Done checking mucus - need new method

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LilyRose_8891

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I’ve been breastfeeding my five-month-old son exclusively since July 4. When he was first born, I had to pump my milk and supplement with formula because of complications. After a month, it got worked out and I was able to stop the formula and breastfeed him directly. I still occasionally pumped and my husband fed him from a bottle whenever I had to leave the house (for no more than an hour or two, occasionally five hours at a time when I began working one day a week again). Either way, he’s been getting nothing but breast milk since July 4 and only two instances of bottled breast milk for the past two months.

We are looking to avoid pregnancy for at least a year or so (when our son turns 1) for medical reasons. I have been doing the Creighton method of NFP, and I am mentally and emotionally exhausted from it. I have continuous mucus. My practitioner told me to do the essential sameness question, but I honestly cannot tell whether it’s essentially the same or not. The few times we have had intercourse, the seminal fluid causes more confusion, even though I did my very best to do the seminal fluid instruction. I know lactating women have a hard time eliminating seminal fluid, but I did the instruction before I was pregnant and the entire nine months of pregnancy, and it still did not work for me. Furthermore, it doesn’t take much more than a hug or pat on the shoulder from my husband to summon arousal fluid, putting the last cherry on the cake of confusion. Even though I’m relatively sure it’s seminal fluid, arousal fluid, and probably continuous mucus that is not fertile since I am exclusively breastfeeding, my reasons for avoiding are serious enough that I don’t want to take a chance.

I really, really want to switch to Marquette and use the breast-feeding protocol. I tried doing the Clearblue monitor with the Creighton mucus checking, but I was basically just ignoring the monitor because mucus kept popping up and I was trying to be conservative. So I quit using the monitor and switched back to just checking mucus. But, as I said, mucus is getting frustrating. I really want to use just one method or the other, and the mucus is not really working for me anymore, and so I really want to just do the Marquette method with the monitor only.

My questions for Marquette users,

1.) Can I start exclusively using the Clearblue monitor only method five months into breastfeeding?

2.) How effective and reliable is using just the Clearblue monitor only when it comes to avoiding pregnancy?

Thank you!
 
Is there a reason you’re not considering sympto-thermal? Mucus is used as well, but you also check your basal body temperature every morning. The thermometers are not very expensive (Amazon’s first page results in a range of $6-$20). I had continuous mucus as well and it was frustrating, but the temperature was a valuable cross-check, and night-feedings didn’t interfere with my temp readings (they might for some women, but I barely wake up for night-feedings since we bedshare).

And if you’re breastfeeding with minimal bottle usage, not using pacifiers, etc, you might have a long way to go before your fertility returns anyhow. The monitor and test strips are expensive. If you’re set on it, that’s fine, of course, but I wanted to present this as an option for you if you haven’t considered it.
 
Wife and I were never able to use Creighton after a baby because there was always a toddler drowning amount of CM. Sploosh!! I will suggest that you follow the rules for LAM. LAM worked fantastically for us for at least 24 months. After LAM time runs out we either have to abstain from coitus for 3 months whilst her cycles straighten out or go ahead with another baby.
 
pensmama87 said:
Is there a reason you’re not considering sympto-thermal? Mucus is used as well, but you also check your basal body temperature every morning. The thermometers are not very expensive (Amazon’s first page results in a range of $6-$20). I had continuous mucus as well and it was frustrating, but the temperature was a valuable cross-check, and night-feedings didn’t interfere with my temp readings (they might for some women, but I barely wake up for night-feedings since we bedshare).

And if you’re breastfeeding with minimal bottle usage, not using pacifiers, etc, you might have a long way to go before your fertility returns anyhow. The monitor and test strips are expensive. If you’re set on it, that’s fine, of course, but I wanted to present this as an option for you if you haven’t considered it.
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DITTO on sympto-thermal!!!
Plus, in addition to the basal body temperature (which night wakings NEVER affected for me either!), you can also check your cervical position - which I, personally, have always found to the the MOST RELIABLE SIGN during those confusing postpartum months.

Fertility return can definitely vary from woman to woman and from baby to baby, even with exclusive breastfeeding. Mine returned at 5.5m, 7.5m, 10.5m, and 5m postpartum after each of my 4 children… and I breastfed them all exclusively.

Look into it! There are many sympto-thermal resources out there!
 
Another ditto on the sympto-thermal.

I have an almost identical scenario, and reasons that are serious enough that I do not want to take a risk. So I am still doing CrM observations, but also temp. Breastfeeding does not interfere with my readings, and I have a very clear shift, so the temps provide a very, very valuable cross-check. Sometimes we decide to p(name removed by moderator)oint Peak on the basis of temps only.
 
I used a mucous-only method for a while (Billings) but decided that was not enough so I started temping my BBT a few months ago. What a relief. The temperature shift confirms my ovulation and I feel secure about where I am in my cycle.
 
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