Breast feeding and smaller family size

[ThePCWife]

Well–not nothing; it stops my cycles altogether for about 6 months pp, and makes them wonky a few months after that.

I should say it’s strongly discouraged to assume pumping will be as effective at LAM as direct nursing, because it doesn’t produce the same interplay of hormones as an infant’s suckling. It’s also why a lot of women have trouble producing if they solely pump (some do for latching reasons or other reasons) or primarily pump (for work).

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

Yes – I breastfed on demand, around the clock, but always regained fertility much sooner than I stopped breastfeeding on demand! As soon as my babies slept for a 5 hour stretch (even if only one night!), bam! AF was back.

I read somewhere that baby sleeping through the early hours (I can’t remember… 2AM -5 AM?) affects return of fertility the most. I have noticed with my kids that I tend to follow that pattern. I feed on demand, with baby in bassinet right beside my bed, and it seems like as soon as baby doesn’t eat (sleeps thru) that period of time my period comes back. With this last baby it was exactly at 2 months postpartum. I have gotten pregnant while breastfeeding every single time so far (I am breastfeeding baby #7 now, she is under 1 still). I have conceived anywhere from 6 months postpartum to about 21 months postpartum. All of my kids have breastfed at least 13 months (at most about 2 yrs).