please help me to find a solution so i can carry on bf

[olivo]

I am having a big wobble about carrying on bf as it looks like i am having my 2nd post baby period, having had the first just 2 weeks ago. DD2 is 5 mo and exclusively bf on demand. I was gutted to get my periods back, it was very heavy and painful. having been on the pill for so long, i was not used to that. today, however, is about to finish me off. i am thinking i should just give up bf and go back on the pill. i'm really disappointed and very upset as feeding has been going really well and i was hoping to carry on until i go back to work in 3 months time.
I feel really selfish but i cant go on having periods like this, they are making me very miserable.
can anyone offer any sort of solution that might get us through even to 6 mo? I had thought of taking the mini pill but apparently you still get periods?

TIA for any help you can offer.

ime periods on the mini-pill are much less painful than normal periods. on micronor they were still fairly heavier than normal ones, on cerazette they were much lighter.

Firstly, you could speak to the Breastfeeding Network drugs helpline about taking the pill whilst BF...there might well be one that takes away all periods which you can take safely. Also you could ask them about painkillers that are safe with BF, such as Mefenamic Acid (Ponstan) which I used a lot pre-children and which I think is compatible with BF (check first though obviously). You could speak to your GP too. Do it all quickly though because there is nothing worse than bad period pain - I know as I suffered for years until I had DS1.

really totalchoas? more like periods on the combined pill do you think? i had no bother at all with the ones i had on the combined pill ( usually ran a few packets together so i didnt have them every month)

You could certainly try the mini pill first - I don't think it stops periods completely but then neither does the combined pill IME. Which one were you on before?

Also, it sounds mad, but have you thought of trying a mooncup? A lot of women find their periods are lighter and less painful using one.

thank you TPL,i think i'll try and get an appt with my gp tomorrow. i know she is pro bf in a non judgey way and will do her best to help me continue. i had grand plans this time to keep on feeding for a long time, and would be very disappointed to not even make it to 6 mo.

yeah, periods on cerazette were as light and pain free as ones on combined pill - however bleeding on cerazette was irregular, unlike on combined pill - so might be 2 weeks or 2 months between periods, and not a standard 3/4 days, sometimes could be a week to ten days of light bleeding.

sorry, keep x posting with everyone. thanks bertie, i was on mercillon before. have also tried microgynon and marvelon in the past but niether suited me.
have yet to be convinced about the mooncup

thanks TC, will ask gp about it. this has totally taken the wind out of my sails, i have to say. I feel a total let down.

How about the mirena coil? Most women get v light or virtually no periods. You can breastfeed with it too.

thanks deloola, but dont think i feel comfortable with that. set in my ways, moi?

Worth looking into though - go on...

It lasts for five years so imagine not having to think about contraceptive for that long!

have to confess that contraceptio is not the first thing on my mind! but i might just have a look at it.......It's the squeamish part of me that says no!