Period? Root of all my recent difficulties?

[designerbaby]

Hi all - some of you will remember my slighly desperate thread of last week... well, I was surprised by my first postpartum period today... Could this be the root of the problems?

• sudden decrease in supply
• baby refusing to feed
• me being unable to cope with the above

???

Why didn't any of my books warn me this might happen? Just spoke to my BF counseller who said that this is often the case...

Grrrrr... I feel like a right eedjit.

db
xx

[luciemule]

Don't be feeling like an eedjit designer baby - I am just finishing a training course to become a BF helper and they haven't told up about decreasing supply and the first postpartum period. I might it up this week to see what the info is.

[strawberrylace]

Hi designer baby - I am BFing DS, now 6.5months, and have had periods since about month two - and each month I get the same problem of fussy baby at latch and painful boobs. It is hormone related, and is worse at ovulation & just before my period starts.
Problem is, I forget this each month and wonder why on earth the bf is so painful again! so you are not alone in wondering what is happening.... I don't think this is mentioned much cos of the myth that you don't get periods if you are bfing....
Hope you are feeling better now

[ChocolateHobnob]

Db, this happened to me too - periods returned when DD was 21 weeks, but had trouble at 19 weeks too which I assume was ovulation. Fussy latch and whingey behaviour. Does that mean you can carry on mix feeding more easily?

Oh and the first day of my period was very very heavy - I feared it would all be like that - it wasnt!

Hugs!

[Celery]

My period returned at 6 weeks after I had my daughter, and I bf her for 18 months and had this problem every month. To be honest, it put a real downer on the whole breastfeeding experience. The whole disatisfied fretful baby, the tender boobs and "antsy" feeling I got. It's horrible not wanting to be touched when you're having to feed a fretful baby. It kind of put me off, and I only fed the next baby because of it. No delayed period through breastfeeding for me!

[Celery]

missed out a whole chunk of that last sentence - I only fed my next baby for six months because of it.

[designerbaby]

HI Choc... DD still not much interested in the boob, so I'm mainly bottle feeding now, apart from the morning in-bed BF which seems to be the least contentious! Also if she doesn't take much, I just do the next feed a bit earlier and she takes more to make up.

Have got industrial breast pump now to try and keep my supply going a bit longer, but not getting much - will persevere for a bit and see what happens.

Much more comfortable about bottle feeding now not so pre-menstrual (how did I not recognise the now oh-so-familiar nuttiness?) and DD already looks like she's gained weight.

I've just re-started solids again, and she's eating with gusto - not vast quantities (as she still has all her milk first) but happily...

Just wish I'd known about this and could have recognised the symptoms instead of being so bewildered - can't understand why it's not mentioned much...

db
xx

[designerbaby]

Oh, and yes - this period's a doozey... Maybe things will pick up when it's over...

xx

[MamaChris]

Interesting... my periods returned at 4.5 weeks and I've wondered why ds seems to have a bad couple of days every couple of weeks. Could it be this? At least knowing why we have a couple of tough days could make them easier.

[callmeovercautious]

Got mine back at 6 weeks and every month she goes a bit funny about feeding, she fusses and refuses or wants to feed lots more often. It is not so noticable now as she is 19m byt when she was 3/4m it was especially hard. Part of it was hormonal on my part I think

[Holymoly321]

DS2 is now 5.5 months and I still haven't had a period (is this normal?), but I def think that once a month - now being that time again- that he gets very fidigity and my boobs hurt like hell - I thought it might be something to do with my 'time of the month' but wasn't sure as the actual period has not yet arrived.

[Celery]

It's totally normal to not have a period the entire time you are breastfeeding. Some women do and some don't.

[GarnetTopaz]

hey i've been bf for just over 5 months and still no period yet - i'm assuming that normal!!

[luciemule]

Have been to breast feeding training this morning and in the La Leche question and answer book it says that periods can reduce supply temporarily.

[BouncingTurtle]

Yep, I've had at least one period since the birth of my ds 17 weeks ago, think I am due on this Saturday. I never used to suffer badly from PMT but this week in particular it's been bad, lots of bad headaches, tired and irritable to and ds is fussing more. During my last period he was a bit of a nightmare to feed, a real battle to keep him latched on as he kept coming off and crying. Started doing it again this week and it has been very wearying.

[fettleandbabyfettle]

me too!

periods came back 6 weeks ago - just had second one. PMT is appalling - so grumpy and 7 mo-old DS doesn't want to feed as much and is also more grumpy. Thought he was going off BF - hoping he's not and it will get better again in a few days. Never had any problem with DD as periods didn't come back until much later.