When did your periods come back - at what stage in breastfeeding?

[Frightattendent]

Ds2 is 16mo now and we've been trying to stop, but not very successfully...so he's having quite a few feeds overnight (well, using it as a dummy more like) and not many in the day.

Is this enough stopping to make my periods come back? Am hoping it is menstrual cramps and not just bad IBS...

I think they came back around this time with ds1 but I stopped feeding him around this time, I mean properly stopped, so that's not really surprising!

It really all depends on you.

My periods came back when DS was 5 months even though I was still exclusively bfing ...

Everyone's different, but mine came back 1 month after I stopped breastfeeding completely. I'd been feeding just once a day for a few weeks before that.

Mine came back at about 5.5 months - the minute I tentatively started weaning.

Last time they came back when DS was 16 months and I was feeding twice a day.

The amount that you are feeding would be sufficient to suppress my periods. I have been very, very fortunate with all four of our dcs. The earliest return was after ds1 (14 months) and the latest was after dd2 (26 months).

It varies greatly as you will see from the replies.

Phew, well I guess it could be then...that's good! Thanks..

Well mine came back when my son was less than 3 months old and I was exclusively breastfeeding every 1.5 to 3 hours day and night!!

Some people are just unlucky

Mine came back straight away both times even with exclusive bfing.

Mine came back when dd was 10 months. She was still feeding about 4 times in 24 hours.

Mine came back yesterday. DD is only 4 weeks old and feeds every 1 - 2 hours! Someone tell me how that is fair please? Was 6 weeks with DS who also fed the same.

xx

waitingtobloom - I still had lochia bleeding at 5 weeks! That's unbelievably unfair, poor you!!

mine came back as soon as stopped breast-feeding, like normal

babyredsox - I know! Fairly lucky in that lochia seem to last 2 weeks tops and only a week of that is heavy but this is really mean!

feeling really cheated. 2 months for me and I exclusively BF til 6 months weaning off boob at nearly 2. Incidentally, has anybody ever seen research in terms of baby weight gain and the return of periods? Mine were both slow to gain weight and as it is 12.20am my mind is developing its own theories linking both?

mine have only just started coming back - I think the first one was about 3 weeks ago (only 1 day tho) and then again this week, properly this time - DS is now 10mo and still bfing 5-6x a day/night.

Can I just ask - My Dr said that I will have as much chance of falling pregnant whilst breast feeding as I would if I was on the pill again. (His reasoning behind not letting me back on the progesterone only pill)
He says until I stop BF, I wont be ovulating AT ALL, is this true? I thought we were still supposed to be careful??

TLB, your doctor sounds ill-informed: plenty of people fall pregnant while breastfeeding. There's an article here - if your periods have not returned you have a good chance of not getting pg but it is by no means guaranteed.
That said - I have no idea what pg rates on the pill are, so perhaps he is correct.

Oh, and to answer the OP: 21 months with DD1, which coincided with her sleeping through the night. Still waiting second time (23 months and counting)

Yes its misleading I feel. I really felt that what he was saying was rather ill advice. I didn't take it literally - but others might!