As Bea’s first birthday fast approaches

And I realise that this beautiful baby is here to stay

As sure as any parent can be sure

I am hopeful this Rainbow Baby will soon be our Rainbow Toddler

As she changes and grows before our eyes

I know I really really would like one more baby

I also know that I really do just want one

One pregnancy a little more relaxed than the last three

One pregnancy I can cherish and enjoy and document

Knowing that, all being well, it will be my last

David and I have been talking a lot about me returning to teaching

Taking on a more active role in his business

Offering practical support to our lovely village school

But I know in my heart I am not ready for that

I know what I need to do

I want Bea to have a play mate

As Esther and William do

I want four children to live and grow in our home

Our fifth baby will make our family complete

I know that this is what I want to do

And then as we have always planned

When the youngest of our children starts school

I will return to the classroom as well

Hopefully at the little school over the road

But for now I want a baby

I want to start trying for a baby

I want to try to conceive

So I have been researching breastfeeding

And searching for tips for ttc

The benefits of breastfeeding are well known

As is the fact that while nursing it is tricky to conceive

These are are the tips I have found

Night Weaning
For fertility to return, for your body to start ovulating again, it seems common advice to try and wean your baby from feeding at night. A period of 6 hours without feeding might send signals to your body to start ovulating and menstruating again. This is going to be tricky for me and Bea. We still sleep together and I think she might just help herself to milk through the night. I do not seem to wake much through the night nowadays. I am aware of her having a big feed at around 10 or 11 and then not really again until at least 5am. That gives us the 6 hour gap that we need. We do not have a routine though, day or night. Some evenings Bea will sleep in my arms from 6pm through to 11pm without feeding but that is quite rare. I think that we really need to move Bea from our bed into a cot before we make much progress with night weaning.

Reducing Day Time Feeds
Bea feeds on demand throughout the day. She feeds before she gets up in the morning and before her mid morning and afternoon naps. I think she feeds roughly at around 6am, 10am, 2pm and 6pm. Every 4 hours. At almost 11 months. Is that a lot? She is a very milky baby and is only really now starting to eat much solid food. She likes to snuggle and feed. I tried today to give her formula milk in a beaker for the very first time but she was not really interested in it and refusing to breastfeed her just made us both upset. It is so hard because I so desperately want to fall pregnant but I also want to make the most of Bea. I would hate to do anything to damage our bond.

Use Ovulation Testing Kits
There are many ways to track and chart and test. To be honest I would not know where to start. I might start by using a brand I know such as Clearblue to test for a month. Testing when you have no idea if anything is happening at all could become expensive. I found a website called Zoom Baby where you can bulk buy kits for fertility testing and they also offer advice for anyone trying to conceive. There is a well written informative article about charting fertility and signs of fertility while breastfeeding here.

Try Supplements To Increase Fertility
To have the best chance of falling pregnant and staying pregnant your body needs to be in good condition. You need to be fit and healthy. This can be achieved through a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, exercise and by reducing stress. See my next top tip! Health and fitness can be aided, fertility increased by using supplements. When thinking about supplements make sure you do your research and use a brand that you trust and only use supplements that are safe while pregnant and feeding. Zita West Pregnancy Plan looks good and is something that I think I might try.

Enjoy The Children You Already Have
Try not to get so bogged down in dates, numbers, mucus and temps that you miss the joy of feeding and snuggling with the baby you already have. Stress can inhibit fertility so try to remain calm and relaxed if you can. I know it is easier said than done. When you want a baby you want a baby no matter how many children you already have. The desire is always strong and hormones can make you crazy but the baby you have needs you and you need them. I think that is why breastfeeding and fertility work the way that they do. You will fall when your body is ready to carry another baby and your baby is ready to accept a sibling. But what do I know?

Baby Bea is almost 11 months old

I am almost 39

I want another baby

And I want to start trying now

I am going to try these top tips

Weaning, self care and loving being mummy to the children that I have

And hoping beyond hope

That I will fall

These tips are collated from things that I have read online and in books, things I have discussed with other people offline. I am not a medical expert, I am not a counsellor of any kind. These are ideas you may want to look into if you, like me, are breastfeeding and trying to conceive