Did you have to completely wean before resuming your period? I am just curious what the process was like for others, though clearly there is a wide range. With my first, I had to cut out the night nursing and once I did, my period came back. She was exactly a year old. I continued nursing her for six more months...and was pregnant again when she was 15 months old. With my second, there was a similar process.... I significatly reduced nursing, and period returned around 18 months and I conceived when he was 21 months. Our third turned fourteen months old recently, and it has been about a month since I reduced his feedings to once in the early morning and once before bed...so there is typically twelve hours between nursing and no night feedings. Not a period in sight! At some point we would like to try for a fourth baby and, since I am "older" I feel some degree of pressure. My son is totally not ready to wean fully...I tried the other night to get him to sleep without a breast and it was not fun. I am going to try cutting out the early morning nursing so that we are just down to one feeding and see if that does it. I know some women are able to catch that first egg and get pregnant without having that first period but it doesn't seem that will work for me...So, what was your experience with this? Thanks!
One of my friends had her second baby 9 months after the birth of her first. Breast feeding is not a reliable form of birth control. You could be pregnant any time now even before stopping breastfeeding.
With all of my kids I had to be basically fully weaned before I got my period back.
I'm an older mom-I was 36 when I had my first, 41 my last, so maybe it's age related?
You ovulate regardless of whether you have a period so please do not use the lack of periods as a form of birth control. Many a baby has been conceived based on the myth of being safe when you are nursing
Oh and pretty much around nine months when my kids were eating solid foods.
You do not have to get a period to become pregnant when breastfeeding. Two of my friends had not weaned their babies and did not get a period and were surprised to learn that they were pregnant. As you know from your second, you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. If your son isn't ready to wean yet, let him nurse a bit longer (he is only 14 months, you nursed the others for 18 months each). You can still actively try, and if you find you are seriously loosing weight or extremely tired, consider a pregnancy test.
Just enjoy the baby you have now and see what happens!
You can get pregnant the day after having your baby if you have sex. No matter if you are breast feeding or not.
Don't have unprotected sex at any time you don't want to risk pregnancy.
ooh the putting the baby to sleep on the breast! That was a hard habit to break!!! I hope you can break it!!
You do realize that even if you are NOT menstruating you can still and are most likely ovulating. So do NOT have unprotected sex if you are NOT ready to have another baby.
My cycles were always off - so with my oldest son? I don't remember having one for a year - I might have had some bleeding and my OB/GYN considered that a cycle - even if it wasn't "normal". Didn't have a cycle after my oldest son and miscarriage and then pregnant with our second one...and then after him? I would say about 8 to 12 weeks...
Good luck!
I didn't have to wean with any of my pregnancies and actually nursed through pregnancy in every case at least part, if not all of the pregnancy.
I went on the mini-pill at 6 weeks with my first so I don't know how much was the pill or how much was nursing but my period came back around 6 months. I was still nursing him at 2 years old when I got pregnant 4 months after his birthday with my second. I continued to nurse through that entire pregnancy and for 2 months I nursed both. I didn't go on any hormonal birth control at all after my second. My period came back around 6 or 7 months again. I got pregnant with one I miscarried when he was 3 I think. I never stopped nursing him, even as I was miscarrying (no, the breastfeeding did not have anything to do with the miscarriage). I got pregnant again when he was 4, almost 5. The last time he nursed was days before I found out I was pregnant with #3. After my third was born I again didn't go on any hormonal birth control at all. After she was born my period came back at 6 weeks (I was pissed!) and never went away until a few years later when I went into peri-menopause and finally menopause. I am 44 right now and it's been a year and a half since I had any period at all. I was 30, 33 & 38 when my 3 were born.
There are so many versions of "normal".
It took 8 weeks for my period to come back after birth - I was still nursing.
Some people have sex thinking "I'm breastfeeding! I won't get pregnant!" and low and behold they ARE pregnant without having a period first.
You might want to try an ovulation test kit to try to pin point when/if it's happening.
For a lot of people it takes a year of ttc before getting pregnant and some people have trouble getting pregnant when they want to even if it was easy the first few times.
I don't know how old you are but some women's fertility drops rapidly after 36.
I know it seems like lots of women can have kids well into their 40's but many can't (or can't without a fertility specialist and a lot of medical help).
If you have no success in 6 months to a year, then talk to your doctor and see what they have to say.
After my first, my period came back when she was 6 months old. I was pumping exclusively (pumped exclusively for 13 months), and was pumping every 3-4 hours.
Both my my boys stopped night nursing by 2 months, and I seem to remember my period returning around that time.
I'll be looking forward to the 4munchkins announcement soon!
My babes were too spread out to predict weaning / return of menses / fertility possibilities. Many woman can and do get pregnant while nursing.
I nursed all of mine exclusively abd my period returned at 4 months, 4 months, and 5 months.
I nursed for a year, but my period came back six months after birth, even though I hadn't changed any nursing habits. Everyone is different.
I weaned in a month and got my regular cycle back the following month with all my kids.
I breastfed exclusively and got my period after three months. So your body is what your body does. Some people don't get a period and they do get pregnant. So it is best to use something to prevent another pregnancy before you are ready.
Consult with your doctor about what to use.
the other S.
I breastfed my first straight through my second pregnancy, so I did not stop. I had al of 2 periods between my first and second, but I got pregnant about 6 weeks after my first turned 2, so he had cut way back to mostly night nursing and only occasionally during the day. I think I had one period when he was about 18 months, then nothing for 6 months, then one more period, then pregnant! After my second, it came back at 18 months, again during extended breastfeeding.
Best of luck with #4 :)
