question for anyone nursing and ttc

[mamadiamond]

i'm nursing my 7month old dd and ttc. my period returned in december, but my cycle is still really irregular, however, i ovulated this month for sure. before i had dd i had a really regular cycle so i knew long before i tested that something was up. but i have no idea what signs to look for while breastfeeding, especially since i don't even know when to expect a period since i'm so irregular now. how will i even know when to test? are the early signs going to be the same as with my dd (i.e. bloating, sore breasts, nausea, etc)? i ovulated on the 7th. do i just wait 14 days and then test if my period hasn't showed up? i'd really love some input from other mammas who are trying/have gotten pregnant while nursing. thanks.

betsy

[SimpleLove]

I am nursing my 2 year old and just got a positive pregnancy test this week. For atleast a week before I tested, I was bloated, achey, exhausted, getting hot flashes, etc. I could feel every symptom and knew it was because I was pregnant. Breastfeeding didn't effect that at all. However, I didn't have sore breasts until days after testing. When AF returned I had somehwat regular but 34-day cycles. I just calculated and tracked on a website everytime I got my period, and it told me the day each month I would O. Otherwise I would never know on my own when we could try.

[mamadiamond]

thanks :)

so i guess now i just wait and see if i start to feel pregnant. with my first i knew long before i tested but i just didn't know if the symptoms would be different while nursing.

[Wilbur]

I recently had an early miscarriage. The biggest thing I noticed was that my nipples went from being pretty insensitive to really, really tender, which they always do when I'm first pregnant but something about having a squirmy toddler latch on made it that much more noticeable.  Pretty unmistakable, although I really questioned myself during those two weeks of waiting!

[badgerbaby]

Hi...I'm right there with you.  Though we were not TTC.  I am still nursing my 15 mo old and I got my 1st ppaf in early January (so I am now on cd 50-something...I've lost track). I know not to expect a regular 28 day cycle to start up right away, but this is ridiculous!  I have taken about a dozen tests and gotten BFN every time.  But Thursday and Friday had a sore lower back and yesterday and today SUPER sore bbs. It hurts so much to breastfeed my little guy!  Yet today I still got BFN.  I will wait a few more days a test again.

I will be very surprised if it turns out I am not pregnant.  This would be my 4th dc, but I was never nursing when I conceived the others, so I can't rely on my previous experience in that regard. 

BFP wishes your way!

[Adaline'sMama]

We plan to begin ttc in may, and I have noticed a huge difference in my period since DD turned 10 months old. She is still nursing all the time, but its more of a "drive by" nursing session during the day and nusing super hardcore at night. My cycle started to become more regular around 9 months, and I totally feel like I could get pregnant now. I can tell when Im ovulating, which I couldnt at 7 or 8 months. Personally, I notice sore boobs the week before my cycle now, where before I feel like they were completely insensitive.

[KaliShanti]

Just a note- are you charting? I am on CD 70 right now after my first PPAF. I did O before my 1st PPAF but not since then (might be today we'll see). It is very normal to have REALLY long cycles after your first PPAF and not be pregnant.
 

Originally Posted by badgerbaby 

Hi...I'm right there with you.  Though we were not TTC.  I am still nursing my 15 mo old and I got my 1st ppaf in early January (so I am now on cd 50-something...I've lost track). I know not to expect a regular 28 day cycle to start up right away, but this is ridiculous!  I have taken about a dozen tests and gotten BFN every time.  But Thursday and Friday had a sore lower back and yesterday and today SUPER sore bbs. It hurts so much to breastfeed my little guy!  Yet today I still got BFN.  I will wait a few more days a test again.

I will be very surprised if it turns out I am not pregnant.  This would be my 4th dc, but I was never nursing when I conceived the others, so I can't rely on my previous experience in that regard. 

BFP wishes your way!

[badgerbaby]

I am not charting.  I get up to nurse around 4am usually and I can't remember to do it then and I wouldn't get an accurate read at 6:30 then, when I really did get up for the day. 

I am certain that I O'd before I got that 1st PPAF, but I am not sure about it since.  I was ill for 2 weeks around the time I was supposed to O, so either I didn't or I missed the symptoms because of my illness (I always get the EWCM, swollen glands, pelvic pain). 

Bbs still sore today, but not nearly as much as the past 2 days.  That's never been a symptom of AF or O for me, which is why I still suspect I may be pg.  We shall see. Perhaps I test again tomorrow or Tuesday.

[Ava's Mama]

Hi there...I am TTC while nursing as well.  My DD just turned two.  I got my first PPAF in December, so I have had two full cycles, each 27 and 28 days.  Now I am on CD 34 and still testing negative.  My nipples were super sore about a week ago, but not so bad now.  I feel really tired, but I am not sure if I am just paranoid and this is how tired I always am being a mom of a young child!  Anyways, I have also had mild cramping on and off the past week or so, but again no positive test.  So I have no idea what is going on!