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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

How long were you without periods while breastfeeding?

30 replies

pooter · 10/06/2008 02:09

Hi. My lovely DS is 16months and i'm breastfeeding on demand - probably 3 proper feeds and 2/3 snacky feeds each day. I keep expecting to get a period, and although im not looking forward to it - always had bad pains and its a bit of a faff - im now getting a little anxious that they have gone for good. I'd like more children, but im 33 - not over the hill but not a lot of time to hang about - so i need them to return!

So - how about you? Has anyone been longer that 16mo without a period then gone on to have more children? Should i just enjoy not having to bother about them and chill ?

I suppose my question is, after much rambling late at night - AM I NORMAL???

OP posts:

wrinklytum · 10/06/2008 02:11

Hi pooter,I bf dd for 13 months and had no periods during bf.(About 8 weeks after stopping bf i had the period from hell.)

I expect when you stop bf your periods will return HTH.

Original poster

pooter · 10/06/2008 02:15

Thanks wrinklytum (can empathise with your name!) Thing is i want DS to self wean when ready and am contemplating tandem feeding if it seems plausible. I dont want to have to stop BF in order to get preggers - although if it gets too late - say DS is 4 then i may well have to.

not looking forward to the period from hell!

OP posts:

wrinklytum · 10/06/2008 02:20

You may find they return while ds is still feeding,I really dunno (WORKING NIGHTSHIFT ADDLED BRAIN HERE!!)I am sure some of the people who have breastfed longer than I did will be able to answer your questions better.Just thought I'd share my own experienceI do know that bfd can result in absence of periods for a bit though.Maybe your hv/gp can give advice

Original poster

pooter · 10/06/2008 02:31

Thankyou its good to hear about your experience. Its the Le Leche League meeting on Friday so i could ask the leader there. HV isnt very supportive of BF although nice in other ways.

OP posts:

luvaduck · 10/06/2008 02:40

still bf ds at 9mo - 2 meals a day of solids, plenty of bf...and just got a period (PITA)

Califrau · 10/06/2008 02:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

pooter · 10/06/2008 03:04

i KNEW i was wierd!

OP posts:

dewmeadow · 10/06/2008 04:19

just had vague sightins of onew - DD is 11 mths, and my friends DS is 15 mths and she has no period yet

dewmeadow · 10/06/2008 04:20

Id say you're pretty normal Pooter!

jabberwocky · 10/06/2008 04:20

Apparently I have to be completely done with bfing before getting a period. With ds1 that was 14 months. I'm still bfing ds2 at 18 months and not a hint of one yet.

Cadmum · 10/06/2008 04:27

Mine is late returning as well. With DB#4 I did not have my first until she was 23 months. This was the longest gap but my shortest was 13 months with DB#1 and likely because he was too busy to feed during the day so went hours between feeds.

Don't worry. It will come back when you least expect it!

egypt · 10/06/2008 06:23

Are you taking the mini pill? Not sure if they return on that or not, but I took it up until 14 months (no period) and then stopped bf and went off it - period came a couple of weeks later. now on the usual combined pill and having normal Ps again.

Whitty · 10/06/2008 07:27

Mine have just returned after 12 months. I am still feeding my 13 month old and have had 2 now, but they have been relatively lighter im comparison with no pain. It was before they came back I suffered really chronic tummy ache.
After I finished feeding my first I had a heavy period then, but this time they have been fine, so they may not be as bad as you think.

Original poster

pooter · 10/06/2008 08:38

Wow Cadmum - 23months!! Perhaps im not weird after all!

Im not taking the pill or anything, and DS does like to have a nibble relatively often i suppose.

Well, i thought i was going into the guiness book of world records, but looks like Jabberwocky and cadmum are in the lead.

Can anyone beat 23mo??

OP posts:

asicsgirl · 10/06/2008 10:37

can't beat record but i bf ds1 to 15mo and got period back a month after stopping.

re getting pg again - i may be wrong about this but i seem to remember you can be fertile without having a period e.g. when bf. ??

Cadmum · 11/06/2008 08:51

pooter: Isn't MN great! I was quite pleased to have gone that long without a period as DD2 is likely our last but I was somewhat relieved when it showed up because 23 months seemed like an unusually long time.
As long as you are not actively TTC or TT avoid C then enjoy the time off.

33 is far from old!

Eulalia · 11/06/2008 08:54

Yes pooter my dd was 18 months before I had my first period. She was my 2nd child. ds1 it was 13 months and ds2 15 months. It should happen for you fairly soon. I kept on breastfeeding though, been doint it for 9 years

theSuburbanDryad · 11/06/2008 08:57

Mine have just returned, ds is 17 months! Which means i've had a total of 26 months without periods!

I'm quite upset they've come back tbh.

mummypig · 11/06/2008 08:58

hi sounds absolutely normal to me. Ds2 was about 18 m when I had my first period, but that was just because I'd been away from him for about 24 h. I didn't get anything near regular periods until he was about 2 1/2 going on 3 - by which time he was only feeding twice a day (morning and bedtime). I am currently pg with ds3. So I would say don't worry at all about your fertility, just enjoy the time with no periods!!

mummypig · 11/06/2008 09:01

btw it's not clear from my above post but I got pg with ds3 while still feeding ds2. I was prepared to tandem feed but he seems to have weaned now.

Original poster

pooter · 11/06/2008 23:28

Ive found some brilliant info here here

It seems that 48% of mums who practice 'ecological' breastfeeding (bf on demand, keeping baby close etc) get their periods back between 12-24months.

Also, fertility returns in increments - first the folicles in the ovaries start functioning, but no ovulation occurs, then some people may get menstruation without ovulation, next you ovulate but the uterus isnt prepared for implantation, then the whole business starts up again!

lecture over. that website is really useful!

Thanks for sharing everyone! and can i say 'hello' to the poster formerly known as urbandryad - you dont know me at all, but i was a shy lurker on the antenatal thread, and keep seeing you on the bf threads, so i know think of you as a friend! Whereas you now think of me as a wierdo but hello anyway!

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 12/06/2008 00:12

and . Mine have always returned at 4 months, despite exclusive bf. However, I couldn't get pg while bfing ds3 even though we were trying for a year.

gauly · 12/06/2008 17:28

Mine came back between 4 and 7 weeks in spite of breastfeeding on demand until 7 months (no bottles at all for the first 5 months). I just assumed that was normal - now I'm a bit annoyed to find out that most people get more than 6 months off! I thought the GP seemed a bit surprised when I said I had already had a period at the 6 week check.

Pannacotta · 12/06/2008 21:55

Mine came back between 6 and 7 months for both DSs, despite exclusive breastfeeding both of them on demand day and night, poo bah!
Was gutted both times. Still feeding DS2 (13 months) several times a day as well as through the night so was surprised that they came back so early.

SirDigbyChickenCaesar · 13/06/2008 09:29

i got mine at about 20months. and i think it was probably only because i got the contraceptive injection.

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