Did I breastfeed too long?

[Anonymous]

TTC #2. DD born last August and I just stopped breastfeeding her within the last 4 weeks.

I did not get a MP until June, and my cycles have varied in length from 28-33 days.

Started trying in July and am surprised that I'm not pregnant yet, as I had always heard that it was easier to conceive the second time around.

Anyone else have a similar situation? Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

It's my understanding that even when you get your period back, if you are still breastfeeding, your hormones might not be at optimal levels for conceiving. Of course you could get pregnant, but it's likely to take a few months after STOPPING completely to be optimal.

[Anonymous]

I think for women who have trouble TTC, that #2 can sometimes come easier, as it can sometimes ease whatever issue was causing trouble in the first place. But if it was easy the first time around, then I wouldn't expect the 2nd round to be easier. And in fact I know a number of folks who got lucky quickly with #1, and then it took some time with #2.

As for your cycles - I agree it can take some time for them to get back to normal. I didn't need to stop BFing for this to happen (period came back at 5+ months), but it was still 3-4 unusually long cycles before things settled back into a regular pattern.

Good luck, and I hope you get lucky soon.

[Anonymous]

I think it completely depends on your body whether you can conceive while breastfeeding. I have a friend who got pregnant while exclusively breastfeeding her 2 month old daughter, for example, but I know others who had to wait awhile after stopping to start ovulating again. And I don't think it usually takes more time to conceive the second time around, because you're getting older (unless you are under 30).

I think what you need to figure out is whether you're ovulating yet, if you haven't already.

[Anonymous]

OP -- I'm in the same boat as you. It takes time for your cycles to return to normal. Even if you ovulate the first cycle, you often have "luteal incompetence" during those first post-weaning cycles. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Wow. Luteal incompetence - didn't know there was such a thing. I'll have to look it up.

When TTC #1, we tried for 4 months, and then got PG during the 5th month, after using an OPK.

This time, I started the OPKs pretty much from the start. I am getting positives right around when the calendar says I should ovulate, but no luck yet. This month I had telltale CM during ovulation.

How do I know if I'm ovulating but have luteal incompetence?

Good to know that others felt it took a while to get into a predictable routine.