[jdejong]

Please let me know if I should post this elsewhere, but since it's about fertility signs, I thought I'd ask those who seem to be paying the most attention!

My son is 19 months old, still nursing a lot, and my period hasn't returned yet. But, I've been noticing an increase in discharge, and my (small) breasts seem suddenly larger. There's a very remote chance I could be about 6 weeks pregnant, and will probably pick up a test this week just to be sure. But, does this also sound like my period could be returning??

I'm actually rather eager for it to, since I'd like some routine confirmation that I'm not pregnant, plus we'd like to try for a second child in the fall and I'm starting to think that my body might need me to wean DS in order to jump-start fertility.

I was thin to begin with, and nursing and a long illness-filled winter has dropped my weight 20 pounds below pre-pregnancy, so I know that probably isn't helping my fertility either (yes, I've had blood work done and am completely healthy, so I'm now eating like a horse). Anyways, this posting has become more irrelevant (unless anyone has any ideas to kick-start my cycle without weaning!)

Thanks!

 

[kcparker]

Oh Julie, I thought just like you did. Our kids are about the same age, and I had one period back in January, then nothing. I've been waiting around for AF to show up again, seeing mucous of various sticky-stretchy-tacky varieties, and thinking, "I've got to have another period again soon." It could be your period, but if you do want to wait until fall to TTC, take it from somebody who won't be seeing a period again for goodness knows how long and buy some condoms when you get that pee stick.

 

[MaryLang]

I wouldn't necessarily go out and buy condoms, but your fertility could be coming back. I've always been able to use natural family planning with great success post postpartum. You could go that route and pick up Taking Charge of Your Fertility, or The Art of Natural Family Planning.

 

[jdejong]

Oh, we absolutely always use protection, no worries there, I really am not ready for a second yet and if I were pregnant, it would be from failed contraception and I'd be shocked. I've read that book, used it to get pregnant actually, but now with co-sleeping and multiple wakings during the night, I don't think I can chart temps with any accuracy yet, and the fluid is all over the place. I'm just unsure whether this fluid "might" mean something...

 

[kcparker]

Oh my gosh, your baby and sleep situation sounds like I could have written it! My temps were not, in my opinion, reliable because of the night-waking.
As for

Quote:

whether this fluid "might" mean something...

, in our case, the answer was YES. I would treat it as possibly fertile, even if your temps and the waxing and waning of mucus doesn't seem to have a regular pattern.

 

[MovingMomma]

It's still possible to CTA while breastfeeding and cosleeping! Come join us on the April thread!

 

[MaryLang]

Ok, do you see how many kids I have? Just had my forth. And after my first 3 being sooo close in age, we decided to do Nfp to aviod and it worked perfectly. We had all three in our bed, I got up a lot and it still works beautifully.