Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Breastfeeding, periods and conceiving.

53 replies

BekkiKay · 19/01/2004 15:34

I'm a little confused as to when I should expect my periods to return.
I know its not an exact science but I'd still like a round about answer.
mY BABY IS 5 MONTHS AND IS EXCLUSIVELY BF.Ooops caps lock again! I intend to bf for as long as baby wants me to. So do periods usually return after bf has completly stopped or when feeds have slowed due to introducing solids?
When would I be able to conceive again?

OP posts:
hockeymum · 20/01/2004 16:10

Mine returned at about 10 months but I had definite hormone cycles before then and thought I was ovulating (Egg white test - dont ask) and definitely had major PMT for at least 3 cycles before getting a period for sure. Mine have been much heavier since the birth (c-section) although I still feed a couple of times a day. Please dont wait for your periods to come back before using contraception, unless you want another lovely bundle of joy anyway!

lydialemon · 20/01/2004 19:24

DS1 - BF (not exclusively) until 10 months
DS2 - BF (also not exclusively) until 7 months,

with both I got my periods back after about a year.

Dmum · 20/01/2004 20:10

Periods returned at 5 months. DS was exclusively breast-fed till 4.5 months when I started him on a bit of baby rice mixed with formula.

jenz · 21/01/2004 00:03

yes they did after about 8 months and I got pregnant again whilst feeding

skerriesmum · 21/01/2004 13:04

I'm bfeeding for nearly 12 months, weaning now, just nursing early morning and evening, and still no monthlies! Not that I'm complaining!

motherinferior · 22/01/2004 08:48

My period came back spot on 14 days after ovulating, today. I'm still b/feeding but dd2 (seven months) is now on 'solids' and also not being fed after 7pm.

With dd1 they came back after I started mixed feeding at 3-4 months but that also coincided with no feeds after 7pm.

They will now, no doubt, return to the clockwork regularity they used to have (when I was on the pill I could tell to the hour when my period was going to start). Except oh yes, ahem, relying on that regularity is what got me up the duff first time round

Bellbird · 22/01/2004 12:42

At 5 months I bf pretty much every 1.5 - 2 hours during the day (nights weren't a problem). My periods had already started at 4 months. At 5.5 months, my dd started waking up at night hungry, so we then began weaning.

akb · 22/01/2004 13:30

I bf exclusively day and night with my first daughter until 6 months and got my first period when she was 8 weeks old! I rememebr my Health Visiter urging me to tell all my friends so that they realised that BF is NOT A CONTRACEPTIVE!!!!

Eulalia · 22/01/2004 21:00

Periods came back with first child when he was 13 months old. With 2nd child dd was 18 months old. Also both times they have been very irregular after they start. I've only had 2 periods since mid October, if it works out the same as last time they should settle down within 6 months. Anyway as you can tell I've hardly had any periods in the past 5 years... only 11. Whereas when I was on the pill I would have had 65 periods during 5 years!!

Tamz77 · 23/01/2004 21:27

Night-time feeds are apparently the decider, the hormone that supresses ovulation is stimulated by night feeds twice as much as by day feeds.

I would like to have my children close together and thought I would get lucky when AF seemed to return when ds was 3 1/2 - 4 months. It was an apparently normal (for me) bleed, 5 days duration. But ds is now nearly 6 months and I've had nothing since. I spoke to my GP, to ask if she thought it was worth her doing a pregnancy test, and she said no, because it seems you can have 'fake' periods at this stage when your body is trying to ovulate but doesn't quite get there.

Of course I tested at home myself - four times - but had negative results each time. Thus have come to the conclusion I'm not pregnant!

HTH!

Original poster
BekkiKay · 26/01/2004 14:20

I feel awful. I was convinced that I was pregnant yesterday and I've taken a test and its negative. I don't understand whats wrong. My emotions are all over the place, I feel dizzy and weepy. Perhaps its my period finally thinking about arriving. I do feel slightly crampy so maybe its just that. I was so worried that I was pregnant and now I know I'm not I'm quite upset that I'm not pregnant.

Is there anything I can take-herbal wise to balance my hormonal levels. I'm breastfeeding at the moment.

OP posts:
hana · 26/01/2004 17:20

bekkiKay - I haven't read any responses so sorry if this has been said already - my dd was born in Sept and by May the following year my periods had returned. She was also only b/f until about March. So I guess that's about 8 months to have a period.
I'm not sure what supplements you could take, I'm sure there are some , someone will hopefully point you in the right direction!

motherinferior · 26/01/2004 20:38

BK, my first postnatal period sent me completely doolally. It's still happening, and I'm beginning to wonder when it's going to stop, too

Original poster
BekkiKay · 26/01/2004 20:48

My dh thinks I'm going crazy. Hes says hes not going to talk to me until I regain my senses. Might be a while then.
I'm all over the place at the moment and my poor ds1 is taking the brunt of it.
I hope its just my period, because my stomach is becoming quite painful now. Its like stabbing pains.
I was just thinking how well I've coped emotionally this time round and how easy its been. Nevermind.

OP posts:
motherinferior · 26/01/2004 20:52

I tried driving last week. Ended up in tears...

Original poster
BekkiKay · 26/01/2004 20:57

Oh dear we are hopeless aren't we?
I tried to put a new buggy board on today but I lost a part and started crying and shouting at everyone. I found it in the end where I'd left it.
I'm crazy, I admit it.
Lets hope it doesn't last too long.

OP posts:
hercules · 26/01/2004 21:12

i breastfed ds until he was 4 years old. my periods started when he was 2. apparently it reduces chances of ovarian cancer the longer it takes, cant remember where i heard this.

kiwimuminusa · 21/06/2006 20:31

Hi there. This is my first time using this type of forum but I am really in need of some helpful advice. My son is 11 months old and I am BF just twice in 24 hours (once before his bedtime, once in the morning). I really want to get pregnant but have not had my periods return yet. Can any of you please give me some advice on what I could do? Or do I just need to wean him and be done with it? I am keen if poss to keep BFing him for at least another 6 months if poss. But I'm getting on a bit (34.5) and want more kids so need to get busy!!Thanks

sweetkitty · 21/06/2006 21:20

DD1 - BF only til 6 months first period when she was 8 weeks old, regular 28 day cycle after that DD2 conceived when she was 9 months

DD2 - is 5 months and no sign of periods yet so completely different.

I think it's because DD2 is about twice the size of DD1 and feeds twice as much, DD1 slept 11pm-6am from 6 weeks.

suzi2 · 21/06/2006 22:20

My first period was when DS was 8 months. He had cut back feeding quite a bit the month before due to solids. I only had 2 periods and I'm now pg again. I really thought that, although my cycle was regular, I wasn't that fertile. The reason was that I was showing signs of fertility several times in a month which is often a sign that you're not ovulating. But I obviously was ovulating!

Someone sent me some scanned pages out of a book they had that said that once you are going longer than 5 hours between feeds, you can expect your fertility to return. But it's variable how long that takes to happen I think. but to assume that you could get pg at any time.

kiwimuminusa · 22/06/2006 17:51

Thanks. I have heard all sorts of info on conceiving (or not) whilst BFing but I never expected to have to wait this long for periods to return. Does anyone know of any scientific articles about this subject? My concern is: what if it's not the BFing and rather some kind of problem with me? I had an emergency Csection with my son(11mnths)and have heard that adhesions in the uterus (caused by the scar) can prohibit return of ovulation. Anyone?

spacedust · 22/06/2006 18:36

hi, 'maca' is supposed to be brilliant at balancing out hormones and helping fertility as is fresh (not freeze dried) royal jelly, hope that helps

glassofwine · 22/06/2006 18:47

DS was conceived when DD 12 weeks old, was exclusively bf and had no period at all between pg's. So when pg with DS and asked to give date of last period I got some strange looks!

misdee · 22/06/2006 18:51

still b/f 16month old dd3. had two very slight bleeds(just spotting really) at when she was 4 and 8months old. but periods properly returned two months ago.

squigglepuss · 22/06/2006 22:17

Hi kiwimuminusa. I have been wondering the same kind of thing and am in a similar position to you. DD is now 13 months, still BFing and I have not had a period yet. She has not fed at night for several months, so the 5 hour rule is not working for me. I work 3 days a week, and on those days she only gets a morning and evening feed, but other days more. I really want to start ovulating as I would like to conceive soon, but don't want to stop BFing.
Oh, and I think I have to actually sleep with my husband to get pregnant again, which is not happening much! DD sleeps with him, but I don't much. A bit sad, but we get more actual sleep this way.

Swipe left for the next trending thread