Bleeding Problems

First, I would call the doctor. The same thing happened to me, although I had a C-section, and I called my doctor, and she said I was being too active and hadn't given myself a chance to fully heal. I took it easy for like the next two weeks, and it stopped. I also was breastfeeding, and that didn't seem to be part of it for me.

contact your local La Leche League.

http://www.llli.org/

E.

I had similar problems with bleeding after my second one. Sometimes I guess it takes a while for you body to get back on cycle. The dr. will probably tell you to make notes and watch it for a couple of months...then if it doesn't regulate, come in and see him. Also, mine was pretty heavy the first time. I would continue to keep track of it and if you get really worried, call the dr. and talk to him.

Yes, it's very normal the first few months, to bleed off and on like that. Even if breastfeeding. And you may notice your period may not return, once you get past the normal first couple of bleeding episodes. That's normal too, with breastfeeding.

I had the same thing when i had my son. You are having your first period it is very normal. You are cramping because your uteris is shrinking. massage your stomach up towards your breasts and it well relieve some of the pain. Ask your doctor what you can take for pain. The pain should start to weakin as your uteris shrinks to normal. Good Luck!!

~L.

With my first daughter, I breast fed for 5 1/2 months, and I still bled for a full 6-8 weeks. Then I started the normal periods too.
I would definitely go to your doctor. It isn't unheard of to get pregnant that fast again either. I know of a couple women that has happened to.

This could be your first period even if you are breastfeeding. If the bleeding is too heavy or your throughing off large clots get to the er now.

T.,

I probably has NOTHING to do with breastfeeding, so keep it up. It is the best for baby. However, the bleeding does not seem normal to me. Give your ob a call, or better yet, your local LLL. Maybe your cycle is starting again. Every body is different and sometimes cycles begin even though mother is soley nursing. Make sure you are using some form of birth control if you do not want a second so quickly!

Congratulations on your first.

Some women bleed for 6 weeks or a little more, though since it stopped, then started again, you may want to get checked out just to be sure everything is OK. (I nursed both my kids and once my bleeding stopped it was done for good. It is normal to feel some pain in your uterus as you nurse thoe first weeks/months as your uterus is still contacting all your way back down.)

As to the women who said it was your period starting, this would be VERY unusual if you were exclusivly breatfeeding. Most moms who breatfeed don't get periods until 15mo or later, though some start earlier since it depends on your body and how long your baby goes between feedings, but 6 weeks for a nursing mom would be VERY uncommon!

NOTHING is NORMAL when we are talking about periods!

lol

I always looked forward to NO periods when I was nursing - cause I heard/read that was normal.

I wasn't so lucky!

I would say it depends on the pain - if it is bearable, it is probably not much to worry about - if you went to a dr. he would probably have you watch the next one and come back and see him again.

Being a WOMAN!?!?!?!?! lol Ever try those Thermo pads that stick on your belly - my oldest daughter loved the one we had as a sample!

Even though you are breastfeeding, it does not guarantee that you will not have periods. So this most likely is just a normal period. However, if you do not stop bleeding after 5-7 days or the bleeding becomes extremely heavy (>1 pad an hour) or you have clots bigger than golf balls, or you run a fever or you have a foul odor, you need to call your obstetrician. Otherwise, it is probably your period, and since you are breastfeeding, they may not be regular.

Call your doctor to find out for sure.

You could be having complications or you could be (surprise) having your period again. While many women don't have a period while breastfeeding, some women certainly do get a period.

Only one way to find out - make an appointment!

Hi T.!

I also had this happen with both of my children. I thought I was all done bleeding and then about 2 weeks later I started to bleed pretty heavy again. it only lasted a few days and the doctor said it was normal. Your body could just be trying to have a period again. However, I can't remember if I had the pain with it or not. Maybe some cramping (which will be stronger when nursing because nursing causes your body to release the hormone that causes contractions). If your concerened that the pain is not normal than I would say to call your doctor and ask. They may say it is normal. . . .OR it could be a sign of infection (the pain). Either way, i would suggest calling just to give yourself peace of mind.

I had my first baby about 15 months ago. I seem to remember the doctor saying that bleeding can occur up to 8 weeks and that it might stop and then start up again. If it is still constant after 8 weeks, I would call your doctor.

I also had this. Unfortunately it was my period. Even though I was breastfeeding...my period didn't want to skip a beat!! :( You may still want to call your doctor to be sure though!

Congratulations! A new baby always brings new questions about our bodies and theirs! I had the same thing happen to me with both my kids- EBF and had regular periods. As a matter of fact- I was getting my period every 2 to 2 1/2 weeks for the first 3 months- Your hormones are trying to normalize, maybe you added micronor (BC pill for nursing moms) and that could be part of it too. If you are experiencing pain not normal to you for a period, or are clotting or you are soaking through a pad in a short amount of time (I think they say 1 to 2 hours) call your Doctor right away. I would call anyway just to make sure everything is okay. Best of luck with your new little one!

Call your doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your older having yur first child i would let the doc know never can be to sure and you have to take good care of our self so you can be there for the lil one stay blessed

Hi T.,
Congratulations. Yes, I think it's normal. I have three little ones, and with each one I bled for a little over six weeks and it would stop and go throughout the entire time. I would call your doctor about the pain just to be sure, but I always experienced cramping while nursing the first few weeks. Good luck!

After I had my second child I stopped bleeding and then started again. It was light at first and then got REALLY heavy. It was pouring out of me. I went to the emergency room and had to have a DNC because the DR. who delivered her left half the placenta in. If you haven't went to the DR yet I think you should go. Good luck and congrats on the baby.

I would check in with your doctor. With my first one I bled for 6 weeks. You could be having your first period.

Hey, T.. I did the same thing after my son was born. Since your'e nursing it will take your body longer to get "back to normal", but on the other hand you're burning 500 calories a day!! Nice!! My son is 5 months old and I'm on the pill for nursing moms and I am still not having regular periods, just spotting here and there. It really depends on how much pain you're having. If it's normal cramps then I wouldn't worry, but any more than that I would go to the doctor. Better safe than sorry. After all, your body just went through the most amazing, most traumatizing thing it will ever go through.
And grats on nursing!!

I got my period when I was about 6 weeks post partum. I thought there was a problem because the bleeding just started up again. The doctor said it was normal though and would stop in about a week. After that (probably as a result of breastfeeding I didn't have a period again for 7 or 8 months.) The pain with brestfeeding subsides. My daughter's been breastfed for a year this month and somewhere over the summer it stopped hurting.

Have you had your postpardum check up yet? If not, mention it at that point. If you already did, I'd call and talk to your doc and see if it's anything to be worried about. I would assume it has nothing to do with breastfeeding.

I bled forever! At least it seemed that way. I was still bleeding after the six weeks. Usually you will get cramping to because your uterus is trying to shrink back to it's normal size. Also when I would breastfeed sometimes I would get cramps from whatever that chemical (prolactin?) is called that gets released when breastfeeding. Still you probably want to call your OB/GYN just to be sure.

If you're breastfeeding around the clock and not going more than 4-5 hours between feedings, I'd be concerned about the blood + pain (those 2 things together concern me). Especially if you're noticing any sort of decrease in your milk production!!!

See if you can just get in to see your OB or midwife and have them evaluate you - better safe than sorry. The bleeding (esp. coupled w/ pain and definitely if there's any decrease in your milk supply) could mean that you have a small fragment of placenta still in your uterus, and it'd be important to get that taken care of. I had a D&C at 4 weeks postpartum for this, and because I wanted to continue to breastfeed, I explained very politely but very firmly that any anesthesia would need to be breastfeeding-compatible because I was not willing to pump and dump --> I requested a spinal, which worked well for me, and didn't affect breastfeeding at all.

Hope the bleeding is nothing serious, just wanted to encourage you to get it checked out if it concerns you - trust your gut instincts!

P.S. - Congrats on the birth of your first baby!!! :)

you might just be having your perod. i have two kids and had mine even know i was breast feeding