Still Breastfeeding and Periods Are Starting Again!

I had periods while I breastfed. They started in right around 12 weeks after I had him. I never had any issues with milk supply. As a matter of fact, I had so much milk I could spray ya! Is that TMI? :)

This happened to me too. I struggled with low milk supply for all the months through one year, but I made it. What did I do?
Ate healthy, oatmeal every morning (I heard this helps), fenugreek 3X a day, drank the tea by Yogi "mother's helper" or something like that for milk production. I pumped as long as I could, and when I couldn't pump any more, I fed him as often as I could. Even though I don't think it was an ideal amount of milk for him, he refused formula, and it worked for a year.

I was working though... so I actually fed him every morning before I left, and drove home to feed him at lunch, left early to feed him in the afternoon and then fed him again at bed time.

The fenugreek really seems to help - I took 3 pills a day 3 X a day. They say once you get the milk up again you can stop taking th epills, but it seems like when I stopped so did the milk. So... I just kept taking them.

I wish you the best of luck - it was very important to me and we made it work, and I hope you can too, if that is what you want.

I got my period less than two months after both my children. I was able to breastfeed them for more than a year. I had to really work hard to stay hydrated and at one point took an herbal supplement Mother's milk plus. I also had much better luck with an electric pump than a hand pump when trying to steal a moment away. Kind of a bummer when you see others get off but best of luck to you!

It is in the range fo healthy normal to menstruate while lactating.
That said, ecological breastfeeding is the pattern of breastfeeding that is most likely to deter ovulation and delay the return of your period. If you Google "ecological breastfeeding," you'll get the details on that, but it's basically making sure your body recevied plenty of hormonal signals to continue to produce milk and suppress ovulation. All baby's sucking should be at the breast and artificial nipples avoided, and baby should sleep near mom to facilitate nighttime nursing sessions.
The single most effective way to increase or maintain your milk supply is to nurse often. Milk production is all supply and demand, so the more your baby nurses, the more milk you will produce. I have nursed three children into toddlerhood, and accomodating "frequency days" and growth spurts without doubting my body's abilities was my method for keeping up a great milk supply.
I'm not sure what signals told you your supply was decreasing in the past, but it's important not to judge your supply based on how much milk you can pump, because a well-latched baby will *always* be better than even the best pump at getting milk, and your breasts do not have to feel full or hard to be producing adequate milk. Also, it takes 24 to 48 hours for your milk supply to adjust to increased or reduced demand, so if your baby wants to nurse all day for a couple of days, it's OK to meet this need and know that baby is probably htting a growth spurt and is helping to boost your supply to meet his increased need. Finally, if Baby is pooping and peeing regularly, you can feel confident your supply is meeting his needs.
If you have more breastfeeding questions or want more help figuring out how breastfeeding affects your menstrual cycle, consider calling La Leche League. All their services are free, including phone help, and they are always current and medically accurate. They have saved my sanity many times! Their Web site is www.lllusa.org and you can find a link to the local Idaho Leaders in your area.
Breastfeeding is a confidence game. If you think you can, you can, and it sounds like you are on your way to nursing your baby for as long as you'd like to. What a lucky baby you have!
Best wishes!

I guess I would wonder what else changed in the time when your milk supply dropped. The return of menstruation should not affect your supply, but other things might have happened around that same time. I also wonder what signs made you think that your supply was gone. I nursed my first two children for nearly a year and a half after my periods returned. I weaned them each when I got pregnant again. The biggest thing to remember is that milk is made on a supply-and-demand basis. Anything that affects/prevents your baby from nursing is going to reduce the demand, and therefore the supply.

There are a few ideas of things that often happen around the midyear mark which can affect milk supply, or make the mother think there is a problem with supply. First of all, your body may simply have reached a good balance with breastfeeding. As a result, you may notice leaking goes away, that your breasts no longer become firm with milk and then soft after feedings, or that you no longer experience the sensation of letdown. None of those necessarily indicate a problem with milk supply. Introducing solids can affect your supply if they start to replace breast milk in baby's diet. To counteract this, make sure you nurse before you feed your baby solids, and don't push solid foods too fast. Remember that solids are not for nutrition in the beginning. They are for exploration and practice until baby is at least a year old. Another thing that often makes women think their milk supply is going down is when baby has a growth spurt. When babies are getting ready for a growth spurt, they setting into marathon nursing sessions for a few days. Frequent nursings will increase your supply. They may be fussy and dissatisfied during this period, but if you keep nursing when baby wants to, your supply will quickly increase. Many mothers see that their baby is not satisfied and is unhappy, and they start supplementing with formula or other solid foods instead of increasing their nursing. Unfortunately, the baby who is full of formula or rice cereal is not going to nurse as much, reducing demand, and therefore reducing your supply even further. It's a vicious cycle, and unfortunately it's all too common right around that 6-month mark. One final thought is that babies often become VERY distracted while nursing between 6 and 9 months of age. I have seem mothers wean their babies because, "They just don't want to nurse any more." In fact, they want to nurse, they are just so distracted by the world around them. Because they aren't feeding well, they may want to nurse more often, making mom think that there must not be any milk since baby never seems to be filling up. I have dealt with this with each of my 3 babies. My youngest is just starting into it now (6 months old). It's frustrating, but no reason to stop nursing. Try to take baby some place quiet, free from other distractions. With my oldest, I had to take her into a dark, quiet room when she needed to eat. If we were out and about, I let her nurse just enough to take the edge off, then finished the feed when we were at home. It was a little frustrating, but we made it through.

There are so many things that we can do to keep up a good milk supply, I can't share them all here with you. Again, remember that milk production is supply-and-demand, so keep nursing your baby whenever he needs to eat. My best advice is to contact your local La Leche League group. They are a wonderful group of mothers dedicated to supporting each other throughout the nursing experience, whatever that might look like for each mom. I have met moms who are supplementing with formula, moms whose babies are receiving donor breastmilk, moms who are pumping and bottlefeeding, working moms and stay-at-home moms, moms nursing toddler and moms who just want to make it to the one-year mark before they wean. The one thing they all share is a desire to support each other. You can find your local La Leche League group on the LLL, International website (http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html) At the meetings, you will receive advice and ideas from other moms who have been there, as well as help from a trained La Leche League leader. Meetings and help are always free. You can also find great articles about milk supply on the website.

Some signs that can truly indicate a problem with milk supply are a drop in weight with no other factors that might explain it (i.e., crawling or starting to walk) or few/no wet or dirty diapers. Even at that point, it doesn't mean that you need to wean, or even supplement. It typically means that you need to cuddle in with baby and spend a few days nursing as often as possible.

Best of luck to you and your son.

Cheers,
S. L

ps - Here is a link to some yummy cookies made with ingredients that are believed to boost milk supply: http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2008/05/lactatio...

i have never heard of a correlation between periods returning and milk supply dropping, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. could it have been a coincidence that the two happened at the same time for your first pregnancy?

I got my period back after 4 months, and i breastfed for an entire year. and, because i didn't do bottles enough at first, she never really took them. i had no problem. I think a lot of women get their periods back in the first year. from what i have heard, it is a lucky few who don't have it the whole time.

My period came when my son was 8 month old. I kept breastfeeding him until his 2nd birthday. So hope this gives you hope. If your milk supply goes down, pump, pump and pump. Get a good pump. I had a Medela that worked very well for me. Give him the milk you pump, or freeze it, or dump it. The more you pump and the more your baby breastfeeds, the more your supply. That is the theory! Good luck!

I breastfed all my kids till about a year...and with my last two...my periods started coming back around 5-6 months...even tho' I breastfed exclusively. Talk about bitter...to me, that was always one of the pros of nursing...not having to deal with my period! But... apparently nobody asked my permission! I didn't do anything special....however, especially during that time of the month...I was exhausted...felt VERY drained. I always tried to drink a lot and eat healthy anyway. (On the other hand...I may just be weird...I completely weened my son over 8 months ago and discovered the other night that I can still express milk....not a lot...but...its still there...yah, I know...kinda weird if you ask me!)

My period came back after 3 months with Baby #2 and I successfully breastfed for 15 months. I will say that the supply did drop off and I was constantly worried she was not getting enough. But because her weight was consistently fine and not a concern, I accepted it. The milk never went away, but it was a small amount. I figured if it did go away, I would switch to formula and not worry so much about it. I really wouldn't stress about it too much-- stress actually decreases your milk supply. With baby #1, I dried up too soon and tried lots of natural methods (mother's milk tea for example) but the prescription R-name (can't remember it at the moment--pregnancy brain drain, forgive me) did work wonders for getting it back. If that does not appeal to you, try pumping every 2 hours around the clock when not feeding baby and that should jumpstart it naturally. You'll lose alot of sleep but if that's what you desire, it should help. Otherwise, formula is not an unnecessary evil, don't be too concerned if you have to go that route. Best of luck!

I didn't notice a change in my milk supply when my periods began again, although, come to think of it, that's when we started solids. I don't remember when my periods came back after my second son, but with my first, it was 4 months, and that's when we started solids. But I nursed both my boys until they weaned themselves at 10 months.

Now I'm wondering if starting solids precipitated the return of Aunt Flo? Never thought of that before.

I got mine after exclusively breastfeeding my daughter for 2 months. I nursed her until she was 13 months without many problems. I did have to make sure I drank enough water (during summer) and stayed up on pumping if I was away from my daughter.

Remember everyone is different but I don't think it is unheard of to continue to breastfeed and get your periods back so early.

I did! Yes, it is possible. My menstrual cycle returned when my daughter was 6 months and I went on to breastfeed her until she was 2 1/2. I didn't wean her because my milk was gone, but because I was ready. I think its probably not your period that is causing your milk supply to drop, but other factors. Look at your stress level, skipped feedings, pumping, diet, etc. You might want to look up your local La Leche League and talk to someone. They are very educated and extremely helpful in all things around breastfeeding and otherwise. Good luck and I wish you a long and happy breastfeeding relationship with your little one!

Hi A., With both of my kids I got my period at 4 months and it was regular and heavy. With my second child it worked really well. I was able to breastfeed for 11 months and then I stopped because I had so much milk stored up in the freezer. I did notice that during the week that I had my period my daughter was hungrier. I pumped a little more during that week so that my body would try to keep up. Around 9 months I did give her a little formula during that week, until she turned 1. I hope this helps. Good luck.

I did not get a chance to read everything everyone else wrote, but when you are feeding your baby on one side, try pumping on the other...then whatever you get from that other side, use a dropper or cup or bottle or whatever you feel comfortable with to feed him with that (or freeze it for later use) and then switch sides with both the baby and the pump (remember...even if the pump is no longer getting anything else out, your baby will be able to get more out...he's much more efficient than the pump is...). Eventually, you will trick your body into thinking it has "twins" to feed!

My periods started with my 1st at 6 months and I have a feeling my periods will start next month again (my son is 5-months-old right now and during the time I "should" have been on my period last month, I had lots of cramps, but no bleeding). I have always had tons of milk though, so can't say much to fixing that...but hope my suggestion helped in some small way!

I nursed all three of my kids and only had my period appear with one of them while I was still nursing. The first thing I want to say is, your body has a way of letting you know what is right for your body. I wouldn't freak too much if you have to stop nursing before you wanted to. All of my kids stopped at different times (from 4 months to 18 months) I just went with what felt right or what my body and babies demanded.

That being said, the biggest contributer to my milk supply was my diet. Of course drinking plenty of water is important but even more important is the type of foods you eat. Every time I had excessive salt, soda, caffeine, or sweets my milk supply would drop. Every time I ate all fresh fruits and vegetables, my supply went up. Seems obvious I guess but really pay attention to what you put in your mouth, even a bit of chocolate can make a difference.

I must say though, the one baby I had my period during nursing with, I did not experience a drop in milk supply. I am really not sure if that is typical or not. I would just focus on eating perfect and nursing a lot to keep up your supply.

Good luck and don't beat yourself up if you end up stopping early, your baby got all the nutrients during the first few months and will be fine if you quit.

I got my period at 6 weeks postpartum, lucky lucky me! When I went for my checkup the doctors asked if I was still bleeding and I tried telling them no, it was my period, but they wouldn't believe me. But then right on the exact same schedule I had always had it came back the next month. Blech. But I did breastfeed, and still am (sort of) 2 years later. I wouldn't count what happened the last time as the rule. You will need to increase your water intake, because it is natural for your period to make it drop a little so more water will help. But it should only drop temporarily. I didn't notice much difference in supply most months. Dont give up! Check into More Milk Plus or fenugreek if you don't seem to be producing enough.

i had 12 months of breastfeeding, and i'm fairly sure I was having periods.. i guess it may depend on your birth control.. I have the 10 year IUD. The only way I had my milk supply up was just the natural feeding-on demand month after month.. But remember.. Every BODY's different.

Hi,
I breastfed my daughter for 2 years,and I did get my period 5 months after delivery.Don't stress yourself,just because it decreased then,doesn't mean it will this time!Make sure you drink lots of water and there is a natural tea out there that helps with milk production,it's called ORGANIC MOTHERS MILK ,Brand is TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS and you drink up to 5 cups a day if you feel your milk supply is dropping,it really helped me!!I do recommend it to everybody!They sell it at supermarkets,if you can't find it in your areas supermarkets I'm sure they have it at health food stores!Or online!Good luck!The most important thing is to not stress out because stress decreases your milk a lot!!

I got my period back while nursing both of my kids. With my first I did see a drop in my supply during my period (which I got back right away because he was in the NICU for 6 weeks and I pumped for him) for a few months and then it was fine, no more drop in supply. My son nursed till he was 16 months old. With my second, I got my period back when she was about 4 months old and we just finished nursing at 20 months BUT I never had a drop in supply at all with her! So you may not have the same problem. Just keep nursing on demand, maintain a healthy diet and you could even pump during the non-period times so you will have extra in case you need to supplement during your period.

I got my period back when my son was 4 months. I had a problem keeping my milk supply up the week before i started my period. My Lactation consultant recommended that before i started I drink copious amounts of mothers milk tea especially when I was on my period. I would just make a whole bunch in the morning and keep it in a nalgene bottle to drink duriong the day. Also, there is a tincture that you can take too, its called more milk plus. I would take that 3 times a day while i was on my period. Both of these things definately worked for me, I made plenty of milk for my baby. Nurse often, and I am told thata beer helps production as well. Make sure you are getting plenty of rest, good food and lots of water too. Not to mention GREAT JOB FOR NURSING YOUR BABY! Contact a LLL consultant if you have any more trouble. Good luck! I nursed my baby til he was almost 2 but i was 3 months pregnant.

I didn't try to nurse through periods but I did suffer from a low milk supply. I used a drug called domperidone and got it via the internet since it is so much cheaper than here in the US. I would be happy to tell you more and ammounts and websites if you decide to go that route. You might want to try some of the herbs first before that though. Mothers milk tea is one that has all the herbs in it...but it can be a bit pricey as can the more milk plus tincture but worth it if you get to breast feed for a longer ammount of time. I chose to spend the money on medicine instead of formula. You may consider a supplemental nursing system in addition to supplementation. It keeps the stimulation on your breasts so they can produce the most milk while still allowing you to give your baby all the nurishment he needs.
Good luck with everything and feel free to message me if you need anything. Low milk supply is a hard battle to fight.

I exclusively breastfed all 3 of my children (from birth no supplements, no bottles, no solids until after 6 months) I nursed them each a minimum of 1 year with my 3rd for over 2.5 years... I got my menstrual cycle back at 6 WEEKS with each of them - I had an OVERSUPPLY issue with number 3 - so NO it did not affect the quantity of my milk supply! I was definitely disappointed - I really thought I would have a break from menstruation while nursing - I was not so lucky!! I had friends who breast and bottle fed and never got their cycles back - every one is different!!!

I had my period for the last 11 months that I was nursing my son, and I never saw a difference in my milk supply. I don't think I did anything special to keep up my supply. If you are concerned, I'd say add oatmeal to your diet (it's supposed to stimulate milk production) and take fenugreek supplements. And keep hydrated, as someone else recommended. Good luck!

My son is 20 months, still nursing, and my period came back when he was 14 months. My milk supply decreases during PMS time, around 10 days before period arrives. When I notice the decrease, I drink nursing mom herbal tea by the brand Yogi Tea. I drink a cup a day for about 2 or3 days and it boosts milk up for the rest of the cycle. Once my period comes the milk goes back to normal.

I too got my period back at about 6 weeks and had no supply problems whatsoever. Just drank a lot, ate healthy, and followed my food cravings fairly religiously. :)

I think with my last I had a period before I went in for my 6 week check-up, I actually had to reschedule my appointment because of it. I nursed my son till he was 10 months old - then I weaned him because I was working.

I did have a spirt around 5 - 6 months where I though I wasn't producing like I should for him (growing spurt time). I ate a lot of oatmeal! I have flavored instant for bedtime snacks & breakfast, plus made oatmeal cookies for daytime snacks. The oatmeal did help my milk supply - I was amazed at how well it did work.

My sister has a 2 1/2 yr old she is nursing & is trying to et pregnant right now... her cycle returned when her daughter was about 4 mo old. So, it is possible to continue... sometimes it's harder with the first, but we learn a little more with each - being a nursing mom is a very hard job. Just keep eating healthy & don't for get to drink lots of fluids.

Good luck & congratz on the little ones!!

My cycle started when my son was around 9 months old and we nursed until he was almost 3. The best things you can do to maintain a solid milk supply are to nurse when he's hungry, (even at night, to the best your sanity will allow :) ), avoid prolonged separation, or pump milk if you do have to be separated. Do not supplement with formula if you can help it. The more milk he takes, the more your body will produce. Mother Nature has created a brilliant system when we don't interfere with it! Make sure you stay hydrated and well-nourished, too.
Good luck and enjoy the journey! :)

Yes. I was a long-term breastfeeder (2 yrs. 10 mo. and 4 years) and was able to keep my milk supply steady even though my period returned around 9 months after birth each time. For each of my children I fed on demand through the first year, which may have helped maintain supply. I also made sure I maintained adequate liquid intake and nutrition to be up to the task of feeding those demanding babies. Other than that, I didn't do anything special.

Having said that, though, that's my experience, and each of our bodies are different. Have you talked to a lactation consultant, midwife, or one of the lovely ladies at the LA Leche League? They may have good, concrete suggestions that could help you reach that year mark successfully, and even go beyond if it's still working for both of you.

If it turns out that your body just won't allow you to do it, please don't beat yourself up about it. Any breastfeeding is better than not trying, and you've already given your child the gift of the best possible food a baby could have for the first 3 months of his life.

Sounds like I'm just another voice in a chorus of voices, but as moms we can use all the encouragement and support we can get, so I'll add my two cents. How wonderful that you are holding the intention to breastfeed your baby for a full year! My own experience was that my period came back at 10 months and I did not experience a noticeable drop in supply. I continued nursing on demand, although my son was eating some solid foods by then, and we maintained a nursing relationship for another year after that - all the way up until my next pregnancy caused my milk to dry up. I'll second the chorus of making sure you are getting enough water, maybe try drinking some Mother's Milk tea every day, and see a lactation consultant if you think there are problems.

My cycle came back after four months but it didn't affect my supply, I'm still breastfeeding my 20 month old!

I breastfed for a little over a year but exclusively for the first 5 months. You can try mother's milk tea which you can find at Whole Foods Markets, and pumping is a good suggestion. I started getting my period again after about 7 months, but that has a lot to do with pumping and fatty acid intake. Just remember that you will have to keep a little extra weight on in order to keep your milk supply up and then you can drop it after your done breastfeeding. If your body fat percentage and calory intake drop too low then you are not going to be able to supply milk. Don't panic and try a few things that others suggest and if you need further advice I would contact the Le Leche League.

Water water water! The more water, the more milk. WAY TO GO with breastfeeding! ! ! !
I nursed my son until he was 14 months and I found out I was pregnant. I'll admit, my milk supply took a nosedive but I found that as long as I'm eating enough and drinking tons of water, its ok.
Keep up the good work- the benefit to your baby is worth it. :) :) :)