When has fertilility come back for those who CLW? - Page 2

[Skim]

With dd1, who was nursed on demand until night-weaned at ~2 years, period returned at 13 months.

I'm still nursing dd1 once a day, and dd2 nurses on demand. She's 9 months, and still no period... yet.

[Queen of Cups]

DS was exclusively breastfed for 5.5 months, then started occasional solids (still 95% or more breastfed) until about 7 months. At about 7 months he started eating solids a couple times a day rather than a couple times a week - the kid LOVES to eat! - and I gained about 10 lbs. He was still nursing at least twice a night until he turned one. AF came when he was 8 months and I got pregnant the next cycle, when he was about 9 months old. He was a pacifier addict - used it every moment he wasn't nursing until he was about 20 months old.

Now I'm tandem nursing. DD is 5.5 months and still exclusively breastfed and DS (23 months) nurses anywhere from 2-6 times a day. DD nurses once at night, usually after a 7 hour stretch of sleep, then sleeps another 4+ hours. DS doesn't nurse at night anymore, he night-weaned himself while I was pregnant. No AF yet. DD uses a paci some of the time.

My kids are 18 months apart, and me and my sister are 20 months apart. It seems my mother and I had similar fertility-returning experiences.

I do think weight/bodyfat percentage has a lot to do with when your fertility returns. Like I mentioned, my cycle started back when I gained weight. I think I gained weight because DS started eating more solids... so I guess its all connected!

[hottmama]

With #1, I was cosleeping/babywearing/nursing on demand/no fake nipples and got my period back at 12 weeks PP.
With #2, I was cosleeping/babywearing/nursing on demand, but started giving a pacifier at 1 month. However, I am also still cosleeping with, wearing, and nursing my 3 yr. old 8-12 times each day. I got my period back at 7 weeks PP.
I am pretty thin- 130 lbs. at 5'7", a size 4. I guess I'm just unlucky- nothing could keep me from being fertile, not even a whole litter nursing on me round the clock.

[Avocado123]

Looks like we were blessed with babies in the same month!

With both our kids, I got AF back after one year.
In both cases, they never had anything but breastmilk.

Our first child breastfed on demand but did start to sleep through the night after a few months.

We TTC when AF came back and I got pregnant when our eldest was 18 months old.

I BFed through the pregnancy with our second and until the second was seven months old, when our first stopped BFing in a truly child-led manner. Didn't ask for it for one day, then another day, a third and a fourth, and didn't say anything about it. Even after that point, our toddler didn't mention it.

Our second, a week or two younger than yours, is BF on demand, but does not sleep through the night. We BF two or three times during the night.

HTH!

[mahogny]

I got my period back while still EBF both times. Both kids co-sleep, no artificial nipples, nurse during naps, etc.

DS was 7 mos old when I got my period. He didn't start solids until he was 15 months.

DD was 2.5 mos when I got my period. However, she slept through the night earlier than DS.

I'm 5'8" and 140ish.

[sciencemama]

dd was 22 months. from the time she was 4 months til 12 months, i was still working 4 days per week and i pumped. If I came up short from pumping or got stuck in traffic etc, she had an occasional bottle of formula. she wasn't very big on solids til she could feed herself.

i also trained for a marathon and ran it when she was about 18 months. i am pretty petite and 105 lbs-- and boy, i ate a MASSIVE amount of food during those months. i do think the exercise might have been a factor.

i had one cycle and then got pg with ds.

[merpk]

With my oldest, AF came back when he was about 13, 14 mos or so, when it was suddenly springtime and we spent more time outside and he was doing his first real wandering in the playground type of stuff and would go for long stretches without asking to nurse.

With the rest I was tandem-nursing, and in each case when the older nursling weaned, I would get pregnant within a matter of a month or two after the weaning.

With this last one it took three-to-four months after he weaned till I got pregnant, but then again, I'm in my 40s, so that is still pretty reasonable. b'H.

[jillmamma]

With DS, AF came back when he was 15.5 months. I had AF every 28-29 days with short luteal phases which gradually lengthened back to normal over the next 7-8 months. Initially I would ovulate later in my cycle, then it would gradually move earlier as my luteal phase lengthened, so I had the same overall cycle length. When he was just turning 2, I got pg with DD. She is now 8 months and no sign of AF yet. He nursed exclusively till 5.5 months, then still on demand till he was about 2 (still nurses now at almost 3.5, but has some limits), and awoke at night till 21 months. She nursed exclusively till 6 months, and even now just has a few bites of food a day (like 10 cheerios and a couple bites of fruit or veggie.

[josh&davesmomme]

ds #1 is over 4 yrs old...AF returned between 20-22 mos but never "regular" got pg with ds #2 when ds1 was 35 months old.
ds2 is now 7 1/2 mos almost exclussively bfed and I'm tandeming no signs of fertility!

My Aunt who CLW both her children ( which happend for both of them between 4-5 yrs old) got af back at 4 months both times- even though they were both frequent nursers, day and night.

[la mamita]

***

[itsajenism]

I got AF back for the first time about 3 weeks ago, when DS was 14.5 months, so I'm not sure yet if I'll be regular or not. (I was never very regular before.) I'm breastfeeding on demand, he never had any pacifiers or bottles, and didn't start having any more than a few bites of food here and there until 12 months.

On most days, he still nurses every 2-3 hours during the day. At night he has one 4-5 hour stretch without nursing and then nurses about every 2 hours after that.

[liam's mom]

I got my period back at 23 months pp, and I had just returned to work. So it very well may have been longer had I still been home during the day.

[rzberrymom]

Got mine back when DD was about 13 months. DD nursed every 2 hours day and night, and then at 12 months she starting having occassional 5 hour stretches at night. A few weeks later, there was AF.

[VeganSculptor]

AF came back for me around 9 months when my son started getting in to solids. I was pretty thin then if that means anything. I've gone up a size since.

My Mom nursed all of us, but didn't practice clw.

Queen of Cups...that photo in your sig of you daughter is priceless!

[ORxPlant]

Tick Tock! 26 mos and counting ... we cosleep, wear, and bf on demand. DS still nurses around the clock.

[lechepatito]

I've practiced clw with both kids (current tandem nurslings), while also woh full time with both and extended pumping during working hours (till 20 mos with DD, 18 mos with DS and still pumping). With DD, I got AF back at 28 mos pp - it seemed to correspond with when she reduced night nursings to 2-3x/night pretty consistently. DS is 18 mos and I still have no AF. My kids are heavy night nursers, maybe due to me working full time? I've always suspected that this is what has caused the long wait for fertility to come back, but who really knows.....

[paxye]

With Ds#1 AF came back at 9 mos (not reg) and I got preggo at 18 mos...
DS#2 (Tandem nursing)... AF came back at 10 mos and again got preggo when ds was 18 mos...

[RolliePollie]

Brother 1 is 21 months apart from Brother 2. Brother 2 and I are 4 years apart. But during that time my mother had 3 pregnancies that ended in miscarriage. And I am 21 months apart from younger brother 3.

I tought that was interesting.

Oh, I'm 21 months younger than hubs.

I think I'm off topic. Ah, whatever.

I've had once cycle since having ds, 3 months post partum. And he's exclusively breastfed. But I hear that is normal.

[PatchyMama]

DD has always nursed on demand... any time she wants and a lot, LOL. She still nurses 8-10 times a day at 17 months old. We also cosleep and she does still wake and nurse about 2-3 times a night. I got PPAF back at 7 or 8 months.:

[AmandaBL]

Laura, throw in the towel. You will be pregnant quite shortly, and we will all have a ball! "Actively Avoid Pregnancy" my a$$ Good luck!