Breastfeeding and Wanting Another Baby

A woman must have a certain % body fat in order to ovulate and have a monthly cycle. Breastfeeding redirects your body fat into breastmilk. So, depending on how long you've been breastfeeding and how much body fat you have now, you might not have enough to support both nursing and ovulation. (And there's also the perspective that you need to give your body a chance to replenish its resources--without any lactation demands--in order for you body to be ready to support another pregnancy.) Some women can ovulate while breastfeeding, some can't. If you're in the can't population, then you'll need to stop or reduce nursing in order to boost your fat reserves and kick off ovulation again.

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you CAN still get pregnant.
Breastfeeding, is NOT a birth control....
I got pregnant... while breastfeeding, twice.

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Have you been trying? Many moms ARE fertile without their "period."

This may sound weird, but sometimes going on the mini-pill, then going off kicks in your period. and FYI: it is completely safe and healthy to nurse through your pregnancy and tandem nurse 2 kiddos (though your current baby MAY wean when you are pregnant - sometimes your milk will drop or change taste). Some will wean and then go back to nursing once your milk comes back after the birth. All is very normal :)

When my oldest was 12 or 13 months I cut back a little on breastfeeding, not because I wanted to get pregnant but just to cut back. But I got pregnant with number two right away, without ever having a period. Maybe you could eliminate one nursing time.

i got pregnant with my 3rd while exclusively nursing my 2nd (i hadn't had a period yet). they're 14 months apart. *sigh* sibling rivalry.

You can still get pregnant while nursing its just a less chance then if you weren't. When you stop nursing your period will come back.

rr tea is a uterine toner & has no reflection on fertility. When exclusively breastfeeding, the average return of fertility is 15 months, so you're almost there! :) there is great variety from woman to woman however. I got pregnant 3 times ws/o having any periods in between. Sheila Kippley's book "Breastfeeding & Natural Child Spacing" was a great help to me.
Anything that decreases the amount of suckling your baby does can trigger the release of an ovum, w/o having a period first, altho just as often one does have one or two anovulatory periods before the ovum drops. Things that trigger ovulation are:
baby eating solids
sleeping thru the night
sucking thumb or paci
either one of you being sick
being apart for extended periods, like return to work (yeah, pumping helps, but it's not the same, your breast does know the dif!)
Therefore, using breastfeeding , while it does delay the return of fertility, does not guarantee you can't get pregnant.

yeah you can get pregnant while nursing but I never could. I would never ovulate until a month or two after I was completely done nursing! But lots of woman can get it back while still nursing if they just cut back on nursing. So instead of nursing on demand go down to nursing like only 3 times a day. Like maybe just for naps and bedtime. Going long periods of time between feedings will up your chances of ovulating and then you can still nurse your child too.

I got prego with #2 while demand nursing our 8mo old. Period or not you are still fertile and can get pregnant. If you & hubby are both ready for #2 then let the fun begin, nothing to be concerned about unless you have a history of not getting prego when trying. Couldn't hurt to call your OB since they know you best. Good Luck!

I agree with cutting down on nursing. If you space them out, you might start ovulating again. Luckily, your child is over 12 months and doesn't really need breastfeeding just for nutritional purposes anymore. There will be other benefits to cutting back, too. Your child will start eating more table food, since they are getting less milk. They will get more nutrition from food, rather then wanting milk so often. (Which is what should be happening, at 13 months.)
I have known so many people who got pregnant while breastfeeding, but it was usually when the feeding were more spaced out.