Should I keep bfing and take vitex to ttc pinK?

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

I'm on the fence here. I just ordered the personalized plan yesterday. I'm stressing a bit about weaning my son. He'll be 1 in two weeks. Should I stop bfing and wait for af to return, or should I start taking vitex and try to get af back that way along with diet to ttc pink? I know stressing can sway blue, and I usually stop nursing by a year, but I've been nursing him before he takes his 2 naps a day, and before he goes to bed at night. He also gets up once a night, and I nurse him then...bad habit, I know. Af hasn't been here at all. Thanks.

[DoulaMama]

I took vitex while nursing my 14 mos old and ttc a girl:) I took 2 x 80mg capsules a day. It was enough to change/alter my cycle and make it a bit wonky. I was nursing 3x the amount you are right now, and my cycle came back and was 30-40 days in length. IMO, I would keep nursing. Most women will have their period return close to the 12-14mos postpartum mark without any supps/weaning. You may find that it takes you night weaning him to get your period back. Jay Gordon's night weaning technique is gentle and it works, if that's what you want to do. Oh and just because your baby has a habit, does not mean it's bad;) Almost ALL breastfed babies nurse through the night at that age. It's 100% normal not to sleep through without some kind of reassurance until atleast 2yo. If you enjoy nursing your baby, then you should keep on nursing:) They are only little for such a short period of time~ Hope this helps:)

[Pangea]

I took vitex to get my cycles back after I had DS1. I started when he was 12 months old and they came back straight away but they were irregular and some of them were anovulatory. They went back to normal at around 17 months, which is when I think they would have come back anyway. I conceived DS2 when DS1 was 20 months old, I was still breastfeeding and taking vitex. I was unknowingly doing a lot of other things that swayed boy.

My af returned on it's own this time when DS2 was 18 months, and feeding a lot! I was low in iron and it arrived back very shortly after taking iron supplements, which I only took for a week. I'm not sure if that's a coincidence or not.
I plan on continuing breastfeeding DS2 when I start TTC.

Don't worry about the night feeds, both my boys were waking every 2 hours for feeds at that age, I night weaned them at 20 months and 16 months.

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

Thanks so much. So would you recommed taking Vitex? I enjoy nursing him, but am 37 next month. I'd like to have one more baby and space them out no more than 2 years. I stopped nursing my others at a year, but feel different this time, almost anxious. But I also want to get pregnant, and be stress free..lol! I'm afraid to take vitex, and afraid to wai too long to ttc.

[Pangea]

Well the vitex is very good at bringing your cycles back, it worked straight away for me, and it is supposed to sway girl, so that is good too.
What I did is I just took it for a month to kickstart my cycles, then I didn't take it again until the month I conceived. My cycles would probably have been more regular if I had taken it the whole time. I think it helped me get pregnant with both my boys, I took it while ttc both of them.
I'm not taking it this time myself as my cycles are back and I'm a little bit worried it does the opposite and sways boy for me seeing as I conceived two boys while taking it. But if I was in your position I think I would take it as it seems to sway girl for most people and then you can have the best of both worlds, continue breastfeeding and get pregnant quickly.

Good luck!

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

Thanks so much for the quick response Pangea. I think I'll give it a shot. I'm worried about screwing up my cycle, but right now I don't have a cycle to mess up...hahaha. Atomic says 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Not sure what to do here. I see you took it for a month.

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

Btw you guys are ALL GREAT!!! Such a kind, helpful website. I'm so glad I was on IG and found it!!!

[Pangea]

I took it for a month the first time, then the month I conceived I just took it from af to ovulation. I think taking it two weeks on two weeks off is a good idea.

[atomic sagebrush]

If you want to keep breastfeeding, keep breastfeeding and either wait for AF or else try the vitex in 2 W on, rest of cycle off pattern concurrent with when your cycles were BEFORE you got pg. Our cycles tend to come back at about the same point that they were at before we conceived our previous child (not with 100% certainty, just a tendency).

I've conceived twice now with vitex while BF and was nursing at night both times. It does make it harder of course, but honestly it made my life SO much easier and it's been so nice to have those few minutes out of the day where it's just me and my nursling (and not having to fight over naps/bedtime is great too!) My two older boys who I weaned at 18 months were both done with naps at 18 months (!!!)

[atomic sagebrush]

Well the vitex is very good at bringing your cycles back, it worked straight away for me, and it is supposed to sway girl, so that is good too.
What I did is I just took it for a month to kickstart my cycles, then I didn't take it again until the month I conceived. My cycles would probably have been more regular if I had taken it the whole time. I think it helped me get pregnant with both my boys, I took it while ttc both of them.
I'm not taking it this time myself as my cycles are back and I'm a little bit worried it does the opposite and sways boy for me seeing as I conceived two boys while taking it. But if I was in your position I think I would take it as it seems to sway girl for most people and then you can have the best of both worlds, continue breastfeeding and get pregnant quickly.

Good luck!

I got a boy and a girl taking it. I do think it sways pink, but like all sway tactics, not with 100% reliability unfortunately!!

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

Ok Atomic...one more question and I'm done..hehehe. If you were in my shoes, almost 37 with no af in sight, a ds with no desire to wean and want to ttc pink would you take Vitex and do a LE diet? I got the personalized plan yesterday and am stessed out about this whole thing. I shouldn't feel like this and know I will relax when I have a plan in place. TIA.

[atomic sagebrush]

I WAS in your shoes (twice) at 39 and 41 and I did exactly that!

First time I did my early version of LE Diet (not as good as the present version) plus took GOBS of supps (cal, mag, Vit. D, prenatal, DHA, high dose folic acid, B6, and vitex) which I think was my downfall, and got DS 4.

Second time I did my new and improved LE Diet (but did not limit sodium or potassium), skipped the supps except for vitex, and got DD.

Did not wean with either child!

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

Thank you...I posted on another thread that my last AF was Sept 14, 2010. Should I wait till July 14th to start taking Vitex?

[Butterfly Spirit]

Thanks so much for the quick response Pangea. I think I'll give it a shot. I'm worried about screwing up my cycle, but right now I don't have a cycle to mess up...hahaha. Atomic says 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Not sure what to do here. I see you took it for a month.

I was getting my period on the 22nd of every month. But when it came time to test I didn't get my period, I got a BFP the day before it! ;) That was my first cycle using it.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you...I posted on another thread that my last AF was Sept 14, 2010. Should I wait till July 14th to start taking Vitex?

It's up to you, but I would personally wait. I've seen that trick work for enough people (myself included) that I am inclined to believe there's something to it!!

[Butterfly Spirit]

Oh and one more thing, I was getting my +OPK on CD 23 but that cycle I got it on CD 15, so it did work for me. :)

[sugarNspice]

Another vitex fan here--I've conceived 5 times while breastfeeding, and for 3 of them, I was taking vitex. My body is weird in the sense that I got AF for the first time 6 weeks after giving birth, despite BF every 2 hours or less, including through the night. So for me, fertility seemed to return very quickly, but I still had odd length cycles, and vitex helped make them regular.
I'd totally do the vitex for a pink sway... I mean, vitex can BOTH help regulate your cycles, and can sway pink, and bf can sway pink as well. You can always try to TTC this way, and if it doesn't work (either you don't get pg or AF doesn't come) wean afterwards.