A year after baby and still no period

[cornflakes5]

DD is now over a year, and my period still hasn't returned. I work 4 days a week, and feed her 4 times over 24 hours (day and night) when I'm working, and 5 times when I'm at home. She was EBF up to 6 months of age.

We're now thinking about trying for a second, but that seems unlikely if my period still hasn't returned. Do I need to cut out breastfeeding altogether? I really don't want to, as DD finds a lot of comfort in it and I love the bonding feeling.

Anyone else experience this, or have advice? Thank you!

Could you be pregnant?

Mine restarted at about 15m with ds2, I was still feeding him and stopped at about 20m.

I've cut down to bedtime feed only - still no period. Apparently some people's return when regularly going a stretch of 8 hours without feeding, some people need to stop completely.
But I've also heard that feeding while pregnant is bloody painful

Writing this as an advocate of BF - honestly - but if she’s over 12 months, is 4/5 times a day really needed? You may find that cutting down to one or maybe two feeds is enough to kick start your cycles properly. Mine came back immediately as I stopped with DC1 but when I was down to 1/2 with DC2.

1-2 years is pretty average according to kellymom. I was 19 months.

My baby is 16months and my period still isn't back. I've tried upping my calorie uptake and I only really feed in evenings and at night.

But I do do sleep and physically carry her a lot - two things that I've read can delay your period.

What I've done is buy a load of internet cheapie pregnancy tests and am testing weekly to see if ttc has worked. I can be bothered to stress about it to be honest.

And that was still feeding about 6 times a day, sometimes more.

You will get a lot of different experience here OP - for some women they will be feeding all the time and get periods back quickly for others they can feed a few times a day and it’s enough to keep them at bay!

Also, your fertility could return at any time - so you could ovulate and fall pregnant without ever having a period - I know a few people that happened to.

For me personally, I reduced feeds to 1 or 2 x 24 hours (and not in the middle of the night as that’s supposed to have a greater impact) when we got to 2 years and no periods and that was enough to get things going again for me and I fell pregnant straight away. I have 3 kids so this has worked exactly the same twice! I wanted to wait until my baby was 2 because I Wanted to give them the max benefit of feeding and felt that 2 years was good going, in case I had to stop. In both cases I fed through pregnancy although my supply dropped and it was uncomfortable. With my first I then tandem fed but with my second she weaned when I was about 7 months pregnant.

I have had 2 periods in 7 years and now with DC3 I am fully intending to feed as long as possible partly because I hate my periods and want to keep them away as long as possible!!!

Ooh also, I have read an article which explains why increased calorie intake (temporary only) will bring your periods back. Will see if I can find the article!

Good luck!

With both my 2, my periods didn't return until 2 or 3 months after I stopped breastfeeding. I stopped bf after both were a year old and I had gone back to work so they were only being bf at night once before bed before I stopped.

I think I had about 3 periods in about 5 years with two pregnancies and two years bf

Mine took a year to come back and i was still bf when they did! Loads as well, plus during the night! Everyone has different experiences

Thanks everyone.

sylvanian no definitely not pregnant! I've tested a couple of times.

namechange why is BF during pregnancy painful? Sensitive nips?

lookim maybe you're right. We do a feed in the morning and before bed, and have always done feeds before each nap (she used to feed to sleep), and finally once in the night (she wakes up and only a feed will get her back down). Perhaps I should cut out the pre-nap feeds.

sizeofalentil goodness I didn't know physically being close made a difference! I sling her all the time!

I had meant to say - I've had a few cramps and clear discharge (sorry TMI) here and there in the last month, and each time thought my period was due. But nope. Not sure if this is a sign things are coming back to normal?

I had no pain whilst being pregnant and breastfeeding. And I had a huge amount of pain and agony when I first started so I know what that's like!

Mine stopped for the entirety of two- and three-year blocks of BF. Period arrived a month after stopping both times.

If I could go back, I’d have stopped and ttc’d sooner both times.

somethingonce that's interesting, why do you say that?

Many women breastfeed while pregnant, I really wouldn’t let that deter you.

Anyway, my period hadn’t returned when I got pregnant with both DC2&3 so it doesn’t always need to return to ovulate. It returned after DC3 when she was 16 months old.

It took 18 months for periods to return after DC - and then it was like 18 months worth of period came in one week - then I stopped bfing at 20 months.

It takes me 18 months after stopping breastfeeding completely to get regular periods. I get occasional, irregular, light ones here and there 4 months post breastfeeding, but I couldn't conceive untill they regulated. I have plenty of friends who fell pregnant while breastfeeding though. Out of all my friends I take the longest to get periods post breastfeeding, most of them were just a month or so.

Cut out the night feed, it might well be that one that's kicking your body into 'still feeding a small baby' gear and stopping the period returning (disclaimer not a medical professional, and this is a guess!)

DC won't need a night feed anyway, offer water instead and let your partner deal with her night wakings. It'll be a couple of nights of hard work but so worth it once you get that full rest back. Hope the devil's waterfall returns soon for you!

DS was about 15 mo when my periods returned. As pp have said, it seems that cutting night feeding/night weaning seems to have the biggest impact.

I got pregnant when DS was almost 3 in the first month of trying and was still feeding him, and yes, imo it hurt more! Thankfully he has mostly stopped now without much encouragement.

Mine returned after I night weaned. So I feed her morning and evening, but nothing overnight - and that was at 11.5 months and down from 5-6 feeds day/night. I think the sudden reduction in bf was a signal to my body that I was ready for another one? Period returned in six weeks, and has been like clockwork every 41 days since. We did this in consultation with a sleep consultant who reminded us every phone call to be using protection because she's seen a similar return to ovulation and fertility among lots of her clients, and quite a few surprise pregnancies in turn.

OP - yes sensitive nips/boobs in general I hear.

I am in the same position as you, wanting to conceive again but still BF. Have cut out night feeds for a few weeks now so hoping this kick starts things. Will look to cut out the bedtime boob in maybe 2 weeks. Not sure DS will take too kindly to that though

I only did a morning and night feed with ds but has to stop at 13 months to get my period back, and was pregnancy by 15 months. With dd they returned at 11 months despite her being a more voracious feeder.

Thanks everyone, really helpful. I feel apprehensive about night weaning... so at the moment, DD usually wakes around 3am and cries, and I feed her, and then she falls asleep again. The feed only takes 5 mins. Do I just ignore her then when she cries at 3am? Rocking or holding does NOTHING for her in the night - she just wants the boob. I hate the thought that she's hungry and I'm denying her.

She's guaranteed not hungry OP :) She just likes the comfort. Send your partner in to comfort her with a stroke of her head and a kiss, offer some water and leave. Rinse and repeat. If you do it she'll smell the milk and get wound up so it should be him.