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The first thing for us was getting a postpartum menstrual cycle. I didn't know you could temp (track your basal body temperature) prior to your postpartum menstrual starting. I did actually try a few times after my first pregnancy, but we started trying when our first was 9 months. So we tried for 8 months and 1 week, hoping to catch the first egg. I should add it is not impossible to catch your first egg, probably a little harder since you would have to watch your temps closely to find a pattern and take OPKs (ovulation prediction kits) to see if your body is trying and does ovulate.
What helped us I believe get my postpartum cycles was when our first started nursing a little less and sleeping longer through the night. She was not sleeping through the night ever when I got my postpartum menstrual cycles back, but sleeping around 4 hours between waking up. It use to be she would sleep for 30 mins to 1 hour and wake up to nurse back to sleep. So anything that is different from what they usually do will help, especially if they keep doing it. Not every child needs to be night weaned or completely weaned from breastfeeding to get pregnant. Our first was still nursing and co-sleeping with me when I became pregnant with my second.
We let our first self wean from 12-24 months by just eating as much or little food as she wanted and letting her nurse on demand. After she turned 24 months, we started limiting the nursing, such as we couldn't nurse while we were in church. Our church is 3 hours. Mom can't nurse you in the car while daddy buys groceries alone. That is how we started to decrease our feedings, since for us cutting back feedings were hard to do. As a toddler she didn't have a set time to nurse and she didn't nurse like a baby anymore, so it wasn't like we could take a feeding time and cut it. Sometimes she would nurse for an hour, sometimes five minutes. She would nurse usually 2x a day, but sometimes 3. She was also eating 3 meals and snacks and drinking cows milk every day as well.
We were able to get pregnant with our second while I was breastfeeding our first. By the time I was pregnant she was nursing 1-2x a day, then down to 1x a day when I eventually weaned her at 30 months when I was 22 weeks pregnant with my second.
Side Note: When you get your postpartum menstrual the first few maybe different then your regular cycles in length and how light or heavy your flow is. For example, my normal length of days is 5 and a medium flow. My first postpartum cycle, my length was 3 days long and light. My second one was also light and 4 days long. Then my third and foruth postpartum cycles became 6 days long. My cycle finally became normal in length and flow by my fifth postpartum cycle.
We were able to get pregnant with our second while I was breastfeeding our first. By the time I was pregnant she was nursing 1-2x a day, then down to 1x a day when I eventually weaned her at 30 months when I was 22 weeks pregnant with my second.
Side Note: When you get your postpartum menstrual the first few maybe different then your regular cycles in length and how light or heavy your flow is. For example, my normal length of days is 5 and a medium flow. My first postpartum cycle, my length was 3 days long and light. My second one was also light and 4 days long. Then my third and foruth postpartum cycles became 6 days long. My cycle finally became normal in length and flow by my fifth postpartum cycle.
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