Return to fertility, even with lots of nursing?

[kcparker]

Anyone know any tricks for getting one's AF/fertility to return without cutting back on nursing? We are 15.5 months postpartum (nursing 5-8x/day still) and I haven't seen any signs of renewed fertility yet.

I just became an officially "geriatric mother" (yeah, if you're 35 or older, that's your medical status if you get pregnant -- nice, eh?), and truth be told, I would like to get the Oldies show back on the road pretty soon here and have another child. Obviously, I know I can cut out some nursing or wean, but I don't want to deprive my current child of nursing that he wants/needs because of my desire for another child who doesn't yet exist. So, I am loathe even to night wean or cut out the lovely lunchtime visits he and his dad still make to my office for baby-nursing... Even leaving the house early for work today with only the 7 a.m. nurse, and not the 8 a.m. nurse, was met with a very frowny face and some crying, which breaks my heart a little.

I suppose the ultimate answer is that one cannot control such things, much as we might like to, and it would be best to enjoy what I have right now, today, and not worry about desires for the future. But if any nursing mamas know how to have their cake and eat it too in this respect, do tell the secret.
TIA.

[veganone]

Are you charting? I know a mama who is pregnant with #2 without the return of AF at around 17 months pp. Fertility can return before AF, but I'm not sure what measurement you're using. She did cut back on nursing first, though.

If I were you I'd start charting. FWIW, I'm 35 and hear the tick tock, but not enough to be ready for another one!!!

[kcparker]

Charting. Blah.

Originally Posted by veganone

Are you charting? I know a mama who is pregnant with #2 without the return of AF at around 17 months pp. Fertility can return before AF, but I'm not sure what measurement you're using. She did cut back on nursing first, though.

If I were you I'd start charting. FWIW, I'm 35 and hear the tick tock, but not enough to be ready for another one!!!

I charted with the first TTC efforts, which is a whole saga involving a MC and possible molar preg. that has nothing to do with breastfeeding, and all I can say is BLAH. I didn't like the obsessiveness, my charts (BBT and CM) were wacky and my period irregular (due to grad-school and job hunting stress, I think), and I got pg 2 weeks after I found a job and my stress level declined dramatically. This was after not having had a period for something like 144 days, if I remember right. So, charts didn't help me much the first time around.

I just want a sleeping toddler, some wine and chocolate and Barry White, and a little spontaneity, but it would be nice to know that the ovaries are back on the job...but maybe I'll just get surprised again in a month or three here. It's just weird not to have had a period since June 2006, and not to have had a regular cycle pattern since summer of 2005. (Sorry for the TMI nature of this post!)

[mrsdocmartin]

I have no advice, but can offer solidarity. I am not in the geriatric category (is that seriously what they call it!?!) but I would have liked to have DC number two this coming summer. I guess it is not in the cards. Most of my friends and family members can't beleive I haven't had a cycle yet, but none of them have BFed. I am not ready to consider charting yet either and want DS to wean on his own terms, so I guess we have to just take things as they come.

[Mermaidmomma]

I got my first and only post-partum period when dd was 21 mos old. The only change in nursing we had made was nightweaning at 19mos (which was difficult as we cosleep, but so worth it to be able to sleep for 5-6hrs straight!) Anyway we got preggo right after that period. So I guess the morale of the story is that eveyones body reacts differently to the ovulational supression of breastfeeding. Best Wishes for those ovaries to get back on track!

[scrappingmom]

maybe if you charted briefly and not QUITE as anally(only term i could think of) as when TTC just as a way to see IF yuo are ovulating??? I talked to a lady this fall who charts regularly anyway as their BC/TTC method she said she knows she ahs ovulated 4 times but NOT had a period, this was after her first and she was asking if I had any clue about it. I didnt as I am HORRID with charting.. only way i could do it at all was for DH to stick teh thermometer in my mouth before he left for work in the morning...lol even then i forgot to check and write it usually.

I PROMISE you can get preg without a period ... last period I had was.. jan/feb 05 I think??? DD conceived then is still nursing... DD born July 07 is still nursing and i'm about 14wks preg.

You COULD be stressing more than you may know about NOT having a cycle and therefore BE repressing it and/or ovulation.

You could try shortening a nursing session? it could be all that is needed to get cycles back in swing? Do you plan to nurse thru pregnancy? I"ve read that drinking 2-3 cups of herbal tea a day help increase fertility... no clue if theres truth in it but maybe the relaxing for a bit several tiems a day at least would help if nothing else?!

[AJHCFamily]

Originally Posted by scrappingmom

I PROMISE you can get preg without a period ... last period I had was.. jan/feb 05 I think??? DD conceived then is still nursing... DD born July 07 is still nursing and i'm about 14wks preg.

Wait, I'm confused -- So you can ovulate and not get your period (even if you don't get pregnant)? I know you can get pregnant without AF returning, but thought that meant you ovulated and if you hadn't gotten pregnant, then a couple of weeks later you would have your period. I thought I understood this process! Sorry for hijacking.

[MommyofAngelBabies]

Yes, it is possible to ovulate without getting a period at all. I have found the best way to find out if you are fertile or not, is to use the "Natural Family Planning" method. It does not chart temperatures, can be done even if you don't have periods at all, or if they are irregular. It is all strictly based on checking for secretions everyday, something I was never really very aware about, until using this method. It can postpone pregnancy when you are fertile, or help you to become pregnant. Either way, it identifies if you are ovulating and having the fertile signs or not. The book and chart are great at explaining everything too. It is also great for couples who have been ttc and haven't been successful with other methods. It truly has been amazing for me.

On a side note. I just found out I am pregnant again and have been strictly nursing, my baby is 12 months, and only nurses, so solids, etc. So stopping breastfeeding is not always an issue for everyone. I get my cycle back a few months after birth every time, no matter how much I nurse. Every one is different in that way. This method I am talking about above can help regardless of situation. Sometimes I wish it was harder for me. My husband just looks at me funny when passing by me in the hall and I am pregnant.

Which can be good sometimes, but not when your last 2 are 15 months apart and now these will be 21 months, and I still cannot lose my weight.

[rparker]

I'm in a similar situation. My daughter is 13.5 months and nurses at least 8 times each day. I really want our next baby to be no more than 2 years younger, but I'd prefer to continue nursing on demand. I'm not even really comfortable with the idea of night weaning her

[flower01]

I got my first period back at 16 months and baby is still nursing constantly it seems - all night and all day. But, she is eating a lot more solids now. Anyway, I guess I could have been fertile before that but i wasn't charting and I didn't get pregnant...

One question about NFP...I am pretty sure that you are supposed to chart temperature and check secretions. It's the combination that makes it accurate, I thought. At least that's what I learned in the NFP class I took. But, i'm terrible at remember to take my temp, plus with all the night nursing i'm not sure how accurate it would be. so if I could count on the mucus to be a good enough sign then I will just do that...

[Evergreen]

Sleeping with a light on--- Oh shoot! now I forget which one helps fertility return- sleeping with a light on or sleeping in pitch black. Maybe you shourld try to google it. I have too many windows open right now. Dernit!

I didn't get my cycles back until 24 mos pp with my 1st and only when I nightweaned her. It was 20 months with my 2nd and she still isn't nightweaned.

[columbusmomma]

I don't know any secrets but just wanted to say that I cut one daytime pumping session out and AF returned about 2 weeks after that, when DD was about 16 months. She nurses a LOT still, at least as many times as your LO. I am geriatric too, lol! I do work out of the home 4 days a week but like I said, did pump once a day for comfort. When I'm home after work and all night long she nurses on demand. Same with the 3 days I am home, she nurses on demand all day and all night. I guess you just have to wait for nature to take its course! I don't know if I'm "regular" yet, but at least something happened!

[AbbieB]

I had DD when I was 33. I started cycling 8 months post partum.

We tried every cycle for 2 years with no success because although I was ovulating my lutal phase was still to short. : Nursing has many effects on your fertility, a shortened lutal phase is one.

I tried night weaning, all kinds of vitamins, teas and diets. Nothing really changed my cycle. My lutal phase just needed time to slowly get back to the right amount of time. (I say right amount because I got pregnant with a 8 or 9 day average lutal phase :, not the minimum 10 days that fertility books talk about.) DD was still nursing 6 to 8 times a day.

I had started talking to doctors about infertility in the 6 months before conceiving and all of them said there was no way I could be ovulating while nursing (tell that to the many, many mommas that got pregnant faster than planned 'cause they thought nursing would protect them!) They advised weaning cold turkey (wasn't gonna happen) and one wanted to start me on fertility drugs (clomidin?).

I know it's frustrating when your body isn't cooperating with your fertility plans (I shed many tears over the 2 years of trying to conceive.) Hang in there Momma. 35 is not to old. I was 37 when DS was born.