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Expert Q&A

	By Melissa Clark Vickers International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Moms & Babies Huntingdon, Tenn.

Since birth, my son has refused to take a bottle (every make and model). Even his doctor has tried. So I nurse him exclusively, but since he was 4 months old he has been eating baby food and drinking out of an adult glass because he does not like the sippy cup (every make and model attempted). That was just a brief history.

My husband and I want to have another baby, but I have not resumed my cycle. It was never regular. Since his birth, I may get a spot here and there, so how will I be able to tell when I am ovulating?

You have a couple of issues that you bring up – one is your baby who won't take a bottle, and the other is how to track your fertility. As for the baby who won't take a bottle, if he is drinking from cups already, then there really isn't a need to introduce the bottle at all. It is just one less thing to have to undo later on! Some babies just don't want anything but the real thing (mom). They are smart babies! And even if there are reasons that you need Baby to eat from some other where, there are usually other ways of feeding him, as you have discovered.

As for your quest to get pregnant again, you have wisely figured out that you need to know what is going on with your body and your monthly cycles. It is pretty easy (sort of) when you have regular periods that arrive like clockwork and allow you to figure out when you are most likely to conceive. Not everybody has those predictable cycles though, and breastfeeding can interfere with the regularity as well.

There are ways that you can learn to recognize the times when you are most likely to conceive. Not too surprisingly, the iParenting Web sites have a wealth of information on this topic, and what is here only represents the tip of the iceberg. They can be stepping stones for you, though, to begin to see what is involved. Three articles to get you started:

• Breastfeeding and Birth Control: Family Planning for the Nursing Mother
• Trying to Conceive While Breastfeeding
• The Right Timing: The Art of Tracking Your Fertility

One other issue you might want to think about – it is my personal belief that because the hormones involved in breastfeeding can cause a temporary interference with the typical monthly cycles, this may be mother nature's way of ensuring that each child gets the attention that they need. Some babies need more attention and tend to nurse longer and more frequently throughout the day, and these are the moms whose cycles take the longest (on average) to return to predictability. These babies' needs for Mom still have to be meshed with the family's needs as a whole, however. That's where learning about family planning a la LAM (lactational amenorhea method) can help you out.

Making babies, taking care of their needs, raising children – these are all family projects that require planning and a lot of time. It's worth it in the end, though, isn't it?

Good luck with your quest for another baby.
Melissa Vickers, IBCLC"

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