NFP & Breastfeeding Question

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Hello - I’ve got a question about breastfeeding and NFP.

I have a 10 month old son, who is still almost exclusively breastfeed. He wakes up on average about 3 - 4 times a night to eat (much more frequently if he’s teething). My period returned when my son was about 5 months old, although it’s been infrequent. Since then, I’ve been using the CM NFP method almost exclusively, since I’m not getting enough sleep at night to begin charting temperatures again. With my last two cycles I begin using the Ovacue monitor, just to try to get additional data since I can’t use temperatures right now.

I work outside of the home two days a week, during which time I pump. When I’m with my son I practice “ecological” breastfeeding and we also co-sleep.

With all that being said - I’m wondering if there is anyone else out there who had a similar experience and if so, how successful was the CM method as an indicator for the return of fertility? Is there another NFP method that doesn’t require temps that anyone could recommend?

Thanks!
 
lmf said:
Hello - I’ve got a question about breastfeeding and NFP.

I have a 10 month old son, who is still almost exclusively breastfeed. He wakes up on average about 3 - 4 times a night to eat (much more frequently if he’s teething). My period returned when my son was about 5 months old, although it’s been infrequent. Since then, I’ve been using the CM NFP method almost exclusively, since I’m not getting enough sleep at night to begin charting temperatures again. With my last two cycles I begin using the Ovacue monitor, just to try to get additional data since I can’t use temperatures right now.

I work outside of the home two days a week, during which time I pump. When I’m with my son I practice “ecological” breastfeeding and we also co-sleep.
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The fact that you use the pump means you’re not practicing ecological breastfeeding. LAM is less strict than ecological breastfeeding and less effective. But the fact that you’ve gotten your period and that your child is over 6 months also disqualifies this as LAM.
With all that being said - I’m wondering if there is anyone else out there who had a similar experience and if so, how successful was the CM method as an indicator for the return of fertility? Is there another NFP method that doesn’t require temps that anyone could recommend?
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Click to expand...
I use the Creighton model. Creighton didn’t even consider fully breastfeeding as something reliable enough past the first 56 days after giving birth. So I’ve been charting since then. I did try to use LAM principals in that I tried to breastfeed her as often as I could. But we had latch on issues for the first couple of months, I had to exclusively pump and feed her for awhile until I was finally giving a nipple shield. Eventually she figured things out enough to not use a nipple sheild, but between all that and giving into using a pacifier and occassionally supplimenting formula, I really couldn’t say “Oh I’m breastfeeding so I can reasonably ignore things on my chart.”

Things were pretty much constantly dry for a long time so it was nice, but then I started getting mucus patches that showed up more and more and then I started looking like I was getting my period, but I never got beyond a light flow. At that point I was like “What’s going on? I wish I used BBT.” I tried to teach myself quickly BBT, but my creighton instructor simply said that until I had a medium flow cycle, I should consider myself anovulatory and consider any mucus patch a possibility that I didn’t ovulate and may have a double or third peak or no peak. That was confusing. But once I had the medium flow, aside from a very long prepeak stage, things are looking pretty regular now and I no longer feel the rush to try to learn BBT.
 
Creighton has been very effective even though if you are breastfeeding past one year it seems menses don’t return with regularity then either. Nfp website might have more information for you though.
 
I recommend the Billings Method–the only indicator of fertility used here is vaginal mucus. (No temps, no internal exams.) Basic rules, basic charting, whether you are breastfeeding, normal cycles, pre- and peri-menopause. Your charts will reflect these different times, but the rules don’t change. Used around the world–doesn’t require literacy or gadgets. Billings teachers are available in many places in the US and Canada; there may be online instruction as well. Have happily used the Billings Ovulation Method for over 20 years. Website: thebillingsovulationmethod.org/ (Australia)
 
lmf said:
Hello - I’ve got a question about breastfeeding and NFP.

I have a 10 month old son, who is still almost exclusively breastfeed. He wakes up on average about 3 - 4 times a night to eat (much more frequently if he’s teething). My period returned when my son was about 5 months old, although it’s been infrequent. Since then, I’ve been using the CM NFP method almost exclusively, since I’m not getting enough sleep at night to begin charting temperatures again. With my last two cycles I begin using the Ovacue monitor, just to try to get additional data since I can’t use temperatures right now.

I work outside of the home two days a week, during which time I pump. When I’m with my son I practice “ecological” breastfeeding and we also co-sleep.

With all that being said - I’m wondering if there is anyone else out there who had a similar experience and if so, how successful was the CM method as an indicator for the return of fertility? Is there another NFP method that doesn’t require temps that anyone could recommend?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
CM method was not a good indicator for my return of fertility postpartum but every women is different and I know it works great for some women.

one big problem for me was mucus patches maybe due to SR (semen residue) it looks just like fertile mucus. I know CM has a rule for SR but I tried it and never understood it. if its mucus patches (long iregular cycles) due to pp (postpartum nursing) try nurse less to normal out your cycles (explained more below).

I used CM for three years now I use STM for 4 years. I use STM and EBF (ecological Brestfeeding). Sometimes I don’t get the best sleep but the temps are extra data that still help. I can also explain how to get a good temp patter when you wake a lot at night if you want.

I could go into why the STM method helps identify SR more accurately for me using cervix checks and temp patter…

**Also STM is the only method for me that helps me identify for example anovulatory (long pre peak short post peak CM talk) cycles and other cycles irregularities during my pp cycles giving me more “yes days” than the other methods and monitors I’ve tried. ****

Actually I’m not a fan anymore of EBF I think it causes crazier and longer pp cycles, then other ways of BF.** Here is the key the less you BF the more normal and faster you cycles should return. Normal cycles come from less BF. I’m not say to wean at 10 months but maybe nurse less and offer more table food and start a sippy (I know not EBF talk). I know some women who have to completly wean to get normal cycles back. for me EBF = crazy pp cycles so I have to chose EBF with crazy cycles or other method of BF and normal cycles (fewer and faster that is).
 
also co sleeping plays a big part in postponing return of normal cycles due to frequent night nursing.
 
I’m currently breastfeeding my 4th and charting (sympto-thermal method)…
I also co-sleep, and will go back to work in a week (so I pump - and my kids have also all used pacifiers… thus NOT qualifying for using “ecological BF’ing”).

Regardless of how little sleep I get I am able still to get good information from my temperature sign. It’s only there to help you in retrospect to see if ovulation ACTUALLY occurred. But on a day-to-day basis I mostly look at my cervical mucous and cervical position signs to track my fertility.
So, while I highly recommend taking your temperature on a regular, daily basis (set your alarm, regardless of how much sleep you’ve gotten) - don’t *focus *on it or get stressed out about it… it’s only there as a cross-check confirmation to give proof as to whether a particular patch of fertile-looking signs (mucous and cervical position) was actually ovulation - in retrospect.
Does that make sense or help?
 
For some perspective:
1st child - BF until 13 months; cycle returned at 5.5 months
2nd child - BF until 17 months; cycle returned at 7.5 months
3rd child - BF until 22 months; cycle returned at 10.5 months
4th child - currently BF’ing at almost-3 months; charting fertility signs, no regular cycle yet
 
I use Marquette and I have read some very interesting things on their forum from the primary research doctor. He says that breastfeeding moms can have lots of mucus that is hard to decipher. You can use just the monitor with Marquette. It was a little tricky to get going and trust the method for me at first in the postpartum period because the monitor WAS NOT matching up with my mucus signs. I have learned that I actually ovulate about 3 days past my peak mucus. That explains two previous NFP pregnancies for me. I really love the method. It is completely objective. No guesswork. Just follow the monitor and the algorithms.
 
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