What do you think is going on with my body?

[z-girl]

DD is 11 months old, and so far, no menses yet. We're ready to TTC, but not at all ready to wean or change anything with DD to make my period return. I used to chart a la TCOYF (great book!), but haven't charted since DD was born, and don't really want to just yet. Over the last few months, I've noticed that I've had times when my cm has been more plentiful, but not super fertile looking. But, last week, for 3 days in a row I had ewcm and very light spotting, just enough to make my underwear pink and crusty (lovely, huh?) or to show up on tp sometimes. I woke up in the morning 3 days in a row with pretty wet underwear. The spotting puzzled me- I took a pg test and I'm not pg, we hadn't had sex for 10-14 days, so it wasn't implantation spotting. Was it ovulation? A period? I thought I had ovulated, but my cervix shifted, then went back to being high and open. Does that all change after having had a child? What do you think?

[z-girl]

does anyone have a similar experience with a first post partum cycle? or random spotting?

hope i'm not annoying you. i'm just curious!

thanks!

[Missgrl]

Hey Z-girl!!!!!
Just wanted to let you know that i'm here!!!!! I know it is frustrating
when noone responds to your question! Especially when it is an
important one like this!

I don't have any advice for you but just wait and see. After a
few months of seeing changes or no changes I'm sure you'll be
able to answer your own quesion. KWIM? I know it's hard b/c you
want answers....esp. if you are ttc!!!
Don't forget to record all the things that is going on with your body so from month to month you can compare. that might be helpful b/c us mommies are
busy and we tend to be forgetful...
:

take care

[mommybritt]

I have no advice but I'm in a similar boat! My dd is almost 15 months, no AF and for the past little while (maybe a few months) I've had ewcm occasionally and then it's been gone....Two weeks ago, I had some pain in my right side (the sort I used to have when I was ovulating) but no AF yet so who knows? I'm figuring our bodies are just warming up to get started again!

[B&K]

Everyone's body is so different. Your body takes whatever time it needs inbetween, some need more than others, also night nursing has alot to do with when you cycles return. The Motherly Art of Breastfeeding also says that you can be ovulating without a ms for quite some time after birth. My ms didn't return until dd was 17 months and I only had one short ms and then conceived ds. Where as my gf didn't have her ms until her ds was 19 months. Goo d luck especially if you are ttc. You can also get those new kits to check if you are ovulating or just let nature take it's course. good luck.
joy v

[z-girl]

Hey, thanks for the responses! Glad to know that there are others out there with puzzling bodies too! Before DD, I knew my cycle and my body's signals so well. Now it's a mystery, and one that I'm not willing to try to deciper with a beeping thermometer early in the morning LOL!

[sahm]

I read that while you are in an anovulatory stage (because of breastfeeding or other) your body will attempt to ovulate, therefore you may have lots of fertile cervical mucous and not neccessarily be ovulating...

[PB's Mom]

Okay, here is what has happened with me. I'm still nursing DS at 26 months.

At 21 months we had gone through a phase where he was attatched to me ALL NIGHT LONG. Literally (for a month!) At first, I think it was teething, but then turned into a bad habit. So after a month of that, I refused to nurse one night when he woke up. The next night he only woke up 1 time (that was a first!!!!) I think that triggered something, because I had sore nipples for 2 weeks, then I had one day of just a little bit of spotting.

My next cycle was 74 days later. I had a "normal" period. I also had sore nipples for 2 weeks. That was the end of January. I started charting in March, and was able to tell when I ovulated. Again, sore nipples for 2 weeks, and another "normal period. That cycle was 55 days. My last cycle was 47 days.......so it is getting better. I've tried everything to get pregnant. I've been taking mega pre-natal vitamins, extra B6, extra Vitamin A, and I even tried robitussin cough syrup. But my LP has been too short, only 9 days.

So, 2 weeks ago I started night-weaning. It has gone very well. I'm hoping this is the month!!! My goal was to have 3 years spacing between children, so now that DS is 27 months old, it would be just perfect. I originally wanted closer spacing, but have done a lot of research, and have come to the conclusion that 3 years is just about perfect. Easier on the children, and the mother. And I need things to be as easy as they can be!!!!!

After having done all my research, I've really felt that 3 years spacing is what God has intended for me. Although I'm not a very patient person, so when I got my cycles back, I was a little too anxious. Like my Doctor said last week at my yearly check up "When God wants you to have a baby, you'll have a baby." Unusual advice from a Doctor, huh? Well, he's Catholic, and has 10 children of his own, and does not prescribe birth control, other than breastfeeding

Good luck, and you can pick my brain if you have any more questions.

[Allison]

Hi Mary. I hope you don't mind my writing you. I was searching for information on the TTC board and read your post describing your cycles after you cut back on BF. I think I'm experiencing a similar return to my cycles. I've had 3 periods since before my son was conceived (he's 2.5 now). THe first cycle length was 52 days, the next 42 days. I'm on day 34 of my current cycle. I'm not temping but am paying attention to CM. It seems that fertile-type CM comes and goes and I can never tell if it's leading up to ovulation. I noticed on your signature that you are now expecting -- congratulations!! Would you mind describing the rest of your cycles before you conceived? Looking back, was CM enough of an indication of when you ovulated?

Thanks so much.

[PB's Mom]

Hi Allison,
I'll try to remember how my cycles were before I got pregnant again. I think my last 2 cycles were between 32-35 days. I did chart my temps. I could tell with the CM that I would be ovulating within 2-3 days. My CM lasted for 2-3 days, I think, and my LP was always 9 days.
The month I got pregnant, my CM was very watery and I had very little. Just noticed it once in the afternoon when I went to the bathroom. So we BD'd that night, and that did it!!!!! My temp went up 2 days later.
My LP never did get longer than 9 days. I had stopped taking all of the extra vitamins, and just settled for a super mega pre-natal vitamin. I think the night weaning was what helped, and I also cut out all of the comfort feedings during the day. We eventually got down to just nap time and bed time. Let me know if you want any more info!!

[karenpl]

I think your body might be gearing up to ovulate, or at least to menstruate. But it is really hard to predict how long it will take before it will happen. For some people this egg white cm / spotting can go on for quite a while. For others, it will lead to either a period or pregnancy pretty fast.

You could start taking your basal body temperature. For me it was all over the place when I still was infertile. Then it would stay more constant when I was getting close to getting my period back again.

Good luck! It can be frustrating to try to figure out what our bodies are up to!

Karen

[Allison]

thanks

Thanks Mary and Karen for the info. I'm guessing I'm not ovulating because none of the patches of CM seem any different than the others. I had a hard time conceiving ds so the same will probably be true of #2. Probably my cycle length has to get to a normal length first.

The reason I don't temp is that even though ds is pretty much night-weaned now he wakes up 2 or 3 times per night and I go comfort him back to sleep or bring him into our bed. So I don't consistently get several hours of sleep in a row right before waking up. And my wake-up time is very variable. Is there any way you could suggest that I might get an accurate reading?

Thanks Again!!