breastfeeding-n-ovulating

[jerabelle]

hey ya'll ...

little curious and hoping for some insight:

DS is almost 8 m/o and was EBF until 5 months, introduced solids @ 6 months, and is currently nursing about 4 times/day with some cereal in am and stage 2 food in pm and STTN (so no night feedings).

Have not had the return of my monthly cycle yet and we are thinking about wanting to add to the family soon (maybe summer-ish).  I realize I could possibly still ovulate while bfing, but is there ANYTHING i can do to enhance this chance?  We are willing to be patient, but just trying to take some action now to help. 

Some say that no period means it's your body's natural way of telling you you're not ready yet, so I dont know ... maybe we're just anxious for another LO :)

[konayossie]

I think this totally depends on each individual's hormonal norm and also your breastfeeding, which is to say........there's no sure thing. It sounds like your fertility could come back at any time (even w/o a first period). Are you charting  your fertility signs to see if there are signs your fertility is returning (egg white cervical mucus, etc?).

My cycle returned at 5 weeks postpartum, but when I started TTC when DS was around 14 mos, I discovered that my LP was WAY too short to sustain a pregnancy. I could get pregnant but couldn't stay that way.We decided to wait another year and then possibly consider weaning to TTC if I was still having progesterone insufficiency. Then at Christmas, we did a car ride that was 18 hours each way with no nursing during the ride. I ended up getting pregnant a few days later....apparently that different nursing pattern over only 2 days had a drastic effect on my hormones (if I'd only known that back when I as TRYING to get pregnant). I just throw my experience out there, since most of the advice I've heard is a drastic change in breastfeeding pattern, but I am proof that it doesn't have to be "permanent" drastic to get fertility back...