Hello,
First time posting so please do let me know if I’m in the right place!
My LO is 4.5 months old, EBF, and we would like to try for another soon because of our ages, but I haven’t gotten my period back yet.
I’ve read loads of threads about when people resumed ovulation post birth, and I know it varies widely, but my question is:
For those ladies who ovulated while breastfeeding, what was your diet like at the time?
I ask because there is something called the relative metabolic load hypothesis, which posits that the reason women tend not to ovulate while breastfeeding is because the body is so stressed by lactation (metabolising for two) that it doesn’t want to spend more resources on a pregnancy. BUT if you give it lots of extra calories, it gets the signal that it could support a pregnancy and AF comes back.
Sounds plausible, right?
I don’t want to give up BF. DS won’t take formula anyway. I would definitely up my caloric intake if it was very likely to get things going, but I don’t really want to gain a bunch of weight and then have nothing happen.
I am only 2 kg heavier than my prepegnancy weight. I haven’t been trying particularly to lose weight but definitely am glad to be close to my old weight, not least because it is recommended before TTC again. Now I am wondering if the weight loss is what is keeping AF away?
Also: I had some bleeding about 8 weeks after birth that was like a light period. It lasted 3 days, bright red, followed the same pattern as a period in terms light/heavier days. I thought I was really fortunate and my period was back, but it has not returned. Lochia had stopped at least two weeks before that. My mum was living with me at that point and cooking me good food, plus my DH was home and we were enjoying the good life and eating out loads too. I’m wondering if my diet was sufficient but then dipped too low. Or maybe it was just some random bleeding. I had a c section. Recovered really well.
Anyway - would love to hear people’s experiences about where their weight/diet/activity levels were when they got their period back while breastfeeding.
Thanks!