Long Lasting Period After Birth and Nursing

Hi D.,
Congrats on your 11 mo old =) My daughter is 11 mo too!
I used to be a nurse & we would always tell people that birth control pills ususlly keep the cycles regulated & about 4 days. W/o the BCP's & just having weaned, your body is probably just re-regulating itself. W/ nursing you also had a lot of hormones coursing through your body so it may take a few months to regulate (w/ possibly a new pattern of how long it lasts 5-7)
There is a natural balancing cream, progesterone that can be helpful & is over the counter. Be wary of the non regulated creams bought in the stores made of wild yam that dont convert in the body.
I actually do hormone balancing classes & would be happy to chat w/ you no charge, just to answer some questions & recommend trustworthy brands. Send me an e-mail & we can exchange #'s if interested.
FYI~ MOST Drs unfortunately have not done the research (lack of time or knowledge of the benefits) on progeterone cream so dont be alarmed if your Dr "poo poo's" it. lol, I had another Dr who is crazy about helping her patients w/ its benefits & she used that term..
Look up www.johnleemd.com for info on it too. He was one of the pioneers of progeterone cream & its MASSIVE benefits.
ie, bone strength, regulating cycles, cramps, bloating, endometriosis, breast cysts, fibroids, migraines, belly fat, etc etc...for men it helps for prostate
I have ALL my friends & family on it & it regulated by cycles back to 3-4 days like when I was on BCP'S. (Which I'll never go back on because of the cancer risks associated w/ them)

D.,

It's probably the absence of the birth control pill this time that has your period heaver than normal. Plus you haven't had a period in quite some time so that is probably why it is heavier than normal. I would just give your OB/GYN a call, maybe they can give you advise over the phone.

S.

Hello D.,

I have always had my period even through nursing so you are lucky there. I would say to give your OB advice nurse a call and ask them if there is some way to regulate your period again. I think the last time I had that happen, my OB put me on birth control for about 6 months and it went back to normal again. I think 10 days is a bit over the top for a period, but I really don't know as everybody is different.

D. P.

I'm having a similar situation. I had been on the pill since my teenage years. I chose to go with the copper non-hormonal IUD instead of the pill after having my son. My period started while I was still nursing my son. When my first period started I thought I was going to die...from the horrible cramps and the loss of blood!!! I have never had such heavy periods..and that lasted so long. My period length has shortened up from the first few but I'm still really heavy though. I'm pretty sure it's normal...the difference of the "pill period" and a "regular period" is quite shocking. Hope this helps :)

I nursed my boy till about 7 months and by the time he was 11 months I had my second postnatal period (I've always been irregular except for when I was on birth control). The period lasted 8 weeks! I finally saw an OBGYN who ran some tests and found out I had a low functioning thyroid. I found out it is very common for women to get this several months after childbirth. If this long-lasting period is coupled with fatigue this may be what you have. If your period lasts much longer, I'd go see a doc. though it may just be your body regulating after childbirth...

I've also had really long/heavy periods since I quit nursing a few months ago, but none that lasted 10 days...
I think it's probably nothing to worry about, your hormones are probably just still adjusting, but there's no harm in checking things out with your doc (since you're at 11 months post-delivery, it's time to schedule in a well-check with him/her anyway...)
Better safe than sorry, right?
Good luck!
:) A.