Planning for pink....

[JP2007]

I have 2 boys, 4 years and 3 months. I would like to have one more baby close in age to my youngest. I would be happy with another boy, but I would like to sway for pink to see if I can tip the odds a little bit. The only thing holding me back right now is my fertility. I am exclusively breastfeeding and my baby is in the 98th percentile for weight and eats ALL. THE. TIME. I breastfed my first and didn't have a period until completely weaning after 1 year.

I would like to conceive in about 3 to 6 months depending on my fertility. I am going to talk to my doctor about Clomid, but I am not sure if that will be an option. I am considering Vitex, and would like some information on when to start taking it, how much to take, and what pattern to take it in (all month, up to O, etc). I am also planning on including exercise and the LE diet in my sway as well as some supplements. If I am planning on TTC in about 3 months at the earliest, when is the best time to start everything? I can safely lose about 60 lbs so I would imagine I can maintain the LE diet for awhile. Thanks for the help!

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi and welcome.

Since you do have some weight to spare I would start the diet and exercise 3 months in advance, we've gotten best results that way. But that can extend the amount of time it takes for your cycle to come back. Vitex can help but I don't want you to take it when your baby is that small.

[JP2007]

Thank you for the advice! I am hoping that I might see my cycle around 6 months when I start my son on baby food. If not, would it be safe to start Vitex around that time? I am going to start the diet and exercise right away. I tend to stress easily so I think that starting ahead of time will help cut down on stress because it will all be routine by the time I am starting TTC.

[atomic sagebrush]

I generally say more like 9 months because most babies are eating more table foods at that stage and also are larger and able to tolerate things. I am very likely being overly conservative but just like to err on the side of caution where babies are concerned.