Thinking of TTC Baby #2 & AI Questions

[JRose]

Hello All - I am relatively new here and just wanted to get some thoughts of others who have had or are considering multiple children. Our first ds will be 1 in November and we would like our second to be close in age so we are thinking of starting again next Jan or Feb. However, I do not plan on being done breastfeeding #1 by then. I have not gotten my period back but assume I will by then. If not, I am not sure what we will do. Did anyone else have this issue?

Also the first go around was not a fun trip and took us nearly two years and many interventions. I really hope this next ttc time will be much better! We are trying to decide if we just skip over the home insems and jump right into clinic interventions and ultrasounds, shots, etc. Anyone have any experience here?

Thanks for your help!

[proudmamanow]

no suggestions, #1 was just born in April...we did just call the sperm bank though & were happy to discover they still have 3 months left of our donor (we thought there wasn't anymore). We will definitely have a #2, but we probably won't start trying til dd is at least 2.

but I'll be interested to hear what people say...

:

ETA: At this point, it's the non-bfing mom who is planning on having #2, so my fertility isn't an issue. (Not that it would matter, since AF came back at 3 months PP : )

[mumm]

Hello JRose-

I think I've been were you are. We spent 2 years ttc #1 at home, but it only took 6 months once we saw an RE, and we were successful with our first round of clomid/hcg/iui/progest cycle. I nightweaned my son to get my cycles going again, and then we skipped right to clomid for #2. Again we got pg on the first round of that. Everything I read made me feel safe nursing and taking clomid. They are 2 1/5 years apart though.

Child #3 has been a lot tougher ttc. That's a whole 'nother story! :

If you think you are ready to start for #2, and you still have not got ppaf, then I would suggest nightweaning, if you and your child are ready for that. I think the long stretch of not nursing at night should increase your fertility. And I would skip the home insems and go straight to what worked before.

Good luck, and welcome to MDC.

Oh, and check out the fertiltiy forums, you'll get some good info there too.

[Jwebbal]

It took us 2 years, 9 cycles, and one miscarriage to get our first son. What finally worked was injectables with progesterone supplements. He stopped night nursing somewhere before a year? But it still took me 21 months before I got my first period! Then my first cycle was 52 days, and then just this month I had a regular cycle. My son is just about weaned now, and we start trying next month for a second child. He has a little bit in the morning, and a little before naps and bed, but really its like 20 seconds each side per time? I am sad about the weaning, but I am 39 now, and really want siblings for him. Some get their period back while nursing, others are more like me. Getting pregnant while nursing can be difficult, especially if you don't have a steady supply of sperm at home like me, lol.

[Faerieshadow]

No advice here as I'm in the same boat (still nursing ds, no af yet) but we may be delaying ttc #2 for financial reasons. Anyway, just wanted to offer a and say welcome!

[mamimapster]

Wow!
Lots of us on our #2's & 3's here.......

[lexbeach]

We are trying for #3 right now (second pregnancy), using our same trusty donor. I got my period back at 21 months PP, exactly 3 months after nightweaning. One of my boys weaned completely at the end of May (27 months), and the other just weaned a couple of weeks ago, with some encouragement (because I wanted them to be totally weaned before ttc) at 31 months.

The first time, I'd been having some fertility issues and was only producing ovarian cysts, not actually ovulating. One of the cysts got really big and burst and I had to have surgery and almost lost an ovary (and my life). It was scary, and we didn't want to wait long for a pregnancy, so we went straight for the clomid. One set of healthy twins later. . . we decided we would not take that route again, and were prepared to spend months doing acupuncture, etc. if I was having the same ovulation issue. It turns out that I'm ovulating all on my own now. In fact, my cycles have generally been much more regular and predictable than they were before my pregnancy.

So, I wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that you'll need the same interventions you needed last time. Pregnancy can change things. But if you are having the same issues, I wouldn't wait long before trying something, especially if age is a factor (I am only 25, so we feel like we have a lot of time to use natural methods of increasing fertility).

HTH!

Lex