AF returning???

[H&B'sMum]

I need some advice from everyone.
Here's the story.
Harry is nearly 9 1/2 months and I have not had AF since I conceived 18 1/2 months ago (not that I'm complaining). But the thing is that Dh and I want to start TTC in the second half of this year. I was hoping to have some cycles before we start so I'm aware of what my body is doing. It took us a long time to conceive Harry and even then my cycles were out of whack. I'm still breast feeding but have cut the feeds down to 3-4 a day. I'm also on the mini pill. I thought if I cut my feeds down then AF would return but they haven't. I know you can fall pregnant whilst still bf as 4 of my friends have done this. But I wish to have at least one cycle first. I don't want to stop bf as we still love it and I want to continue for as long as Harry wants to.
If anyone has any experience of this or knows someone who has, can you please let me know. All suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[xkwzit]

Hi Harry's Mum
I don't have direct experience, but hope I can give you some leads. Try contacting the Australian Breastfeeding ***. in your area, I'm pretty sure they have a booklet about managing fertility while BF (booklets were quite cheap the last time I looked ~$5). I had heard of someone who had done some research and concluded that it was the night feeds that had the major impact on fertility, drop those and pg followed. Now that is hearsay, but there are books out there about this very thing and hopefully your local ABA could also point you in the right direction.

Best of Luck

[Kassiasmum]

Hi Kareena
you could try the book "Natural fertility" by Francesca Naish, I found this book excellent when ttc with my daughter.
Good luck

[H&B'sMum]

Thanks Girls, I will try them. Kassiasmum I have heard of that book and others have recommended it for fertility problems. I might to find it at my local library and see if it's wirth buying. I will also contact my ABA councellor as well and see if she has anyideas for me. I have dropped the night feeds (unless he is particular cranky and won't go back to sleep), and now only have day feeds.
I have decided to start charting my temps from the beginning of Feb. That way I can see when I'm most fertile in the month without having AF. I just want to be prepared on the fertile side of things before we start this time around. If anyone hears of anythign else please let me know.

[rebecca]

Hi there Kareena,

WE read Franchesca's books prior to conceiving peanut...as we too had a bit of trouble conceiving as I had endometriosis. I found that it to be of great help, although sometimes it could be a bit much..u will know what I mean when reading it...and I just balanced the advice out...

Good Luck

Bec & Peanut

[willsmum]

Mine started with both bubs when I dropped regular night feeds when they started sleeping thru.

Also, to check what your cycles are doing you could try using a "Maybe baby" ovulation tester. Its about the size of a lipstick and is a mini-microscope. You just wipe a bit of saliva on a small screen first thing in the morning before you eat or drink or clean your teeth and when it dries, look thru the viewer (like a small telescope) and if you are ovulating in the next couple of days or have just ovulated then fern shaped crystals appear. It's something to do with one of the particular hormones involved drying in a crystal pattern. No ovulating - blobs appear.

We used this successfully for 4 pregnancies / 2 babies. It was about $70 from the chemist - not cheap but is re-useable and after we finished with it, it was passed on to other friends.

[H&B'sMum]

Thanks everyone,
Willsmum, that Maybe Baby thing might be what I need. I will have a look when I go to the shops tomorrow.
Thank you everyone. I'll keep you up to date on how everything works out