Getting pregnant while breastfeeding

It depends on if you're ovulating or not, are you having regular periods? Some women have periods while they breast feed, while others don't. You can use a thermometer or check your cervical mucus to see if you're ovulating.

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Breastfeeding involves hormone production that can disrupt hormonal triggers within the reproductive system needed for conception.

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Best wishes to you and your family.

Jan Katzen-Luchenta
Author - Nutrition for Learning:Feeding the Starving Brain - Foresight nutritional counselor- Montessori educator - www.nutritionforlearning.com

Like you, I got pregnant with my first child right after the wedding. I got pregnant with my son around my daughter's first birthday. In fact, I continued to nurse throughout my entire pregnancy with no problem. Since it sounds like you're quite fertile, chances are your next pregnancy will come easily too, but of course, you never know! My husband and I weren't using birth control for a few months before my second child was conceived, but I wasn't nursing as much at that time since my daughter was eating solids too. Nursing was not a problem at all for us...hope it all goes well for you too!

Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

On average, natural birth spacing is typically 2 years, even with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is only good for birth control for the first 6 months (with certain rules/stipulations), so you can get pregnant really anytime after that (and I know several women who have gotten pregnant before the 6 month mark). I would just start trying and not really worry about it at all as it will happen when it happens. You could start charting your temperatures and trying to find out when you're ovulating, too, and I know there is a lot of information about that (natural family planning, I think it's called) but I don't have any of that information.

My son is 11 months and still nursing and we're starting to try for another. We have a 4 year old who was nursing when I got pregnant with my son (she was 32 months at the time of conception). I've not been concerned over how breastfeeding has effective my fertility at all.

Good luck!

Allison
Mom to Talia (10/03) and Trip (3/07)

First off - KUDOS to you for still nursing at 15 months. My goal was to get through my son's first year. 2 days after his 1st birthday we stopped! By this time he had 16 teeth! At least I met my goal without enduring any un-needed pain! :-)

I am 1 of 10 kids. All of us are between 1 to 1 1/2 years apart in age! My mom's "claim to fame" is that she got pregnant with each of us using some sort of birth control - including breastfeeding with 3 of us! I also know that she continued to nurse through our first year (for those that allowed it) even if she was pregnant with the next one.

I would just start trying - track your temp to see when you are ovulating - and you will be prego in no time! :-)

I too had heard one could get pregnant while nursing. I figured this given when I went to my post-partum appt after 6 weeks my ob-gyn asked about our plans for another child or birth control. It sounds from many on this blog and from my own M.D. that you have a good chance of becoming pregnant even if you are nursing. I wish you the best!

LisaMommy is a 38 year old discussion leader for arizonamoms.com from the Paradise Valley/Scottsdale area. Her two boys are ages 8 months and 3 years old.

We tried concieving while I was still breastfeeding our 20 mo. old daughter. We had no success after 3 months of trying, so I stopped breastfeeding and 2 weeks later I was pregnant with our son! I had heard that nursing shouldn't affect your chances of getting pregnant as long as you are ovulating, but for me it did. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you and your family!

I am pregnant with my third child right now -- and I got pregnant my 2nd and 3rd pregnancy while breastfeeding. I got pregnant with #2 when #1 was 11 months old, and pregnant with #3 when #2 was only 5 months old. None of my children have had formula supplementation either. I only had 1 period before #2 and with #3 -- well this was a complete surprise!! So YES you can get pregnant while breastfeeding! Don't worry about it!
Sarah