Ecological breastfeeder- FIRST OVULATION?

[Kbrinkley]

Hello all. I haven't been around in a while but I think I currently need a little help. I've been ecologically breastfeeding my third child up until August when i started back to school part time. She's been going without feeding on demand for a few hours a couple of days a week (one day a week I have clinical and she goes around 6-7 hours w/o) due to class. Well, I think this month the decrease in feedings has finally resulted in ovulation.

So, my question is, can you have cervical fluid and cramps and an insane increase in sex drive and NOT actually release an egg? I am totally freaking out because about 2-3 days ago hubbie and I had intercourse twice without pulling out. The next day and since I've been having gobs of fertile fluid and cramping and a slow decline in the insane sex drive. This is the MOST notable ovulation I have ever experienced. I mean, totally textbook, PLUS!

So, could the sperm survive if I did not see fertile fluid on the days we had unprotected intercourse? I am just trying to brace myself for a pregnancy. What do ya'll think? I really thought my first ovulation woudl be "annovulatory" but is an annovulatory cycle coupled with such strong ovulation symptoms???

I read that women who get their periods back earlier tend to have annovulatory FRIST cycles but those who get them back later tend to have a fertile first cycle.

Any words of advice or comfort would be wonderful. I dont mind another pregnancy

[Kbrinkley]

oh, i forgot to mention she is almost 17 months old.

[Xerxella]

Anything's possible. It's possible you didn't drop an egg. It's possible you did, but the uterus isn't ready for implantation. It's possible that even if everything was perfect the egg didn't implant or it wasn't a good quality egg or your luteal phase will be too short (this is what happens to alot of women who are bfing) or the million other reasons why every month doesn't result in a pregnancy.

So, unfortunately, there's no way to know until the dreaded 2ww is up and you get AF or test. Since you having signs of the impending return of fertility, you may want to start charting. Good luck, either way. Keep us posted.

[miss_honeyb]

I would say chances are good that if you've gone 17 months with breastfeeding amenorrhea, you ovulated with your first cycle instead of having an annovulatory first cycle. BUT...I always have a super short luteal phase for the first couple cycles, which isn't uncommon, so could be the same for you, in which case you probably wouldn't get pregnant. Like the pp said, you'll just have to wait and see now!! Keep us posted!!

[Kbrinkley]

thank you to you both. I had forgotten about the whole lutel phase thing and probably because a dear friend currently has my fertility book. It is definitely TIME to start charting. Any recommendations for easy methods would be much appreciated. I really am not interested in paying to chart online, although that is what I have done in times past.

For now, my ovulation has past. I cannot believe how long it lasted. At least a week! We'll see in a few more weeks if another little Brinkley will join us in 10 months I am rather nervous!

[scottishmommy]

I had the same thing almost 6 weeks ago, but alas I had short luteal phase. I'm pretty sure I'm gearing up to ovulate now, we'll see if this one is sticky!

[Xerxella]

Fertility Friend is free if you just use the basic chart, which is plenty good enough. I've been using ff for years now. We concieved out second with it and hopefully our third.

[elisheva]

My dd was conceived at least 5 days after the last time we had sex that cycle...

I also recently had crazy on-again-off-again CM in September - waited the three days of no fertile CM then was, um, especially receptive to the idea of sex...BFP two weeks later.