Breastfeeding Mom Who Started Menstruating, Got Period 1 Mo After Giving Birth

It is a myth that breastfeeding women do not menstruate.
They do.
And it is also a myth, that breastfeeding is a birth control method.
It is not.

I breastfed both my kids, exclusively, and I had my period within 3 months post birth.

Breastfeeding didnt stop my period either. Nor did it help me lose weight. Sorry to say, its not a guarantee.

Every body is different. It should not be an issue, other than be extra careful if you don't want to be pregnant again (not that nursing is 100% anyway). You may notice a dip in production during your period but your child should be fine.

Every woman is different. It is not unusual to have irregular periods even when breastfeeding... my sis had 4 kids, all breastfed, she gets her period a months after giving birth and is back to regular every time...

I read that you also have issues with low supply... a few things to look out for would be: limit physical activity (you don't have to lay on the couch all day, but NOW is not the time to start a hardcore exercise regimen if you want to continue breastfeeding), make sure you eat and drink enough and feed frequently. Don't gauge your production by what you are able to pump! I breastfed exclusively and was never able to pump more than 4-6 ounces on average. I was all stressed out about it - but DD grew just fine!
If you really feel you want to increase production tandem pump (pump one side while feeding from the other... but freeze the milk and don't give your baby a bottle).
Good luck.

I've had 3 kids. All 3 exclusively breastfed, no bottles, no pumping, no pacifiers, on demand etc. First 2 it was around 6-7 months before I got my first period. Postpartum bleeding was totally done before 6 weeks. With my third, I kept having breakthrough bleeding postpartum. Showed signs of ovulating before 6 weeks and thought this could not be, had a full and proper period at 6 weeks and never got a break from it after that.
No idea why my third was different from the other 2. But there it was.
It all depends on the woman and depends on the pregnancy if you consider what happened to me.
Breastfeeding is not a 100% guarantee to stop your cycles. This is why it is said not to rely on it solely for birth control.

I got my period 6 weeks after I had my first baby.. and 6 months after I had my second.

my first didnt eat much per session.. she was a tiny girl.. who still doesnt eat.. I just guessed she didnt eat enough often enough to keep the hormones low enough to prevent my periods from starting again.

I started my period right away after giving birth. (about 3 weeks after my normal postpartum bleeding...)

I felt SOO jipped out of that perk that breastfeeding is supposed to come with! lol.

I will add that I was able to breastfeed my DD until she was 17 months old, when SHE decided to stop. So it definitely didn't cause any issues, if you are worried about that. :)

Because it's normal.

Some women aren't fertile again until after they stop nursing. Some become fertile after a certain number of months. Others are almost immediately fertile (like a week or two later, and then period a month after).

Look up geneology. While MANY families tend to have babies only every 2 years... MANY also have children born every year, or children born 9-10 months apart. My irish family calls those children born within 12 months of each other 'irish twins'.

Every body is different. I got mine within a month or 2 after having my kiddo and exclusively breastfed. My friend went over a year and half!!

I doesn't just vary by woman it varies by kid. Kid one, no period until two months after I stopped feeding. Kid three it started up a month after birth as if I wasn't nursing. The other two I got my first period while weening them.

I was one of the unlucky one who got mine too. I continued to get one throughout. Every month my cycle would drop & then I would get my cycle. I was a bummer

It varies from woman to woman. I've known women who did not get their period until they stopped breast feeding. With my first baby, my period started again right away. With my second, it started 3 months after giving birth. And I was exclusively breast feeding with both.

That was like that for all my four but usually about 3-5 months out.

J., maybe this isn't a period. Maybe you are bleeding from your uterus. If I were you, I'd go in for a check and make sure that there isn't a problem.

Dawn

Breastfeeding moms have periods if it is soon after postpartum or several months if it is normal or abnormal it happens even when were not pumping or substituitng to formula.If your not wanting to get pregnant anytime soon use contraception we also can get pregnant while breastfeeding.

Yep. Happens. I breastfed my son for six months but got my period after only two. I breastfed my daughter for eight-months but got my period after only four, but then only every other month for some reason. It means you're menstruating, so birth control is required!

There are probably some moms who know more about the science than I do, but my theory is that it is dietary.

Breastfeeding being a form of birth control is much more reliable in 3rd-world situations, particularly in the few hunter-gatherer societies that are left. Sometimes, up to five years.

There is a known correlation between heavy dieting and skipped menstrual cycles. Nursing burns about 800 calories/day. This means that if you are NOT consuming accordingly, then you are defacto dieting.

We get a much more varied diet than hunter-gatherers. I suspect, that if the body has adequate resources (protein, vitamins, and especially fat - menses and breastmilk both have high percentages of fat), then the body will produce both. If the body has to choose, however, the body will nurture its offspring, and hold off on producing menses.

Not that I'm advocating trying for a hunter-gatherer diet or anything. In OUR lifestyle, that is too few calories - they have generations of body adaptations to survive on that diet - we don't.

Getting your period early is probably just a sign that you are consuming more than adequate resources to feed a newborn AND keep on with your body's normal rhythms.

(I would be interested, too, to see a correlation between weight gain during pregnancy, and how long a woman was able to go without a cycle while nursing.)

For the record, I made it 3 months - and was 20lbs heavier postpartum, than I was pre-pregnancy. For both kids.

It's completely 100% normal to get your period as usual even when you're breastfeeding. Most women I know in real life get their periods within 4-to-6 weeks after giving birth and that's while exclusively breastfeeding. This includes myself.

It's an old wives tale that this shouldn't happen. This is why lots and lots and lots of babies are 10 months apart...lol.

That can happen. If you are concerned you could cal your OB, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Everyone is different but with my last baby I got my period soon after 6wks maybe but then didn't get another one until she was 14 months or so.

I agree with Kris, I got my period and did not lose weight breast feeding,

And >YES< you can get pregnant while breast feeding.. Do not chance it without protection..