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RyaneM
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| Posted: June 02 2008 at 11:15am | IP Logged
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Hi all,
I have a question for all of you who have extended b'feeding experience. Anyone find that they were unable to conceive another baby until they completely weaned the nursing child?
My just turned 3 yo son nurses to fall asleep at night but that is it. My cycle has been very irregular and long since it returned when he was 14 mos old. We have been trying to conceive another child since with no success. I am wondering if my nursing is what is impacting my cycle and if others have found that they were unable to conceive while continuing to b'feed.
Thanks,
Ryane
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: June 02 2008 at 11:37am | IP Logged
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RyaneM wrote:
Hi all,
I have a question for all of you who have extended b'feeding experience. Anyone find that they were unable to conceive another baby until they completely weaned the nursing child? |
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Only once. Katie was weaned when she was just shy of three. Karoline was conceived five months later. We had been hoping and praying and trying all the time between them. I was just turning forty. So, I really thought that the weaning was necessary related to diminished fertility because of my age. But the baby I'm carrying now was conceived while still nursing a one-year-old A LOT!!! And now I'm really, really old. I've tandem nursed the rest.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Lisbet
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| Posted: June 02 2008 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
| And now I'm really, really old. I've tandem nursed the rest. |
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LOL! Ya are not! 
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 02 2008 at 12:15pm | IP Logged
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I have some friends who cannot get pregnant while bfing at all.
I think that the average spacing in traditional cultures that practice extended bfing is 3.5-4 years; so, to not be able to conceive with a three year old nursing is still "normal," imo, if on the outside of it. I know of young fertile women who have a 3.5 year spacing between their children simply from bfing. My own spacing is 25-28 months between. I've only had one cycle (just before my current pregnancy) since August of 2003!
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LisaR
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I do not return to fertility until a few months after total weaning. However, I over produce prolactin (basically have strong letdown/too much milk until totally weaned) and I think that the supply coupled with the fact that I routinely lay down with my kids to nurse when home (slowed the flow a bit  )"tricks" the body into thinking it is still in recovery mode/not ready for another......
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LisaR
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| Posted: June 02 2008 at 1:16pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I've only had one cycle (just before my current pregnancy) since August of 2003! |
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Isn't that the best!!!
I am thankful for the very long breaks, esp since my bleeding can be 7-9 days with large clots and quite heavy 
when I used to grumble and moan about the hard spray/constantly leaking bfeeding issues, I tried to remind myself to be grateful that I was not dealing with a mess anywhere else!!
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
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Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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RyaneM
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| Posted: June 03 2008 at 8:21am | IP Logged
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Thanks so much to everyone who responded.
LisaR wrote:
I think that the supply coupled with the fact that I routinely lay down with my kids to nurse when home (slowed the flow a bit )"tricks" the body into thinking it is still in recovery mode/not ready for another......
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This is interesting, Lisa. I also tend to lie down with ds when he was/is nursing. Thanks for mentioning this.
Ryane
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Lisbet
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| Posted: June 03 2008 at 8:30am | IP Logged
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My fertility usually returns at 4ms post partum, tandum nursing even, and definetly laying down nursing for the first year or so (how else would they ever go down for a nap!!! ) I've gotten pregnant as early as 5 months postpartum. I've suffered 7 early losses, breastfeeding may or may not have had anything to do with it. Everyone is so different.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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LisaR
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| Posted: June 03 2008 at 10:22am | IP Logged
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Lisbet wrote:
| I've suffered 7 early losses, breastfeeding may or may not have had anything to do with it. Everyone is so different. |
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this is so sad  I'm sorry for all of your losses.
yes, everyone is SO different.
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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Jess
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| Posted: June 03 2008 at 12:19pm | IP Logged
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This is the first time I have extended bf and my dd is 15 mo (today!) and I still haven't had my cycle return. I am glad you brought this up Ryane because we would like to conceive again too, but who knows when I will be fertile again. I don't want to wean or anything and my dd doesn't hardly eat anything else and nurses a lot still so we can only hope and pray!
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Stephanie_Q
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I've gotten pregnant while nursing and before my cycle returned every time. No cycles here since I got married  If you're worried, talk to someone in your area who teaches NaProTechology (or perhaps CCL?). It can be really hard to figure out what's going on fertility-wise when nursing. We're at 17 months...going on 18 and this is the longest I've gone between babies without ovulating...I'm getting older (though I know I'm not old)
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Sparrow
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| Posted: June 03 2008 at 10:20pm | IP Logged
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Hi Ryane,
For many women, a child nursing only once a day will probably not affect their fertility. However, some women's bodies are more sensitive than others. 3 years with no resumption of fertility may be uncommon but isn't necessarily abnormal 
Then you get the ladies at the other end of the spectrum who exclusively breastfeed on demand, baby wear, co-sleep, etc, and have their fertility return within a month or two of birth!
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Topic: Extended b'feeding and fertility
