probably a stupid question about periods and bf...

[Hayls]

dd is now 5 1/2 months and I'm still bf, although she is eating 3 solid meals a day too. I THINK she's cut back on her bf. I just discovered that I was bleeding quite a lot and panicked then thought its ok its a period. But then I panicked again because I thought I wouldn't have one until I stopped bf...

Sorry to go on but is it likely to be my first post-birth period? Yikes, am I fertile again as well then?

You can restart periods any time when you're breastfeeding - particularly likely when you cut back feeds, or they take on less milk because they're eating solids.

It's particularly not a good way of avoiding getting pregnant as of course you ovulate a couple of weeks (on average) before you get your period - so a fair number of breastfeeding women get caught out, getting pregnant before they've even had their first period.

Should have said that I wasn't using bf as a contraceptive. Having baby in our room does that

I think you'll find that it varies with all women. I had my first period when dd was 8 months or so, and she was breastfed until 5 months and then started on solids. I bf until she was 15 months and the periods started long before that!

Hayls - certainly sounds like your first period. You need to b/feed a lot to keep periods away. And yes you are fertile!

After 1st delivery I had one (v light ) at 6 weeks, one at 9 weeks and then at 5 months as you describe. Then pretty regular despite b/feeding until 17 months. Yes you are already fertile before having that first one, so take care !!

YES YES YES you could be fertile. Don't forget that your period is marking the END of a cycle, not the beginning. So once you've had a period, it means you have already ovulated and therefore could have gotten pregnant. My mother (a scientist) found this out the hard way...got pregnant with my brother while still bfing me without ever getting a period.

I got my period when my ds was 11 mo. old. He started solids at 6 mo. and we were down to 2 (more or less) feeds a day at this point. I went back to work when he was 11 mo. and reduced to one feed a day. That's when the periods came back. I only had two before I got pregnant again.

Ok it's pretty much stopped again. It came and went and was only very light - is it still likely to have been a period or something else?

Don't panic no baby no.2 on the way. We were most definitely taking precautions, despite my gp telling me bf was adequate contraception. THanks to Mumsnet I knew better!