Worried. First Period after Birth / Breastfeeding

[Hollybobs21]

Hello

This is my first time posting on here so please bear with me!!
I have always found the threads so useful though, throughout my pregnancy and after my LO's birth.
I was just wondering if anyone could reassure me?

My DS is 5 1/2 months old. He has always been EBF.
He has begun solids now, since he was 4 months but he is still breastfeeding just as much as he always did.
The solids are just a bonus to his feeds really.
He still has a feed in the night, at about 4.30am.
Basically his breastfeeding routine has not changed.

Today I had my first period since birth, well pregnancy! It's been well over a year!! And it's a full-on one!!

I'm just feeling really worried. I know it probably sounds really stupid.
It's just that I'm concerned that my milk is lessening off and therefore DS is not getting sufficient from me.
Has my period returned as the feeding is now not so efficient?
I really don't feel ready to stop breastfeeding him yet. My Mum breastfed me for 9 months as well as solids and I want the same for my LO.
I had been told by my doctor that my period would not return while I was breastfeeding and other sources seem to say the same thing.
I'm feeling really inadequate to be honest, if this is the case.
It's the first time I've felt low.

Is it possible for a period to return and it have nothing to do with / no effect on milk production/breastfeeding??

Any advice, experience, words of wisdom welcomed...

Many thanks in anticipation xx

Periods tend to stay away while breastfeeding if you are feeding on demand with no big gaps between feeds (no more than about 6 hours gap iirc), no sleeping through the night, no dummies etc. Going just 6hrs without feeding can trigger ovulation. Most women find that their period return at some point while still breastfeeding.

But there is no hard and fast rule.

My dd fed every 2 hours day and night, no breaks, no dummies and I ovulated at 11 weeks. I bfed her exclusively until 6 months, stopped completely when she was 3 and a half years old.

My ds slept through from being a tiny baby. My periods didn't return until he was a year old. I'm still feeding him now and he's 2 years old.

You period coming back is NOTHING to do with low supply. It's just hormones/luck/spaces between feeds. Please don't worry. This far in, feeding should be well established and if your baby is happy, growing, weeing and pooing, then that's all you need to know.

Showy thank you so much for your response.
It has really helped to reassure me.
He certainly is doing everything he should and looking wonderful.

I've always been so adamant to feed him myself and it's been so successful right from the first moment that I was really upset by the thought that it was failing in some way at this early stage.

I shall try to relax about it all now and just carry on as I always have.
I am so grateful and your experience has put my mind at ease.

Thank you

showy is right
I am exclusively bf 18 wk ds and my period came back at 14 weeks.

Just popping in to say that returning periods does not mean the end of breastfeeding. My periods came back before one year with both my DC yet I breasfed my oldest until she was 3.5 years old, and I'm still going strong with my 2 year old. Just keep doing what you're doing, all will be well.

I started introducing solids to DS at 6 months but was still frequently breastfeeding. The first time I left him for a full day and overnight (about 6 1/2 mo) my period returned a couple of days later (more of a coincidence as I would have ovulated two weeks beforehand anyway).
My boobs immediately shrunk but I had absolutely no problems with supply.

DS is now 10mo - he still frequently and happily breastfeeds with absolutely no sign of quitting, even though I've begun to introduce a bottle ready for me going back to work!

Oh, and there doesn't seem to be any issues as far as I can tell with him with my milk when I'm on my period either as some have reported.

With my youngest two my periods came back at 6 weeks!!!! It certainly doesn't mean the end of bf

Showy is indeed spot on. I have had 2 DC so far and with DD1, my period returned when she was 16 weeks old. With DD2, my period returned when she was 8 weeks. This may be why I am pg with DC3 now (DD2 nearly 10 mo).

And fwiw, I do natural term bfing and didn't stop with DD1 until she was 2.5. So don't worry.

Thank you all so much!
Feeling better!
Much better.
All your advice is wonderful and I have taken it all on board.
You're all great!

Everyone else is correct! Just coming on to say my periods returned at 6 months post partum when ds was exclusively breastfeeding every 1-2hrs day and night, they've been regular ever since and ds is still feeding around 8-10 times per 24hrs at nearly two.
Sometimes my supply drops slightly right before and the first day or two of my period but it's never been a problem.

Mine came back both times around six months. I've fed exclusively with both and continued to 2.5 years. When expressing I'd notice slightly lower volumes during my period but nothing to worry about, just a good excuse to take it easy and eat a few flapjacks :)

Ultimately you can continue to BF through pregnancy so periods are annoying but not a sign of anything else really.

I had a period when dd was 4 months and then nothing in the 3 months since. She's now eating as well as BF but still nothing. I think maybe things can just be erratic for a while. Either that or I'm peri menopausal!

I ebf my DTs for 6 months and they were still feeding lots at 9 months when my periods returned - I was gutted, as I'll be honest I didn't miss them and as I was feeding two I thought I might escape for longer! Anyway I fed DTS till 14 months and DTD till 16 months. Return of periods has no noticeable impact on their feeding so another voice saying don't worry.