up screaming at 5, saying "I need nursing!" and acting like we were in the middle of a big conflict over it, when we was peacefully sleeping moments before. I try to sooth him, but he is un-soothable, so I offer "nursing for five" which means while I count to five. He nurses for a few seconds, pops off and goes back to sleep. I guess it's an emotional need rather than a food need, since I doubt he even gets any milk in the few seconds he is nursing. Poor baby.

MamaFern I hope you are able to get the answer you want very soon!

Welcome Tourist! May your stay here be short and sweet.

for those in the TWW! Feeling hopeful for you all.

[lifeguard]

Yuba River - I find when ds wakes around 4 or 5 I cannot get away with any divisionary tactics - he wants to nurse & he wants to nurse NOW. I figure he really is hungry/thirsty at that point but I sure would love to get rid of that session - unfortunately I think it is going to be the most difficult to get rid of.

[majazama]

Originally Posted by MamaFern

im really REALLY trying to be zen..but im starting to go crazy! im 3 days late now and have no way of getting my hands on a test unless i go to the drugstore and face all of the ladies there who already give me looks when i go in there with my 3 kidlets in tow... or call the midwife here who i know quite well as a friend.. and really don't want her to think im a total dork if im not..and im not sure i want her to know if i am right away anyways... im trying to just be. but Arg!!. i really just want to KNOW@! it sounds silly but i live in a very small town and if im pregnant i would like it to be a secret for a while..mostly just because i want to be excited and happy without anyone negative thoughts or reactions changing that for me.

just a vent i guess.. i so wish i had temped this month..i wouldn't be wondering like this would i..

fern, I haven't taken a preg. test and I'm definitely pregnant! Sounds like you are as well, Congrats! Guess my baby will have a little buddy after all.

(how can you blame me for stalking you when you might possibly be pregnant too??)

[agmi]

Hello girls.
It's my 52 cd, I wonder when it will it end. I am not pregnant though. My chart looks like this: WWWWWWWW
Take care! Good luck!

[finnegansmom]

Welcome tourist!

mamafern ~ I can send you a few ICs if you want, I have 7 left I think...act fast before I use them all up!

Yubariver ~ Your OPKs sound promising....the early morning session is a tough one to let go off. Maybe a little cup of water on the nightstand you can offer if he is indeed thirsty? My son wakes all the time and he would nurse at every waking if I let him. But it just got too much for me, I just can't sleep in spurts of 40 minutes every night...for 19 months.... I found nursing to get rather unpleasant around ovulation. Do you feel your nipples getting sore at all? Before my first pp AF that was the biggest sign of them all...it took a few weeks for me to O (I used OPKS) but I was totally convinced I had thrush.

AFM ~ I test again this morning at 9 DPO and it was a BFN. Yesterday's test looked like an evap, and I posted a pic on the ONE thread and the kindhearted ladies there thought they saw something pink but it can't be since today's is clearly negative or an evap. It's those darn ICs that can be so evap-tastic at times. My temp is still above the coverline so I'm not out yet I guess. I should really wait until this weekend to test again since it's making me crazy. I shouldn't have to photoshop a test to see a +....

[SoCaliMommy]

agmi~ hope you O soon.


Yuba_River~ on the night nursing. Ryker has nights where me telling him " you get one sip" doesn't work and he will scream and cry for "boobies"


finnegansmom~ on the bfn this morning.

[MamaFern]

Originally Posted by finnegansmom

Welcome tourist!

mamafern ~ I can send you a few ICs if you want, I have 7 left I think...act fast before I use them all up!

Yubariver ~ Your OPKs sound promising....the early morning session is a tough one to let go off. Maybe a little cup of water on the nightstand you can offer if he is indeed thirsty? My son wakes all the time and he would nurse at every waking if I let him. But it just got too much for me, I just can't sleep in spurts of 40 minutes every night...for 19 months.... I found nursing to get rather unpleasant around ovulation. Do you feel your nipples getting sore at all? Before my first pp AF that was the biggest sign of them all...it took a few weeks for me to O (I used OPKS) but I was totally convinced I had thrush.

AFM ~ I test again this morning at 9 DPO and it was a BFN. Yesterday's test looked like an evap, and I posted a pic on the ONE thread and the kindhearted ladies there thought they saw something pink but it can't be since today's is clearly negative or an evap. It's those darn ICs that can be so evap-tastic at times. My temp is still above the coverline so I'm not out yet I guess. I should really wait until this weekend to test again since it's making me crazy. I shouldn't have to photoshop a test to see a +....

aw mama! its still early! i know lots of mamas done get bfp's till the day before af..or even after she is due, right?
you and me both are joining that DDC!!
thanks for the offer..i ordered some yesterday because i really just needed to know..so i guess they will be here in a few days..no spotting..no af, but feeling kinda crampy.so who knows. *sigh*

jazz, thanks im not 100% sure yet though so dont too excited :P

[finnegansmom]

Originally Posted by MamaFern

i ordered some yesterday because i really just needed to know..so i guess they will be here in a few days..no spotting..no af, but feeling kinda crampy.so who knows. *sigh*

I think cramping is kind of a good sign, I had cramps around 12 DPO last time around and I swore it was AF but she never showed...I don't usually cramp before AF until literally right before it starts (like an hour). I've been crampy on and off for the last few days as well, but I'm not sure if it's just my body getting back into the swing of things.... to you!!!

ps... did you get express shipping?

[peaches' mom]

Yubariver - good to hear that you're getting close to O again. As for your DS's waking, I agree it sounds like its emotional, especially since he so quickly settles after you allow him to nurse. Hopefully that means he'll be reassured - and sleeping well again - soon.

MamaFern - I'm with you - trying to be zen, too (although different circumstances) but it can be soooooo hard. I was going to suggest ordering via the internet, but that may be too slow. Could you get a friend to go to the drugstore? Not testing must be making you crazy!

Totally off-topic, but Wembles, I think we got married the same day (same year even)! Dec 27, 2003.

Finnegansmom - Your testing frenzy has me laughing but I can also feel your frustration.....been there many times. FX that you get your BFP really soon!

AFM, I haven't posted or changed my status (I've been 2ww for over a month!) because I haven't known from day-to-day what my body is doing. Feeling very confused & frustrated. 2 things I'm trying this cycle: I started taking maca & I've been doing OPKs regularly. Yesterday, on cd19, i started having lots of EWCM (had it before but patchy, this seems very different) and I got my first pp + OPK. I am VERY excited. My last LP was only 7 days, so this may be all for nothing, but hopefully the maca lengthens it. So, I'm clearly not a success story yet but feeling optimistic.

Best wishes & FX for everyone!

[MamaFern]

i know it can be normal, but till i know it makes me nervous! its very light though... and i did, same day, express.

[zwitterion]

MamaFern - I don't know how you can stand it! I hope you can get a test soon and see a very nice BFP!

I am feeling blue right now. No signs of O yet. CD105. A friend just announced today that her fourth baby is due in September. I should feel happy for her, but I feel jealous. I'm sitting here wanting #2 desperately and here she gets #4. I know there are plenty of women just wanting #1 and I should feel grateful for DD (and I do, very much), but I still feel so sad. I wonder how hard nightweaning would be for us. Maybe that would finally help, because nothing I've tried so far has done jack.

[peaches' mom]

Zwitterion - so sorry for your frustratingly long cycle.

From my own experience and from speaking to other women, it is very common not to O while nightnursing....something to do with higher prolactin levels during the dark hours. I also know that the decision to nightwean is difficult. For me, it wasn't for my fertility so much as my sanity (at 18 mos DD was still nursing every 1-2 hours throughout the night, and not very gentle about it!)

If you decide to nightwean, I hope your DH can play a big role. It is so much harder for the nursing mom.

Whatever you choose to do, don't lose hope. You WILL O again!

[finnegansmom]

Zwitterion, what # pp cycle is this for you? Your chart just has bleeding on one day (CD1) How many times a night are you nursing? I still nurse before sleep and maybe right when he wakes up in the morning if he wants to, but generally I nixed the multiple during the night nursing sessions, it was just too tiring for me and too painful, I have to lay in a weird position on my side to nurse laying down and it was bothering my back. I let him nurse as long as he wants before sleep (unless he's pulling my nipple, ouch). It definately took my fertility longer with #2 to return than with #1. #1 seemed really happy being moved to his crib after his nighttime nursing to sleep. I often wonder if it's not so much the nursing but the cosleeping and just being so close to him that does something to prolactin? Do you sleep close?

[zwitterion]

Peaches' mom - How did nightweaning go with such a frequent night nurser? DD nurses every 2 to maybe 3 hours at night, and I am sure that is not helping matters any. She just fights tooth and nail if I try to hold off on the nursing at night. I imagine that means she isn't quite ready for nightweaning yet, but maybe I'm wrong? Oh, and congrats on your +OPK! How terribly exciting!

finnegansmom - that's an interesting thought! DD actually loves her toddler bed and begs to lay down in it and fights when I take her out at night, but she still wakes just as much when she's in it and it is SO uncomfortable for me to try to nurse her while she's in it (she's never been good at staying asleep while being moved). If I could get her to stay sleeping longer or fall asleep without nursing, we'd all be happy with her in her toddler bed. And lately she has been wanting to sleep laying across me when she's in our bed--I eventually can roll her off, but I'd say we're sleeping in awfully close proximity.

ETA - finnegansmom, I forgot to detail my cycles for you! I am on about my 5th PP cycle. I am 90% certain I ovulated in August with a 7 day LP and a VERY light AF--glorified spotting, really. Then I had a few 27-28 day anovulatory cycles (though I *might* have ovulated in October), a 14 day anovulatory cycle, and now this never-ending one. All of my AFs thus far have been glorified spotting with AF-like cramps (which is how I distinguished them from the spotting I'd been having, too, though now the spotting has stopped, as well). Because of how absolutely light the AFs were, I don't know how accurate calling each individual one AF is, so I might have fewer than 5 cycles under my belt, kwim?

[Samanthavv]

Hello! So, I wasnt exactly trying to conceive, but I'm nursing (partially) and in the 2ww now! To sum it up...

I have not had my first ppaf yet. My son was breastfeeding 10-15 times a day exclusively (he's 9 months old) but 2-3 weeks ago, he dropped from that many feeds to only 1-3 a day, depending on his mood. We had an oops on the 26th, and the next two days I felt ovulation twinges (lots of them, on BOTH sides!) and had transitional cervical mucous, and then on the 3rd day I started getting some pretty intense cramps. And my mucous dried up for the most part for a couple days. The cramps subsided and have been replaced by a swollen/tender feeling in my uterine area and now the mucous is back, except its not stretchy at all, it's thick, holds its shape, and super white and creamy.. I'm almost convinced I'm pregnant... As I had similar feelings with pregnancies in the past.

I'm just afraid to get my hopes up in case I'm not. And if I'm not, hubby wants to wait 2.5 more years to ttc! I don't want to wait that long! I'm really crossing my fingers for a BFP!

[peaches' mom]

Zwitterion - Sorry this has become a novel, I don't have time to edit it down so it is sort of a stream of consciousness. Here's our experience, FWIW....

We nightweaned over Xmas holidays when my DH was off. We planned on having some really bad nights, assumed he'd have no sleep at all. (In addition to her avid nursing, she's a pretty strong minded child - not one to take "no" gently). With that in mind, we were both amazed at how (relatively) easily it went. She did cry and call out for me (I was in a different room), he cuddled her & patted her back and she seemed to accept it. In strategizing, I told DH that I wouldn't come in on my own, but if he wanted me or felt like she needed me, I would come right away. It's so hard to hear your child cry when you're not able to comfort them, but I knew that going in would not help the situation (and would really undermine DH's capacity to comfort her). I had flashbacks to psych class learning about operant conditioning and intermittent reinforcement, but I digress!

Since then it hasn't been perfect, but for the most part she now sleeps from about 8:30 pm-5:45 am (when she has a nurse-a-thon) which is waaaay better than her big sister did at her age. The girls sleep together, so I don't know if that helps? Some nights DH has to go in and sleep with them, on the nights that I go there's no way to avert nursing.

BTW, I think our girls are the same day, my DD2 was born July 08. Such an adorable age, especially if you can get some sleep

Best of luck to you, keep us posted!