After Breastfeeding.....

Hi H., I breastfed my second child for 2 years, and my period started when he was 12 months old. When it started, I was regular immediately, having a period every month. I've always been very regular though. If you stopped breastfeeding completely, your body should start getting ready for a cycle very soon, so if you do not want to get pregnant again right now, I would be very careful because it's hard to tell when you are going to ovulate. Good luck!

Wow, three 4 years without a period! How nice! Anyway, I didn't have a period or a migraine the entire time i was pregnant or nursing. As soon as i stopped nursing, i had 'breakthrough' bleeding within a couple of weeks and then went right back to the regular periods and migraines from ****. If you don't want to get pregnant again, better start looking into your b.c. options (grin)

My daughter breastfed until just around her 2nd birthday. With her, my periods returned right at 10 months and were regular. I conceived my son when she was 22 months old, and we stopped breastfeeding when I was about 4 months pregnant. I am now breastfeeding my son, who is 11 months old, and the periods haven't come back yet. But I did feel premenstrual one time last month, then no period, and then I felt pregnant...and actually took a couple of pregnancy tests! (both negative). So back to waiting and enjoying the lapse.

I nursed both our girls well into toddlerhood, but with both of them, I got my period at only 6 months :( Once it came back, it was as regular as always, and the nursing didn't seem to have much of an effect on it. I did become pregnant with #2 while I was nursing #1, and pregnancy didn't seem to change the nursing either!

About two months after weaning my son, I had what seemed to me to be unusual gynecological symptoms (cramps, spotting, bloating, pains, etc), so I went to the OB/GYN. I thought I was having trouble with my IUD. I didn't think it had anything to do with menstrating because between breastfeeding and the IUD, I hadn't had a period since before my pregnancy (almost two years prior), and I get to a point on the IUD when I don't menstrate. The OB/GYN said I was fine and would probably start having periods again, which I did a few weeks later. I have found that after breastfeeding my other four children, my periods usually started out light and not very regular and then eventually became more consistent.

First of all, congrats to breastfeeding your children for so long. I think that's wonderful, if you can do it! :) With my two youngest, my period came back pretty soon after I quit breastfeeding. I had always heard that breastfeeding was a natural form of birth control, although one of my friends got pregnant while she was breastfeeding and on the mini-pill. Everyone is different, but once your period comes back, you're obviously more likely to get pregnant again...so take precaution if that's not what you'd like at this time! :)

I've found that it has been different with each child. I breastfed my first child until she was a year old and I began having my period again when she was nine months old. I am currently breastfeeding my second child who is nine months old. I began having regular periods when she was 3 months old. Most likely if you have stopped breastfeeding completely, you will begin your cycle soon.

I nursed my son until he was 13 months old, and my period came back as i was weaning him at 12 months. I have had friends who were revisited much eralier, but their lactation was much less than mine. I think that once your milk slows down, other things kick back up!

Regular breastfeeding should keep the periods away but by the time your child hits a year, it's only like once or twice a day anyway so your body should be adjusting a little bit to the change. However, if you've just weaned off, your body is having to find it's regular cycle. Give it a few months before you become regular. In the meantime, I'd suggest protection because you just can't really predict when you're ovulating. (That is, of course, unless you're open to the prospect of another pregnancy.) La Leche League and the lactation consultants at your hosp. will probably have some great reading resources for you!