Trying to Conceive while Nursing

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Congratulations on maintaining your breastfeeding relationship with your daughter to 20 months. She will be enjoying many health benefits, including less risk of ear infections, gastroenteritis, meningitis; she will have less risk of childhood diabetes and lymphoma; and as an adult, she will have some protection against multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure and heart disease.  You are also reducing your own risk of ovarian, uterine and premenopausal breast cancer and of osteoporosis. (See promom below for references and more benefits!)

With regard to the impact of breastfeeding on your fertility and pregnancy, this is a poorly researched area. The best resource is Hilary Flower’s excellent book Adventures in Tandem Nursing - Breastfeeding during pregnancy & beyond, and some of this information comes from her book.

 It seems that, for most women, the return of their menstrual cycle coincides with the return of their fertility.  A small minority of breastfeeding women may experience a deficiency in the hormones in the second half (luteal phase) of their cycles, which work to prepare the uterus for pregnancy, and so will be less fertile for several cycles.  This may be what you are experiencing.

Another way to look at this issue is in terms of the nourishment that you will need to give your next baby, and your body’s wisdom in deciding when your fertility will return.

If you haven’t caught up with your nutrient “expenditure” for the pregnancy and nursing of your daughter, it would make sense for your fertility to be reduced.  It is always important to begin pregnancy in top form, as a woman’s nutritional state at conception is actually more important for her baby’s health than her nutritional state later in pregnancy.  

It may be worthwhile spending several months replenishing your body before you attempt to conceive: this would, in my mind be preferable to trying to manipulate your fertility with hormones or single vitamins. I am sure your fertility will return when your body is ready.

I highly recommend the book Healthy Parents, Better Babies as an excellent guide to preconception nutrition.

Many blessings on your journey

RESOURCES

Adventures in Tandem Nursing - Breastfeeding during pregnancy & beyond by Hilary Flower and published by La Leche League International.http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tandem-Nursing-Breastfeeding-Pregnancy/dp/0912500972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264318094&sr=1-1 

Healthy Parents, Better Babies: A Couple's Guide to Natural Preconception Health Care

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Parents-Better-Babies-Preconception/dp/0895949555

101 reasons to breastfeed your child  http://www.promom.org/101

See also the chapter :Breastfeeding : The gift of a lifetime” in my book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering available at www.sarahjbuckley.com