Nursing Mamas TTC October - Page 3

[texasfarmom]

Updated to here.  

[Ava's Mama]

Hi Everyone, So many BFPs on this thread this month!  I am on CD14.  I think I may be ovulating today, but my symptoms have been about the same the past three days, so I am not 100% since I do not temp anymore.  I have been much more low key this cycle and DH and I have DTD about every other day. 

[Geigerin]

Rebirth, sorry I missed your announcement! Best wishes to you for a healthy and happy pregnancy and baby!!

[rebirth]

Thanks ladies! I hope it is ok for me too keep popping in here? I hope more nursing mamas join us in June!

[Niniel]

I think I ovulated yesterday, feeling really positive about this cycle, but it is SO sore when dd is nursing. I'm using all sorts of distraction techniques to avoid it. Hope my temps confirm ov over the next couple of days

[roses25]

I'm new to this nursing mamas section.  I have a 2 year old (29 month old) son who still nurses about 3-4 times per day...usually before bed and a time or two during the night. On the weekends he nurses before nap time. My cycles came back when he was 18 months old.  Sometimes I ovulate really late in my cycle accordingly to OPK's.  OPK's have gotten positive every month. I have a temp change.  My LP is normal.  I've tried to get pregnant 3 times now, and still have not got pregnant.  With my son I got pregnant on the third try (1st try was a miscarriage).  So I got pregnant right away, but this time I'm not getting pregnant right away.  I want to experience tandem nursing if possible, and I feel that time is running out as my son's getting older (although he still loves to nurse). 

With all these signs do you think I'm wasting my time trying to get pregnant when the nursing may be preventing it?  Anybody tested prolactin levels to see if they are too high?  Could they be too high even though OPK's are positive, temp is changing, and LP is normal?  I'm tempted to see a RE already.  What do you think?

Carolyn

[TenzinsMama]

 Just popping in...

Rebirth and LiveLoveLaugh, CONGRATS!!!! 

Carmen, 15 vials???!!!    That would be record for me, for sure!  Can't remember if you are on your holiday, you're getting ready, or you're already done... hope it is/was fun!

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by TenzinsMama 

Carmen, 15 vials???!!!    That would be record for me, for sure!  Can't remember if you are on your holiday, you're getting ready, or you're already done... hope it is/was fun!

I know! Luckily I still had enough blood left to get up and walk out of the lab Leaving tomorrow! Thanks!

[ilovetchotchkes]

HI ladies!

Obviously as you can see from my post count, I'm new. I"m still nursing my 18 month old little guy who is the light of my life! I'm doing child led weaning and have a feeling that even if I do get pregnant, he's gonna keep nursing, until, like, FOREVER.

Its so nice to find that I'm not the only nursing mama who is TTC.

We're on month 4 of TTC. NO luck yet. My son was either a fluke, or G-d only knows- we were literally days away from starting a lot of scary tests when I found out I was pregnant with him. He's now 18 months as of TODAY and we're trying for #2.

We're currently in 2WW limbo. I'll be damned if I don't FEEL pregnant. Feeling a bit queasy on and off but I'm not getting my hopes up. I had what I'm pretty sure was a chemical pregnancy at the end of July (my midwife even thinks so but there's no way to confirm  as I never got a BFP, but I FELT just like I did when Mr Squishy was conceived) and don't want to think that I am again only to get AF (which for me is so bad, its like the Spanish Inquisition in my lady bits).  I don't chart but I probably should.

[Ava's Mama]

Hi There, I am on CD16 and I think I really am Oing today.  DH and I DTD this morning, so hopefully that will hit the spot!  I guess you can move me to TWW

[Carlin]

Sounds like your timing was great Ava's Mama! I think I'm probably Oing today or tomorrow as well (fingers crossed!) so we may be tww buddies again this cycle, hopefully with better results for both of us this time!

Welcome Roses and Ilovetchotchkes! I hope your stay here is short!

Roses, As long as it seems, I don't think 3 cycles is long enough to make any decision on whether or not nursing is interfering with conception.It seems to me if you are ovulating and your LP is normal, you should be good to go!

Ilovetchotchkes, fingers crossed that this is it for you and AF stays away!

[Ava's Mama]

Thank Carlin, I hope that we both have positive results (and everyone!!)! 

Why is it that fertility friend app on my phone gave me "fertile window" of October 9-13 and baby center ovulation calendar gave a "fertile window" of October 13-18?  That is a really big difference with the same stats!!??

[texasfarmom]

Updated to here. I hope to write more later, but we are having a meltdown here.

[Lauren31]

I am feeling so abnormal... I have a 21 month old nursling and have no signs of a cycle. I am not sure I want to start TTC until the start of the new year but she nurses like a newborn and we cosleep so she nurses 3 times at night most nights too.... Could I have to wean her to get my cycle back? I really do not want to do that, I was hoping that someone here had any advice.

[texasfarmom]

Well I'm 12 DPO today. No sign of AF, but I do have a yeast infection. Grrrr!

I tested the night of 10 DPO with a Wondfo and the test was negative initially, but when I went back about an hour later there was a very faint line. I was hopeful that my FMU the next day would reveal a more positive looking stick. Well, I used a Wondfo and an Answer test. Both very negative. Another Wondfo this morning...another negative! I think I'm going to go buy a FRER.

Last night: Me to DH "I almost stopped and bought a bunch of Dollar Tree tests so I can pee on a stick every 12 hours."

DH "You know peeing on a stick won't make you pregnant."

Me "Well if that is what would make me pregnant I would pee on lots and lots of sticks."

[lbreed]

texasfarmom - This is what I found in Medications and Mother's Milk by Thomas Wright Hale:

In a study of 60 postpartum women (1-4 days postpartum) clomiphene was effective in totally inhibiting unestablished lactation, and in suppressing established lactation (day 4). Only 7 of 40 women receiving clomiphene to inhibit lactation has signs of congestion or discomfort. In the 20 women who received clomiphene to suppress established lactation (on day 4), a rapid amelioration (improvement) of breast engorgement and discomfort was produced. After 5 days of treatment no signs of lactation was present. In another study of 177 postpartum women, clomiphene was very effective at inhibiting lactation.

Clomiphene appears to be very effective in suppressing lactation when used up to 4 days postpartum. However its efficacy in reducing milk production in women months after lactation has been established is unknown, but believed to be minimal.

Its molecular weight is 406, and according to this book anything above 200 can't pass through to the milk.

If you cross search the galleries on fertility friend with clomid and breastfeeding, there is alot of charts. I think my biggest concern would be keeping the pregnancy because of low progesterone. I have a 13-14 day luteal phase when I do finally ovulate, but I wonder if that still could have been the reason for the m/c, low progesterone. I guess I could do periodic testing or do supplementation. I feel like I'll worry the whole time since I have no plans to stop bfing.....

[lbreed]

texasfarmom - I didn't see your post before I posted. Haha. I went through that in my last 2ww (almost 2 months ago, blah!!). I probably peed on 8 dollar store tests. One showed up faintly positive in the time frame, but I think it was a faulty. I even made DH pee on one to prove to him there was a line there (to compare).

I had a bit of a temperature rise this morning. It was 97.5 but its been in the low 97 or high 96. I'm not sure what it means. I gave up on testing a long time ago. I had a really painful cyst yesterday and its finally gone today. I hate having those. I had one last cycle. Never really had to deal with pain like that until these long cycles came knocking on my door. Its CD 49. Ugh.

[WendyJo410]

Congrats to all the BFPs!

Texas - thanks for taking over the thread. Hopefully it's not too much work for you!

I had 6 days of great EWCM, but then no temp change and my cervix is still high. Last month I had a dramatic spike with my temps on CD20 and I'm at CD17 now, so we shall see. I'm experimenting with Lunaception this month - has anyone else ever tried this? What I've read about it is that you sleep in complete darkness (i.e. you cannot see your hand in front of your face after 15 minutes of turning the lights off) all month, then when you see 2 days of slippery CF, you sleep with a 100W light on in the hallway or bathroom where it shines into your bedroom resembling a full moon, and then after 3 nights, you go back to sleeping in complete darkness and it's supposed to trigger ovulation. The results of women that do this are pretty extraordinary - anovulatory women started regularly ovulating, women that miscarried previously carried baby's to term, etc. You can also use it to help shift your O later or earlier in your cycle - but only move it up 1 day a month. I read about it in the Garden of Fertility by Katie Singer. We shall see if it works - I'm sure it will take a couple of months to get good at it. Plus, I'm realizing we need better room-darkening curtains (I'll be sewing another layer on when I get to it)!

Another question - has anyone ever taken Cod Liver Oil to help promote progesterone levels/fertility?

On a high note - my 9 month old DS officially started walking yesterday! He is just about the happiest baby in the world - loves giving kisses and smiling and is now so proud of himself toddling around! Let the real fun begin!

[texasfarmom]

Ibreed Thanks for sharing! I thought Clomid was safe. That is some interesting information to know. When I was pregnant with DD I asked my OB about using progesterone. He said if I wanted to do that it was fine because there are no negative side effects to it; only good could come from it. But I did have my progesterone tested and when the nurse called with the results the nurse said there was really no reason to use progesterone unless I had been diagnosed with a lp defect and my blood test looked good. So, it was up to me to take Prometrium or not. I decded I would since it could only help! I might not have needed it, but after 2 m/c I wanted to err on the safe side.

Lauren31 Breastfeeding and fertility is so unique to each person it is hard to say. Some women do have to wean completely before they get their cycles back, and some women have their cycles, but may still not get pregnant due to the varying hormone levels. I would suggest considering night weaning, if that is right for you and your family, to try to jump start things. I have read that night weaning will do more to aid in the return to fertility than makiing changes to your nursing relationship during the day will. HTH and I hope someone else will chime in for you!

AFM I'm off to search for pics of Wondfo HPTs. I got a very very light second line on the test I took this morning as well, but it was about an hour after I dipped it... I hope it means "pregnant" (well of course I do!) and not just an evap or something...

[ilovetchotchkes]

Originally Posted by texasfarmom 

Well I'm 12 DPO today. No sign of AF, but I do have a yeast infection. Grrrr!

I tested the night of 10 DPO with a Wondfo and the test was negative initially, but when I went back about an hour later there was a very faint line. I was hopeful that my FMU the next day would reveal a more positive looking stick. Well, I used a Wondfo and an Answer test. Both very negative. Another Wondfo this morning...another negative! I think I'm going to go buy a FRER.

Last night: Me to DH "I almost stopped and bought a bunch of Dollar Tree tests so I can pee on a stick every 12 hours."

DH "You know peeing on a stick won't make you pregnant."

Me "Well if that is what would make me pregnant I would pee on lots and lots of sticks."

Dude, if peeing on a stick made one pregnant. I'd be gestating septuplets or something. The dollar store was out of them, so I foolishly spent $12 at Walgreens. And didn't even wait for FMU.