Ist Period After Having My Baby! Help

The first couple are the worst and then they will get more like normal again. I use Advil while nursing and it really helps. It is safe to take while nursing.

Hi, J.! I'm sorry you're having a bad one! I nursed my son (now 4) for his first 16 months...my first period after his birth came when he was 5.5 months old. I'd always dealt with horrid cramping in the early days of my periods pre-baby, and this time was no different. The only thing I could take was Tylenol...same thing my OB/GYN said was ok for me to take during the pregnancy. My son's pediatrician also had no issue with the Tylenol. I just made sure to not take more than the recommended dose in a day (pre-baby I sometimes would pop 3-4 Tylenol or Advil at a time because the cramping was so horrendous). While the Tylenol didn't take all the pain away, it help a little...and every little bit helps. :-) And my son never suffered any ill side effects from it either.

You might want to contact either your OB/GYN's office and/or your son's pediatrician and see if they have any concerns with you taking something to alleviate this bad period.

Hang in there!

L.

Good Morning! J. the only thing you have to do it you want your period back is stop breast feeding or don't feed as much there is nothing wrong with you. When you breast feed your body releases a hormone that keeps you from having periods all I have to say is that you are lucky not to have it at all. hope this helps you have a passionate day.

J.,

Tylenol or Ibuprophen (Advil) is fine while nursing.

:-)T.

In terms of meds. remember so much is filtered out by the time it gets to your child. Don't worry too much about that, even milk banks allow many meds. Look at the La Leche League site, good info.

It is SO common for women to have a radical change in periods after giving birth! My periods before kids were perfect, to the day to the hour even! No pain, normal like periods....AFTER kids, they are horribley painful and heavy. Sucks...sorry you have the same problem. However, after you are done nursing try what I did....I got on a birth control pill for a few months, then stopped cause I didn't like it but after those two months my periods don't hurt near as much! I think it kind of regulated my hormones! There is one pill safe while nursing, but I don't know if it will have the same effect cause the hormones are different.

Hi J., My first question would be are you on any kind of birth control? It could have something to do with breast feeding, I would talk to your Dr. and see what he/she say's I know with all 3 of my babies, they gave me a pill to dry my milk up, and my doctor told me i should start my periond with in 6 weeks, or sooner depending on how fast my milk dried up. Talk to your doctor, 18 months is a long time to go with oout your period. I pray all goes well with you. J. L.

I didn't get my period until my first daughter was 20 months old, so that was 29 months without a period. Woo-hoo! When she was 25 months old, I became pregnant again, even though I was still breastfeeding. As for the cramping - were you on birth control before you got pregnant? I never had cramps until after the birth of my children, and I finally realized it's because it's the first time I wasn't on bc. The pill makes periods lighter, and you get less cramping, or none, as was my case. Talk to your OB/GYN, see if you can take Advil because it takes away cramps so much better than Tylenol. I've always found Tylenol to be good for fever, but not much else. If you don't want to take any medication, you cold try a hot water bottle, a warm bath, massage, or sex. Orgasm helps alleviate cramps, although I know a lot of people just won't go there. Also, be aware that you can become pregnant, and decide if you want to use some form of bc or not. since it took us so long to conceive our first daughter, we thought we'd have to try really hard to get pregnant again. Turns out we were wrong. Good luck to you, and congratulations on a beautiful baby boy!

double-strength chamomile tea and a hot water bottle or heating pad on the abdomen.
the chamomile will make you relaxed and possibly sleepy as well so you may want to do that during naptime or before bed or when dad is around to help out

if it is horrible one or two ibuprofin wouldn't hurt... I don't like taking meds but have had to take that route a few times or I wouldn't have been able to care for my active child very efficiently. it won't harm you or your child if you are still nursing

hope you feel better soon.

Usually, until you stop breastfeeding, you won't have a period. This is not always the case though. Check with your doctor to see if you are pregnant again.

Hi J.,
I am a mother of four children. After having babies, the Dr. prescribed 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen to alleviate the severe cramping. They prescribed this to me when the babies were newborn, so I am sure it is fine for you to take 4 200 milligram iburprofen tablets. If they prescribe it to first time mommies with little infants, it is fine for a nine month old. This will not allevieate all of the symptoms if it is as bad as you say, but it will help a LOT! I have also learned over time too that for me, when I take iburprofen, the blood flow lessens....which, if you are bleeding real heavy, this also helps alleviate how heavy you flow.

Hang in there, you can find things that will help you feel better. Also, you may notice that your periods will be some what different from your prebaby periods. Count your blessings that you had this long of a break from your period. After all of my babies, I always had my regular period back by the time my babies were 8 weeks old! It was a drag, but, I never had to worry that I was pregnant again...I always had a sure way to know I was not pregnant.

I do remember a time between my #3 and #4 when I had a period that was crazy painful and uncomfortable...I always wondered if I had had a miscarriage or something...but, I will never know...I never took a test because I was not even late...but for how miserable and clotty my period was...I still wonder.

Take care and I hope you find relief from your discomfort.
T.

I went for about a year without a period while nursing my daughter. Nothing odd about that. We all get them back at different times, whether breastfeeding or no. I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you, other than that it will pass. I did want to ask if you've been on the minipill? I'm not sure, but I think that can help regulate your periods which might make them more even and not so heavy and painful. I know it's controversial for nursing mothers, but this is one time when I trusted my doctor (a woman, btw). As for the cramps, well your uterus has changed shape, been used in a way it's never been used before, etc. It's probably still getting back into shape. Remember that cramps are the uterus contracting, just like when you're giving birth!

18th months is perfectly normal to go without a cycle if you are nursing. It doesn't happen that way with everyone or even every pregannce but still perfectly normal and okay. I breastfeed my first until she was 20 months but I got my cycle back after only 5 months with my second I am still nursing her at 16 months and with her I didn't get my cycle until she was 10 months. My mom nursed most of her 7 kids for about 3 years and we are all about 3 years apart (she didn't use any other form of contreceptive) and If I am remembering correctly most of the time she never got her cycle back between pregnancies( as you know you can get pregnant before you actually start menstrating again) So I guess what I am trying to say is that not having getting your cycle back for 18 months is not a big deal. But I don't think that is your real question if I am understanding you correctly what you are say (correct me if I am wrong) is that you now have gotten your cycle back but it is heavy and/or painful and you are wondering what you can take to help. I do know that tyloneol(sp) is always safe to take while nursing if that could help ease the pain. Otherwise my advise would be to call you obgyn and just ask the nurses there what you could take. Remember that most over the counter medications would probobly be fine (but be sure to double check) alot of medicines only a tiny amount will actually get into your milk and not harm your baby. Alot of dr will tell you you need to stop nursing when taking almost any perscribed medication when in reality even that list is short of things that you shouldn't take while nursing, they just do it to cover their butts, "just in case" here is a quote form dr Jack newman author of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers. "MYTH: A mother who is taking medication must stop breastfeeding until the medication is out of her system. FACT: This advice is almost never true. Breastfeeding and breastmilk are very important to the health of the mother and baby. Even if the baby gets some of the drug the mother is taking through her milk, breastfeedind is not more hazardous than giving infant formula". So it stands to reason that if it is okay to continue breastfeeding a tiny infant in most cases that breastfeeding your toddler shouldn't be even less of a problem. As far as more natural remedies hopefully someone else will post something that will help you becuase I have never had real painful periods. I hear warm baths help!