Getting My Period and Nursing

I have been breastfeeding (and pumping for three days a week) and started getting my period just three months after I had my baby (which was a HUGE bummer, as far as I was concerned!) It has been regular ever since, and my little guy is 6 months now.

Hi D.,
If you are nursing on demand, you may find that your periods are irregular for some time. Breastfeeding traditionally surpresses ovulation, although I wouldn't count on it for birth control. So, if you are otherwise healthy, the pregnancy test is negative and you are nursing on demand, all probably is well. Just remember to use birth control if you don't want another one too close to your baby.

Same thing happened to me. I got my first period about 7 months after I delivered and then it was another 6 weeks or so. I too, took a pregnancy test! But it was negative and I got it a couple of days later, and have been like clockwork ever since. Just because you are nursing doesn't guarantee you won't get your period. And it REALLY doesn't nmean you can't get pregnant! :-)

Nursing will throw your cycles off. But be careful. I wasn't careful enough with birth control when nursing my second and got pregnant with my third! I didn't suspect for a while, because my cycles were irregular anyway. Good Luck!
B.

I would go to the Dr. & get on BC. You can get pregnant while you are nursing. I would also take another test in a couple of days. Your egos may be pregos, but your hormone levels may not have been high enough yet to register on the 1st test.

no, not if you are nursing it can be very irregular and I am really suprised that you got it so quickly. The first time I didn't have mine for 10 mos and the second time it was six months. If you son is nursing more or less frequently it can cause you to start and stop I think. You still have TONS of hormones going on and it is not that you can't get pregnant, but your periods may not be regular for a while.

If you're nursing you should expect to not have your period at all or to have irregular cycles. At your son's age I am assuming you are giving some solids so using breastfeeding as a BC method is not effective anymore. It's a good idea to use some birth control or family planning method if you do not want to be pregnant.

I have had 3 children and with each one, getting my period "back" was different. The last one was over a year and the doctor said each woman's body is different! I also nursed for up to 2 years and that has a lot to do with it.

Good luck!

well i have gotten my period while nursing, and i am only nursing no bottle or missed feedings, and that has happened with both of my kids. so i think everyone is different. breastfeeding deals with different hormones and can affect everyone differently, so ask your doc what they recommend and use a back up birth control to be on the safe side

As long as you are nursing you should not be getting a period. You should get your period a month or two after you stop breast feeding.

Many women have irregular periods after giving birth, especially if they are nursing.

My mother didn't have a period at all between child #2 and #3. And they are two years apart.

I nursed my both my daughters for a year and didn't get mine for 10 months each time. My son is eight months now and I sometimes get a little cramp like I'm going to start, but nothing yet.

I had a sister-in-law that had a period every 10 days after her second child. She would only get a few days reprieve. She finally was told to take Mexican Yam from the GNC and that did the trick in getting her regular.

Sometimes you skip or have longer cycles while you are still nursing because of the hormones.
:) Enjoy it!

M.

Hi D.,
I was nursing too and I got my period 6 weeks after my son was born :-( and it was very regular after that. So it does happen-A.

My first "period" was at about 8 months and I had bleeding for 3 days lightly every two weeks for about 2 months...then I fell into the once a month category. Now I am every 27-28 days (my daughter is 27 mths). It didn't take too long to balance out, but everyone is different and if these are your first periods after delivery, don't expect anything normal. Great job nursing! Keep it up!!!

As others have already said, your cycle can be very irregular if you are still nursing. I'm nursing my almost 1 year old and still haven't gotten my period yet. But I remember after my older daughter was born that it took many, many months to get back on a somewhat regular schedule. Even then, my period was never as regular as it was before I first conceived. Good luck and don't forget to use birth control if you aren't planning on more children right now! :)

I think it can be a few months if you are nursing before it is exactly regular.

My experience with getting my period after a baby (I've got three now!) has been that it's a little irregular to start with. My youngest is 13 months and I just got my period last month. It was lighter and shorter than usual, but in the past that's how it's been for me for my first one back. I'm also nursing- keep up the good work!

When my period returned (baby was 8 mo) I was on a 6 week cycle. Weird I know. I had two more periods - all 6 weeks weeks apart. Then I got pregnant again. Kinda screwed up all projected "due dates" for #2. But just keep an eye on it. I liked the book "Taking charge of your fertility" which helped me to know what was going on even when the doc's just looked at me like "whaaat?"

Hi D.,
My period would arrive anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks in the first 6 months of nursing. The first return event with both kids arrived around 3 months and was very light and discomfort free(that changed, sigh!). Nursing screws with your cycle. To this day, my cycle hits about every 5 weeks. On the flip side, you are very fertile when you are nursing. Don't recall why just that my son was conceived when I thought we were safe. My period was coming, wasn't it? I had all the symptoms, right?
The grand irony was that my OB/GYN warned me at the 6 week check up that it was much easier to get pregnant during your nursing stint. I think I might have had a hint by then. He was crying in the waiting room while I was examined. Hmmmmmm.

A little about me: I have 2 kids, age 4 and 2 3/4(the safe baby).

I wouldn't worry I had my 2nd daughter march 2008 and still have not gotten my period since conceiving. It will come back after you quit nursing. Mine did after my first daughter no problem.

I rarely got my period when I was nursing. I believe that is to be expected. To be on the safe side I would still use birth control though.

Lots of time, periods are irregular if you are still nursing. But you could get pregnant, so use some protection.

This time can be confusing, and every woman is different. But there are some general rules. First of all, after having a baby you are only infertile for 56 days for sure. After that you can ovulate at any time and the only way to know when you ovulate (which happens before you get your period) is to be tracking your fertility. And it can be irregular for a while, but you can get it even when you are breastfeeding. Which means you can get pregnant while you are breastfeeing. Most women get their periods back a month or so after the baby starts eating more solids and nursing less. But this varies, even though my son wasn't eating many solid foods, I still got my period after about 9 months. There are other guidelines about this, but I don't remember how far after six months they apply. It has to do with strictly breastfeeding (no pacifier), and things like co-sleeping. I don't remember the details, but your local La Leche League leader would be able to tell you the details. Hope this helps.

My cycle has also been very irregular since it started back up again at about nine months after my daughter was born. (Causing a similar trip to the drugstore for pregnancy test!) I'm still breastfeeding. I used to be very regular with my periods so it's been alarming, but maybe it's an effect of the nursing hormones.

I didn't get my period for an entire year while I was nursing my daughter. It actually came the day before she weaned herself, just 4 days before her first birthday. It's completely common to not get a period while you're nursing.

When I was nursing, I didn't get my period back for MONTHS! Then when I did get it, it was way off schedule for another few months. The hormones of breastfeeding will wreak havoc on your period. Good luck!

If you are still nursing, I wouldn't be concerned about no period. I never resumed my cycle until my first two were completely weaned...the first at 14 months, and the second at age 2 1/2! I am currently nursing a 10 month old, and I still haven't gotten a period. Everyone is different, and its possible that your cycle still isn't back to normal. I would wait another week and take another test, and then if you are still concerned (although, personally, I would chalk it up to hormones) call your dr.

Hi D.,
Congrats on your new Baby boy! I had one very light period after the birth of my first daughter and oops I was pregnant with my second who was born 13 months and 1 day after my first. After my second child my period started 4 weeks after her birth. I nursed both of my kids for almost a year each. So with this being said.. everyone is different. Talk to your Dr. about protection, I have heard the BC causes you to decrease your milk supply so I never tried, but you may want to confirm. As far as the PG test, take it again in 2 week or so just in case. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for the Hormones to be detected. Best of Luck!!
MJ