When did your period come back if you were ebfing?

[CuteLittleToes]

I'm thinking of starting to TTC for baby number 2 soon (I must be mad though as DS is only 4.5mo and terrible sleeper!)

However, I'm ebfing and haven't had my periods back yet.

I was wondering when did yours come back if you were ebfing, and, more importantly, if you think it was caused by any change in feeding patterns (i.e. dropping night feeds/weaning/stopping bfing/reducing feeds)

Thank you

[hellymelly]

Mine took a year each time. I did conceive easily while bf though, first time, even at 42. I found that the natural drop of one feed brought my periods back.

[MrsMarigold]

Mine came back after 4 months the first time then I got pregnant with when my DS was 6 months old. My DD is 18 months and no sign of a period yet so I'd be interested to hear what others say.

[MrsMarigold]

sorry confusing I got pg when DS was 6 months old. First period when he was 4 months old. Now only bf during the night if she wakes.

[soundevenfruity]

When I dropped to 4 feeds per day. I really hoped I can get away from it with breast feeding for longer.

[NomDeClavier]

It didn't. I have a 2.8 age gap. However we were cosleeping which apparently can suppress ovulation in a similar way to night feeds.

[clementinesandbananas]

For me it takes totally stopping BF to be fully fertile.

With #1 I got no signs of returning fertility until I stopped BF her at 12m.

With #2 I started ovulating after 6m (so once he started eating solids - still probably on about 4/5 feeds a day, going about 5/6 hrs at night). Ovulation was confirmed by opks and an ultrasound and was very regular (and noticeable). However my periods were very light so I believe I was in the 'ovulation without luteal competence' phase discussed by Kellymom (kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility/).

#2 ate a lot more solids that #1 right from the start, so I was probably nursing less with him which may be why I started ovulating again sooner.

I stopped BF about 6wks ago (again after 12m) and have yet to ovulate. Apparently it's normal for hormones to go a bit loopy after stopping BF which is something I didn't expect: I figured that a regular cycle whilst BF would mean I'd be fertile pretty much immediately after stopping BF. However things are starting to look pretty fertile today :) so hopefully I'm almost back to normal now.

It's an incredibly individual thing. Some women ovulate and are fertile despite BF 6 times a day, whereas others (like me) need to totally stop BF to be fertile. I have heard it can be related to body fat: I'm very lean so that may be why I take longer to get fertile again.

Unless there's a reason to ttc#2 so soon, I'd advise you to wait just a little bit. The medical advice I've been given is to leave 18m between pregnancies (giving birth to one and getting pg with the next), particularly if you're BF: your body needs time to recover and replenish its supplies after pregnancy. You may also find that getting pg causes your baby to not want to BF anymore (some women can tandem feed and it's more than possible, but getting pg may risk ending a nursing relationship), so if BF is important to you, you may want to nurse for a bit longer before getting pg again.

Essay over :)

[Boreoff]

I stopped feeding had a period a month later and was pregnant by the time next period was due.

[goodbyeyellowbrickroad]

I ebf and my periods came back when DS was 14 months old. Coincided with him going from 4 or 5 feeds a day to 2 or 3. Cycle is slightly longer than it used to be but regular as clockwork. We're thinking about ttc number 2.

[clementinesandbananas]

Oh and I think the average return to fertility for EBF women is 13.4 months.