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Home › Articles › Issues for Mom › Pregnant and Still Breastfeeding

Pregnant and Still Breastfeeding

Becoming Pregnant While Still Nursing

By Gwen Morrison

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There are some ways to improve your chances of becoming pregnant again while still breastfeeding. Keep in mind, though, that these tips are intended for older babies and toddlers who do not derive the bulk of their nutrition from breast milk.

  • Introduce more solid foods as an additional supplement to breast milk if the child is at the right age.
  • Through the night, try not to feed before six hours have lapsed.
  • Stretch out the intervals between the day feedings to more than four hours.

Even as the months pass and your menstrual cycle returns, remember that the elevated levels of prolactin in your body can still alter your cycle and hinder conception.

Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
To understand how your cycle works, think of it as Part 1: before ovulation; and Part 2: after ovulation. During an average 28-day cycle, the following changes occur in your body:

  • Day one is the first day that bleeding begins. This usually lasts somewhere between three to six days. By the seventh day, the eggs in the ovaries start to ripen. This is caused by the release of the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). The uterus starts to thicken to prepare for a fertilized egg. After a few days, the ripest egg is released. In a normal 28-day cycle, this happens on day 14.
  • Around day 14, the egg travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. At this poit, if a single male sperm fertilizes it, the egg may attach to the lining of the uterus, and pregnancy will begin. This stage is called implantation. If fertilization does not occur, the egg will start to break apart. At about day 25, the hormone levels decrease and this causes the uterus to break down and the lining is shed in a menstrual period.


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