Extended Nursing Support Thread Part 5

[amayzie]

but its just irritating when he acts upon his doubts instead of talking to me about it and us deciding together - makes our parenting seem a bit disjointed.

yeah- and you want to get this sorted- the last thing you want with a school aged child or teen is disjointed parenting... easy enough to say though!!

Hmm- well i might just keep going then and not stress about weaning.. it's just the 2 feeds and he doesn't mind skipping if we have to go to mum's right away in the morning..



Thanks amanda- i'll have a look! Again- the timing may turn out that he stops before we start trying anyway- BUT i'd hate to wean him just to improve fertility when it may make no difference! Especially if we have so much trouble that we decide this is the extent of our family!

[anna*]

Does depend who you ask. We had to work at it to conceive Audrey, I was seeing an acupuncturist because of a short luteal phase and non-ovulatory cycles, she was very sure that BF depletes the body and if you're having trouble with fertility you often have to 'put back' what BF has taken out of you. She had me make some dietary and lifestyle changes as well as the acupuncture itself.

[amayzie]

Great link amanda- just read it! I hadn't even considered the drugs! I didn't need them last time- but you never know this time!


interesting amanda..

[*Ali*]

We were still on 4 feeds a day when I got pregnant with Colby. I know many people do get PG with BFing so it is certainly possible.

I went to see a dermatologist today about some psoriasis I have and we were discussing BFing on the meds she wanted to prescribe. I had mentioned he was one so she said "if he's one you"ll be weaning soon anyway so just start the new meds when you've stopped BFing". That's an assumption! She didn't even know he was 20mos so bit narrow minded to assume I was weaning I thought. Annoying though as she doesn't really want to start me on anything until I've stopped BFing. We've made another appt for 6 months time as I said I would probably have stopped by then. I'd like to slowly encourage him to wean soon after he turns two if possible. I will feel like I've done my job if I reach 2yo YK? Silly but it works for me

[amayzie]

Totally get it! Especially if you have meds you'd like to take to make YOUR life easier!! I don't have psoriasis but i do have dermatitis that can be a bit of a b#*$tard at times- so i can imagine you'd like to get onto the drugs! I would have liked to start on a pill i've heard can help reduce hormonal facial hair.. ah well- that is a bit of a far off dream! I can see waxing is in my future for the next few years at least!!

[Erin M]

Katy, I was on Clomid when we were TTC dd1 and it took quite awhile.  I didn't get AF back until after I stopped nursing, but got pg straight away the first cycle -- for me, pregnancy seemed to have changed things and made it easier for me to get pg, maybe that will be the case with you too? 

Bec -- I've got a friend who is a professor/research in child development -- would you like me to ask her to find some studies about how you're not psychologically damaging L? 

[nona]

Bed - that's awful. he is just uninformed.

we've DTD around the time id be ovulating a couple of times so i think it is pretty much impossible for me to get pregnant again w/o help (had help with DD)! not going that route again so if it happens it happens...but it prob won't which is sad and one reason i'm still BFIng bc chances are i'll never BF again.

i have a friend who needed help  the first time and got pregnant soon for #2. she was "advance maternal age" too.

part of me is ready to wean bc i have some health stuff. nothing major  - uch as one thing is- i have horrible dry eyes but to treat it i can't be BFing. Been wanting to treat for.ev.er now but with TTC, etc haven't been able to. 

also, Dh & I want to take a trip ALONE for a few days this july. if i'm still BFing, do i need my pump?? i really, really have no interest in taking my pump! or do you think it would be OK for a few days and i can self express if needed? DD will be happy to drink milk from a cup.

[Fiver]

Fertility is such an individual thing, whether BF or not.  For us, DS was conceived on our second proper cycle of trying, but DD took over 1.5y.  They do say that if you have a c/s the first time, that can affect things too.

Heather, I'd probably not bother with the pump and hand express a bit if you get uncomfortable at all.

[nona]

thanks amanda! she drinks alot of milk during the day so i don't think i'm her main supply these days

[katiebee18]

DS is 15.5 months and I just found out I am pregnant with #2 (4.5 weeks). I was working on weaning him prior to getting pregnant as I thought that might need to happen in order to have another baby, but with 3 feeds a day, I was able to get pregnant. We are excited but now I am like "crap, I am pregnant and exhausted and starving and I am feeding 3 people!"

I know many of you have nursed through and after your pregnancies, I just don't know that I am cut out for that. I didn't even think we would make it to 1 year of nursing and am happy for as far as we have made it. I am not quite sure DS is ready though. I didn't feed him before nap today and so far so good, but getting through that first thing in the morning and right before bedtime wean I think will be much tougher.

So yesterday I noticed my right breast felt sore right before I fed DS. THen my nipple hurt while he was feeding. It hurt all last night and this morning when he latched (not terrible, but uncomfortable). Do you think this is just a sensitivity from being pregnant? DS is also right about to cut his last 1 year molar and 1 other tooth and I feel like his latch is a little funky these days. I tried getting a deeper latch this morning and hopefully that helped. It is almost a plugged duct but more sore than firm. I am not familiar with thrush and hope that's not it.

Any ideas?

[nona]

congrats!

so there is a hard area? have you tried massaging it?

[katiebee18]

amazyie - I got AF back at just before DS turned 11 months and had long anovulatory cycle. The next cycle is where I cut down to 5 feeds a day and I ovulated then but really late (CD 30 of 41 day cycle). Next 2 cycles, I ovulated around my pre-baby time (CD 16-17) and by then I was down to 3-4 feeds a day.

I just started tracking my BBT, etc. for baby #2. I really like fertilityfriend.com. I would guess at 2 feeds you are probably ovulating and your luteal phase is likely long enough, but tracking your data would help you be sure.

[katiebee18]

Nona - not really a hard area like you would have with a plugged duct. Feels pretty much the same as my other breast but is sore to the touch. So weird to have oddness this late in the game.

I massaged it some last night, warm compress and then massaged in hot shower today. Maybe it's already healing, the tissue just needs a few days.

[nona]

my cycles have been every 28 days since 8 months. this month i didn't seem to get my ovulatory signs but AF still came on time. 

i'm sure DS is just latching funny bc of teething.

[Fiver]

Is it just one particular spot that's sore?  Any redness? Fever?