Nursing Mamas TTC in August - Page 8

[Lynann]

So I'm 9DPO and had a temp drop yesterday & today, but both nights were disturbed by the storms (TS Isaac) so I am hoping that lack of sleep or implantation has caused the dip. This is the first cycle I've had my temps go over 98 so I'm hopeful this is a good cycle. Now I just need AF to stay away, as my longest LP so far is only 10 days.

[LivingSky]

AnkaJones & NewMama2BBBoy – I know how you both feel with considering stopping nursing to help conceive… I wrestled with the idea but eventually came to this realization: I don’t know if quitting nursing will help me conceive. So, I considered how I would feel if I quit nursing and still didn’t get pregnant. Then I would have deprived my current baby of nursing longer for no reason at all, and I would feel guilty about that for, well, ever. In the end I decided that I couldn’t take away from the baby I have for the sake of a possible future baby that I may never have.

I do love the idea of night weaning though... but I'm just not willing to give up the sleep I currently get to try to make it happen... lol I think that's just my own laziness winning!

[stretch358]

Anka - My nursling is 16mo old and I also have no sign of AF returning.  If she is not back by the time he is 18mo I'm going to try night weaning. Our schedule is too crazy for me to try it right now, but it would be nice to eventually sleep through the night again. I really want another ASAP also. 
 

[jr'smom]

Originally Posted by AnkaJones 

Hi Ladies,

I haven't been around much, but I'm a little discouraged so I figured I'd check in.  First, to update, I'm trying to catch my first postpartum egg, nursing DS 13 mo.    My doctor gave me a progesterone challenge to see if I would bleed, but I didn't... I don't know whether it's because I'm underweight or nursing.  I alternate between thinking I should just wean, versus thinking I might have a more serious problem in which case this might be my last baby.

ugh.

Anka

  I don't have much advice, but I feel for you.  Like everyone is talking about, possibly night weaning would help you and still give your little one the chance to continue to benefit from breastmilk.  Because I work 3 day a week, my menses always returns relatively early...like 6-9 months pp (even though I pump and the baby gets expressed breastmilk while I'm away until  at least 12mos old. And they go on to nurse until they are 2-3 years old.)  Ironically I am always envious of those who get a longer break from AF!  I never thought of it as a benefit until now.

[heatheresc]

Just chiming in to say I sympathize with all of you waiting for the first PPAF. I didn't get mine until DS was 21 months! I kept hoping that it would happen sometime after age one (I was fine with it staying away that long!), but it didn't until I nightweaned. I'd tried nightweaning half-heartedly a few times before and it was really rough, so I waited until we were done with some travel and went total cold-turkey on nights. It was rough for a few days, but it worked! Now at 30 months he even sleeps through the night most nights. =)

Oh, and PPAF arrived two weeks after nightweaning. But then my husband needed cancer treatment, so we're still waiting and hoping...
 

[Lynann]

10DPO and my temps are still dropping, so it looks like AF is on her way. I even had a really good solid sleep last night.

I thought AF would stay away longer than it did this time, as DS2 was still exclusively nursing, but he had started STTN on his own at 5 months and then AF showed up at 6 months. While I am thankful for the sleep I was not ready for him to STTN that young. For several weeks I continued to wake up every few hours and check on him and try to get him up to nurse, but he would just stay asleep and DH eventually had to make me stop checking on him as I was the only one in the house not sleeping, and I don't do well with very little sleep.

I did have a feeling that this month was out, and that the next cycle could be the one for the BFP. I just hope that if AF does show up that I'm right about this next cycle too.

[LivingSky]

I have nooooo idea what's up with my temps this month! FF seems to think I ovulated on CD16, which is unheard-of-early for me. And it would make my post-O temps in the 36.30s range, which is a lot lower than normal. I think I actually O'ed either yesterday or Monday. We'll see I guess! Or not, come to think of it - I won't be temping this month after tomorrow. I have to fly out to help my mom, she has to have surgery to remove a lump from her breast, so I won't be home and I've decided not to take my thermometer with me. One way or the other, I won't be getting any BD-ing in while I'm gone, so no point worrying about whether I O'ed or not! Hopefully that will keep me from obsessing as well

[stretch358]

jrs'mom I've worked 5days a week since my son was 4.5 mo old.  I started out pumping 3x a day and dropped to 2 recently (he is 16mo) AF is still not back, so I'm thinking of dropping to 1 pumping session.  I was considering night weaning, but I decided to try to cut down/out pumping first. 

[jr'smom]

9dpo today and BFN this am. I know it's early, but as usual I'm so disappointed. I'll test the next few days too, but I almost always get BFPs by 9dpo.

[Lynann]

jr'smom it may just be too early to test.

I only have 1 test at home, so I'm trying to wait it out for as long as possible. I'm 11dpo and my longest LP so far since ttc this this has been 10 days. My temps have stabilized too, which is good as it is still well above my coverline. At the same time I really don't want to spend the entire holiday weekend waiting for AF to show. I'm still working on convincing myself that I should wait until Monday (15dpo) before I test. At least DH would still be home on Monday so that I wouldn't have to keep it to myself all day. I did that with our first BFP and I thought I would explode with all the excitement, so from then I've only tested when DH is home.

I know at this point it could still go either way. My LP may still be expanding, or it could be that AF won't show at all. I'd hate to waste my last test on a BFN though, so right now as long as I can resist temptation first thing in the morning I may make it to Monday. The time is going by so fast I can hardly believe I'm almost at the end of another tww already, or that my baby will be 1 next week.

[nstewart]

Jr's mom, fingers crossed that you've just tested too early.

Lynann, that sounds promising!  Here's hoping you get that BFP!  Annnddd....even if you don't, a longer luteal phase is also a good thing, right?  Your tems are also a good sign.  Good luck.

[Lynann]

thanks nstewart. I've already started lurking on the May2013 DDG. Hopefully I'll be joining you there next week.

I have been having a few twinges around my uterus the last few days, and I don't feel the heaviness that I get just before AF arrives. If my temps stay up over the next few days I may be tempted to test Saturday. I've never tested before AF was due, but since my LP length keeps changing I don't actually know when AF would be due. My LP always used to be 13 days back when I had a regular predictable cycle, so the earliest I've ever tested before with a BFP is 14dpo. I know I should just put it out of my mind and wait until Monday morning. But I also know I'll spend the entire weekend constantly running to the bathroom to see if AF is showing up. Great way to spend a holiday weekend.

[Lynann]

I caved, and tested this morning. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but my temps when back up a teeny tiny bit, AND DH brought home another pack of tests. So I've saved my one digital test and used one of the 2 line tests that DH brought home. If there was a second line it was sooooo faint I had to really squint to see it, so I'm going to read that as no line and a BFN due to testing too soon, even though I am 12dpo today. I won't test again tomorrow, as I need to give it time to show if it is going to be positive. So I guess that does leave me peeing every 5 minutes for at least some of the holiday weekend, while I wait for AF to show, OR POAS again on Sunday or Monday.

[brogansmomma]

Good luck Lynann!

As for me, FF shows me 3dpo today. We dtd a couple days before O. It shows pm but that would have been very late in the pm, nearly am. Fingers crossed that the B6 etc is lengthening my LP and that everything else lines up this cycle.

[Virginia884]

Originally Posted by heatheresc 

Just chiming in to say I sympathize with all of you waiting for the first PPAF. I didn't get mine until DS was 21 months! I kept hoping that it would happen sometime after age one (I was fine with it staying away that long!), but it didn't until I nightweaned. I'd tried nightweaning half-heartedly a few times before and it was really rough, so I waited until we were done with some travel and went total cold-turkey on nights. It was rough for a few days, but it worked! Now at 30 months he even sleeps through the night most nights. =)

Oh, and PPAF arrived two weeks after nightweaning. But then my husband needed cancer treatment, so we're still waiting and hoping...
 

This sounds like me.... we have tried to night wean a few times, but first time DH caved and second time I did. We tried Dr. Jay Gordon's method, but I think we should just go cold turkey. I feel bad taking away her night milk, tho, as I work FT and she will only get to nurse 2 or 3 times a day. She is 17 months and no PPAF yet. Maybe I'll broach the subject with DH again...

Heather, I hope your husband is doing well! 

[Lynann]

So I couldn't wait and took another test this morning. I got a faint positive, but it is definitely a line and no squinting involved. DH is over the moon, but we'll be keeping it quiet IRL until we get to about 13-14 weeks, so that will give us a Thanksgiving public announcement. We'll be due on Mother's Day (May 12) which sounds about right for us, as DS1 is just after Memorial Day and DS2 is just after Labor Day, so given that they both went to 41 weeks this one will be just after Mother's Day.

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by Lynann 

So I couldn't wait and took another test this morning. I got a faint positive, but it is definitely a line and no squinting involved. DH is over the moon, but we'll be keeping it quiet IRL until we get to about 13-14 weeks, so that will give us a Thanksgiving public announcement. We'll be due on Mother's Day (May 12) which sounds about right for us, as DS1 is just after Memorial Day and DS2 is just after Labor Day, so given that they both went to 41 weeks this one will be just after Mother's Day.

Congrats!  

[NewMama2BBBoy]

Yaaay Lynann! Congrats! =)


Ok brace yourselves ladies...I have a really stupid question. I am embarrassed to ask but I really don't know who else to ask. Excuse my stupidity! How exactly does one night wean? DS wakes up usually twice a night and he will be one in 5 Weeks. Since he won't need a replacement for milk...what do you do? A bottle of milk? Water? Let him cry? (not sure I can do that!) I am hoping to become pregnant before then and then continue nursing but if that doesn't happen I will have to consider weaning.

In other news I think I finally ovulated yesterday in CD22. So I can be moved to TWW. Finally. Now to extend my 7 day luteal phase praying the b6 helps and also some extra sleep!

[Aunaturalmama]

Congrats lynann!! You should pop over to May 2013 DDC .

[Lidamama84]

NewMama, IMO, your ds is really young for night weaning. If he isn't already taking a bottle, it's late to be starting, and he'll probably just be frustrated and crying and neither of you will get much rest. This doesn't mean you won't be able to conceive, it just may mean that your body isn't ready yet for a few months. I hope you don't take my comment amiss, but a question I asked myself when I was TTC #2 was "how would I feel if I weaned DD and I still couldn't conceive right away? Regretful? Guilty?" In my situation, it was worth waiting a bit longer and preserving our nursing relationship until it came to a peaceful end. I got my BFP at 18 mos, and DD1 nursed until she was 21 mos. Whatever you decide, I hope you find the right solution for your family!