Restarting periods pp and bf

[JL642]

Any tips to restart periods? Baby eating three meals well! But still has milk at night. Not much though. Any supplements anyone recommends? I don’t feel I can go to the doctors until I actually stop bF? Dd is 10 months.

Mine only restarted when baby stopped having the final feed overnight. Still had a bedtime and morning feed. Some mums get there period back as soon as baby goes a few hours between feeds at night but others are more like me. I'd be very surprised if any supplements or dietary changes help. If you are keen to start menstruating again you need to night wean.

Only when I stopped feeding.

My period returned when DC was 12 months old. I didn't do anything, no weaning or tapering. DC still having milk at 3.5 years old and my cycle has been regular since it restarted.

It can sometimes be linked to weight but everyone is different. It was nearly 2 years before I did with my eldest bit looking back it probably wasn't very healthy and was definitely weight linked (not under weight but too low for me to restart.)

I ate more with second and it was around 1 year.

Also linked to if you're feeding at night too - I was co sleeping and bf so that was a factor. Sometimes when you or baby night weans it can trigger things to kick back in.

Thanks all. Sounds like what I already knew. I need to night weak ideally. It’s very hard. I’d like baby to have opportunity for a sibling close in age but obviously dd doesn’t understand this at 2am 🤣

@WarriorN interesting about weight. I’ve always been slim pre baby but struggled to shift baby weight pp. But the last month I’ve noticed a big quick weight loss although I haven’t done anything differently in terms of eating or exercising. I guess I’ll keep an eye for now.

I believe there's something particularly about the middle of the night feeds that impacts all the hormonal systems - I used to be in a really good peer support bf group led by an LLL leader.

But all women seem to different.

Night weaning can be tough under 1 (and I think the advice is to wait till over 1?) especially when they then get colds etc.

I did bring in night time sippy cups of water at bedtime and alongside nighttime feeds - ds 1 started to prefer the sippy cup and then use me as the dummy 🙄. Took me a wee while to actually get round to properly nightweaning.

I carried on cosleeping with ds 2 when I night weaned as it's the comfort of having you there as much as the milk as they get older.

It could be helpful to ring an LLL or NCT breastfeeding line to chat about nightweaning.

Ah thank you. Yes great shout I’ll call a bf helpline. I rememebr speaking to them right at the start when dd was tiny. I really wouldn’t be concerned about wanting to nightwean if it wasn’t for wanting the opportunity for a sibling ☹️

FYI you can get pregnant while BF even if your periods haven't started back up. You'll be really fertile ATM!

That’s true. But is this only possible if I catch the first egg I release? I don’t feel like I’m releasing any eggs at the moment, but obviously I. Don’t know for sure.

I'm not entirely sure but that's why they hammer home about contraception when you are pregnant because you're super fertile after having a baby.

My periods returned after 5 months, when baby was still ebf. Same with previous 2 pgs. Quite annoying as I liked not having the hassle of them. Baby is 16m now and still not night weaned, periods have been regular since they restarted.

My period returned 7 months pp EBF even at night! I was hoping for a bigger gap especially as my baby feeds quite often still