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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Period? 9 weeks postpartum and EBF

27 replies

honeybeeeee · 18/07/2023 17:11

Hi ladies,

I'm 9+2 weeks postpartum and have been exclusively breastfeeding. I had an uncomplicated vaginal birth and bled afterwards on and off up until around 6/7 weeks.

I've started bleeding again today and I'm wondering if this is more PP bleeding or if my periods have started already? I'm a first time mum but from what I've seen online it would be very unusual for a period to return so early when EBF!

Any ideas?

OP posts:
BeautifulBirds · 18/07/2023 17:13

My periods returned bang on 4 weeks after pp bleeding stopped. Baby was ebf.

I felt cheated!!

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 18/07/2023 17:15

@BeautifulBirds thanks for responding! Did it impact on your supply at all? X

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 18/07/2023 17:34

Not unusual to go straight back into 4 weekly cycle, unfortunately.

sickchick1234 · 18/07/2023 18:28

Mine started back 10 weeks PP despite EBF, no dummies even. I wasn't happy

Twizbe · 18/07/2023 18:30

Two breastfed babies - 1 returned at 6 weeks the other at 10 weeks.

Can and does happen.

Your period will have no impact on your supply and it returning is no indication of an issue (despite what some social media personalities have stated recently)

With my eldest, he’d sometimes get a bit fussy at the breast on CD1. Nothing major though.

skkyelark · 18/07/2023 18:31

Came back at a similar time for me after both of mine - ebf, no dummies. No impact on my supply, both breastfed until past a year, just rather annoying as I thought I'd get a longer break!

RandomMess · 18/07/2023 18:31

Yeah my periods returned straight away too despite EBF 😭

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 18/07/2023 18:36

Thank you for all the replies it's making me feel better! I was paranoid that it would mean my supply would stop or something. I've got my postpartum check this week so I'll raise it there too but hopefully everything will be fine 🤞🏻x

OP posts:
dizzydizzydizzy · 18/07/2023 18:40

With DC2, First period was at something like 6 weeks and the bleeding from the birth hadn't quite finished.

itsallnewnow · 18/07/2023 18:52

This happened to me too BlushI also felt cheated as a pp said!

Bleeding stopped by 4 weeks, baby ebf and period retuned at 7 weeks then 11 weeks then settled into a roughly 4 weekly cycle. Didn't seem to affect supply and j get for 17 months. He sometimes whinged a bit when I was on my period and I wondered if that was a slight drop?

skkyelark · 18/07/2023 20:58

I will also add that it made me very grateful to live in a time and place with contraceptive options, as I was not up for a tiny age gap, despite what my body seemed to think!

OneMoreCookieMonster · 18/07/2023 21:24

With my first I was expecting a period at around 4wks as I was combo feeding. Didn't get a period until 7mths pp. I think it's just down to luck and your body. I'm currently 9wks pp and still no signs of period and I'm combo feeding again as well.

WantingToEducate · 31/07/2023 11:52

I EBF both my children and with my first son my periods came back at just over four months PP, and with my second son they didn’t come back until about 11 months PP.

People say EBF stops your periods returning for ages but I think it’s exaggerated to be honest as most breast feeding women I have known got their periods back relatively soon after birth.

Mammadibambini · 31/07/2023 22:15

How often are you feeding? How much? Do you pump too?

I feed my 14 month old and also give solids and I still don’t have periods.

maybe genetics/ frequency of feeds?

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 31/07/2023 22:21

@Mammadibambini I'm feeding every 2-3 hours when she's awake, and usually one feed over night, sometimes two. It's totally baby led. I only pump if I'm going to be leaving her for a few hours (only happened a few times!) and she's never had anything else. She's growing fine etc.

I mentioned it to my GP during my check up and she said it's totally normal and not particularly unusual even with exclusive breastfeeding 🤔 but I don't know anyone in my personal life whose periods came back so early.

Apparently just because the period is back doesn't mean I'm necessarily ovulating (although we'll be using contraception anyway of course!) and she said it will probably be irregular over the next few months until it settles down.

I don't really mind having them back I'm just worried that it's indicative of a low supply or something, and I did notice a supply dip during my period (I think)! But it seems to be back to normal now so I'm hopeful!

OP posts:
Mammadibambini · 31/07/2023 22:37

I think it’s the feeding over night. My breastfeeding consultant told me newborns need milk every 3 hours. I still feed over night afew times

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 31/07/2023 22:41

@Mammadibambini it could be! I used to have to set alarms to feed her over night because she wouldn't wake on her own (early jaundiced baby so very sleepy!) but once she'd got back to her birth weight and was gaining steadily I stopped and left it up to her. She's 11 weeks now and usually goes about 4/5 hour for her first stretch of sleep, she feeds, and then another few hours after that when I'll get up. But we have had a couple of 6/7 hour stretches recently!

I have heard that feeding at night helps to support a supply as that's when levels of prolactin are at their highest. I'll keep it in mind if my supply dips!

OP posts:
Mammadibambini · 31/07/2023 23:36

Are you getting her weighed? Just check she’s not losing weight without the night feeds. We had a lot of issues with weight loss that’s why I’m quite protective about our night feeds

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 31/07/2023 23:38

She's been weighed by health visitors and then at her most recent check a week and a half ago and has been charting perfectly but I'll keep an eye on it for sure!

OP posts:
Twizbe · 05/08/2023 11:13

Likely it’s just your body. It’s a pain when you don’t get long without a period when you’re breastfeeding.

both times mine went right back to being super regular, just like pre kids.

sounds like baby is doing great so don’t stress it :)

Notellinganyone · 05/08/2023 11:14

That’s interesting- I had no periods for a year each time!

Missscarletintheconservatory · 06/08/2023 23:37

Like many others, I got my period back around 6 weeks after I had my baby.
I was breastfeeding every 90 minutes or less even during the night and continued extremely frequent feeding for first year, baby wasn't much interested in solids, I didn't pump, had never been apart for more than 2 hours for some appointments, still had periods. I think it's just luck of the draw, my sisters were similar. Some of my NCT group didn't have a period until after a year and we're definitely not feeding as often as me, but a few got their periods around the 3 month mark.

CityKity · 27/10/2023 22:59

Hi OP! Just resurrecting your thread as I was searching MN for this exact question. How is breastfeeding going since your periods have been back? Have they been regular since returning? I’m also really anxious that this will affect my supply!

I’m 12 weeks postpartum and have just got my period, which has totally freaked me out (until finding this thread which has reassured me a lot). DS is exclusively breast feed, roughly every 2 hours in the day and twice at night. He’s started going 5-7 hour stretches at night for the last week, so I wonder if those long breaks are what has contributed to my periods returning. Did not expect this so early!

RandomMess · 27/10/2023 23:02

My periods returning didn't affect my supply and I had 98th centile babies!
They were as regular as clockwork, after my last I had the Mirena coil inserted at 3 weeks PP.

Original poster
honeybeeeee · 28/10/2023 00:01

CityKity · 27/10/2023 22:59

Hi OP! Just resurrecting your thread as I was searching MN for this exact question. How is breastfeeding going since your periods have been back? Have they been regular since returning? I’m also really anxious that this will affect my supply!

I’m 12 weeks postpartum and have just got my period, which has totally freaked me out (until finding this thread which has reassured me a lot). DS is exclusively breast feed, roughly every 2 hours in the day and twice at night. He’s started going 5-7 hour stretches at night for the last week, so I wonder if those long breaks are what has contributed to my periods returning. Did not expect this so early!

@CityKity Hi! I'm about 5 and a half months PP now and still exclusively breastfeeding! I did feel like I noticed a dip in my supply for the first couple of periods lasting a couple of days but I just powered through and haven't noticed any changes since. My health visitor said that it's normal to notice a dip and you don't have to supplement with formula as this won't help your supply.

My periods have been mainly regular except my last one was delayed by a couple of weeks but I think that was down to a sleep regression and sudden increase in night feeding!

I really worked myself up worrying about it but it's all turned out absolutely fine so try not to worry, periods don't mean the end of a breastfeeding journey! X

OP posts: