Question for Mothers Who Breastfed or Are Breastfeeding?

Nice! I started the month after I had both of mine...no break for me at all! Enjoy it while it lasts!

L.,

I dryed up when my som was 6 mos old and didn;t get one till he was 8 mos old, and the only 2 that I have had so far were not at regular intervals. My cousin bf her st son till he was 15 mos and had one immediately after she stoped and got pregnant 2 weeks later and now is bfing the 2nd, so I'd say with everyone it's differnt. Oh and I forgpt the girl that
I work with she bf'd till 6 mos and her son is now 12mos and she still hasn't had a cycle but gets the symtoms ecery mo. It's hard to tell. Congrates on being able to bf till 13 mos I wish I could have. One morning I woke up and was dryed up and just the night before I was fine just like any night before.

K.

I breastfed for 1 year with both of my boys and started 1 month later with both also. It was great to go so long without one!

L.,

i too am waiting for my cycle to start. w/ my first i began when she turned 9 months, this baby is 11 1/2 months old, and i'm nursing 3-4 times as well. i'm really surprised that by 13 months you haven't started. i bet you'll start any day now. be prepared in case you are away from home! it's nice not to have a period for 2 years though!

I didn't start my menstrual cycle again for about 2-3 months until after I had stopped breastfeeding. They say it is normal to go longer than a year, but you might just check with your doctor or the nurse at your doctor's office if you are concerned.

Gosh, I want to say it wasn't until I stopped breastfeeding. If you are still nursing 3-4 times a day, it might not come back until you are down to 1 or 2. I nursed my baby until she was 17 mos. and by that time we were down to 1 or 2 times. Talk to your doctor, but for now, I guess just enjoy not having it!

I didn't start again until after I was done breastfeeding. I used it as birth control. It only took me 1-2 months after I completely stopped to get pregnant again. The less you breastfeed the higher the chances of getting pregnant even when you are breastfeeding. Every one is different but from my point of view I believe that is completely normal to not have a period.

Ugh - my baby is 9 months and still BFs every 2 hours during the day and every 3-4 at night and I got mine back at 6 months. I totally got jipped!!
My other 2 I was on the mini pill but I have CHT now so no BCP.

Darn it! I got mine back around 9 mo. But remember, breastfeeding does not guard against another pregnancy!

I was one of the "unlucky" ones - my period came back at 6-7 weeks post-partum with all 3 kids - I exclusivley breast fed. Keep in mind that you can still get pregnant even if your cycles don't resume....

everyone is different, but mine did not come back until I was completely done nursing.

I nursed both my boys for over a year. My cycle didn't start until about 6 weeks after I dried up both times. I considered pumping and donating the milk to a milk bank just so I wouldn't have to start again! LOL

I had mine when my baby was 5 months old, but with my first child, I didn't start until 4 months after I weaned. Everyone is different.

I got mine 6 weeks after I weaned.

You are very lucky that you have not had a cycle yet! With my first 2 babies, my cycle did not return until I stopped nursing my babies (7 months with the first, and 14 months with the second). I was also taking a very low dose birth control pill. With my 3rd baby, my cycle came back when my baby was a few months old. I also kept spotting while I was taking the very same low dose birth control. I was spotting so often, that I said forget the bc pill, and we just used condoms after that. With my fourth baby, the same thing happened as with the 3rd. So, I went off the bc pill again. I can't stand to spot. Hope this helps. (I nursed my 3rd and 4th for 14 months as well. Loved it!)

After only 3 months I started again...but I breastfeed for 22 months.

L.,

I think every woman is different, but I started my period again once my feeding times went down considerably, and my milk production lessened. I feel like you're still producing/feeding quite a bit, so it might still be awhile for you.

Enjoy, though! I remember not being so happy when that "monthly friend" came back! It was so nice not having one for so long!

S.

I didn't start my period again until my daughter was 11 months and I too was still breast-feeding. Way to go Mom! You are so dedicated and because of your love your children will do all the better in life.

My little guy was 15 months when I started again. I'm still breastfeeding at 2 yrs and 2 months, but about to wean b/c I'm finding it's difficult to get pregnant again.

Funny that you should ask! My son is 14 1/2 months old and I just started my cycle. I have cut back on breastfeeding as I'm starting to wean him so I'm guessing that is why I've been blessed with this wonderous event:-}

My son weaned himself at 11 months. After the first 24 hours of not breastfeeding, my period came back. Funny thing is, ever since then, it comes EVERY TWO WEEKS! I've since started using Nuvaring and at the half-way point each month, I'll spot a little but won't have a full period until I take the ring out.

Good luck!

Mine did not return until I weaned at 17 months.

I breastfed my daughter until she was 14 months and I didn't start my period until I completely weaned her off.

It is mother natures way of keeping you from getting pregnant. If you start pumping or lessen the amount you are feeding, your cycle should kick in.

beware, you can still become pg while breastfeeding. G. W

My menstrual cycle stayed away while I breastfeed. When my little guy was about 15 months I wanted to try for another so I skipped a couple of feeding here and there for 2-3 days. This was enough to jog my system to start my menstrual cycle again. Once my cycles started up again I resumed breastfeeding as usual.

Still breastfeeding my 14m old twins, and I started my period when they were 11m. I'm so bummed! Sure was nice not having it for almost two years!! Enjoy this time :)

I got mine at either 14 mos or 16 mos - can't remember exactly, but it took a lot longer than I expected. I was bf about the same number of times you are.

I am a mother of 5 (ages 16, 14, 11, 8 and 9 months) and I did't have my period until after I stopped breastfeeding completely (when they were around 18 months old). I'm still breastfeeding my 9 month old. Just enjoy your "time off"! :)

Mine came back when my daughter was 8.5 months old. She was exclusively breastfed (no other solids at all) until 8 months. I breastfed her until she was 23 months, on demand. Was a bit irritated it came back so early, especially since I had read that nighttime feedings were critical to keep AF from coming back, so I fed her continuously at night (so it seemed to me). On the other hand, I had normal periods for the first time in my life then, not extremely heavy and lasting only one week, so it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, remembered, and experienced.

My son was 17 months old when I got my period again. I think a lot has to do with how long you bf, my daughter I bf for 6 months and it wasn't very long before things were back to normal.

With both of my children, my menstral cycle started about 1 month after I stopped breast feeding.

Still don't know for my second child (currently breastfeeding). For my first, I didn't have one until 1 year, right around the time I was weaning her off and onto regular milk.

I didn't start menstuating until the month after I weaned. For my oldest, he stopped nursing at 13 months old then I started the next month. For my youngest, he quit nursing at 9 months and I started soon after that.

A couple of months after I stopped nursing at night... and I stopped close t 2 years old.

I BF my first for 15 months and mine came back at 9 months with him. Currently still BF my 6 month old and hasn't returned yet.

When mine both started sleeping thru the night between 3-4 months, my cycle started about a month later despite exclusive breast feeding. So sad!!

I breastfed all 8 of my children and only on the first on did my cycle begin before I completely weaned. That said, many of my friends have had cycles the entire time they were breastfeeding, and every variant in between. This seems to be something truly individual.

I didn't read other posts but consider yourself lucky I think. I started my period with both my kids when they were about 2-3 mo and I continued to get it every month the rest of the whole year that I breastfed!

Enjoy it while you can!!! Completely normal. I had no period the whole time I bf my first son (6 mos) and I'm still bfing my second son (he's 11 mos) and I got my period when he was 2 months old. Bummer. It varies from mommy to mommy. Like I said, enjoy it!

The earliest I've had my period come back is 12 months. I think the latest was about 14-15 months. I can't remember exactly. My friend breastfed and her period came back almost as soon as her body healed from childbirth.

I started my cycle when my son was 8 months old, I breastfed until he was 11 months, he weaned himself once he started walking :-(. There's no time clock. the longer you breastfeed the longer your body thinks that pro-creation is not a priority--not that you can't get pregnant right now--just enjoy it!

I got pregnate 15 months after my 1st baby and never got a period.

I had my child in Sept and had my first period in Feb the following year. So about 5months later and I was breastfeeding full-time.

I started having my period again when he was around 14 mos. I was only bf 2 times a day. Enjoy it while it lasts!

It's been different for each of them - but usually around 10 to 14 months. I didnt get pregnant with anyone until the older ones were at least 18 months though. That was the age when they were either done nursing or just nursing once a day or so. I charted my cycles, and even when I did get my cycle back, I wasnt ovulating because my cycles were so wonky.

My DD is 14 months old and I had my period return three months ago & another one 1 month ago. No sign of "her" yet this month, so I guess it'll just be a surprise! ;D

(And DD breastfeeds 3-4 times/day and 2-3 times/night.)

With my first son, I did not have a period until he weaned at one year. My second son is only 4 1/2 months--I have not had a period yet.

Mine started back up pretty quickly, actually. A couple of months after she started baby food, thus eliminating/shortening a couple of feedings, my "friend" was back.

Mine came when my son was 20 months old. I was still BF twice a day, morning and night. I weaned him then, never got regular, then got pregnant with my daughter 4 months later. She's 8 months and no cycle yet.

Mine did not start again for both my sons until they were 18 mos old and I was still breastfeeding. I think it's unique for each of us, but it does seem that the time is consistent for all births (if you're consistent with BF). I had one friend who had 4 kids and her periods were back at 9 mos with each. Personally, I found this to be a wonderful treat, however, keep in mind that you can start ovulating and thus become pregnant before you have your first post-partum period, so please make sure you're using a barrier birth control method. I would not recommend BC pills while you're still BF (and actually don't recommend them at all due to negative impacts on hormones and depletion of important B vitamins).

Hi, L., just wanted to let you know that i have breastfeed both of my last two babies and I didn't start my period until they were both over a year old. It should happen soon but I would just enjoy it. That is one thing I did not miss. My cramping seems to be worse at that time of the month now.Everything I have heard is that it can be froma year to a year and a half old before you start. Good luck, M.

Wow, most of you women are lucky! Mine came back when both kids turned 2 months old, and that's with nursing around the clock! Enjoy your time off L.!

I breastfed all three of my children.I did not get my menstrual cycle back until I was done breast feeding and maybe two months later. But you do need to be aware that even if you have not gotten your cycle back that you can get pregnant. After baby # 2 while I was still breastfeeding and using protection I got pregnant with #3 I was unaware that I was Pregnant until I needed to take a PG test because I was going to have an x-ray taken. What a surprise that was.

Sorry, I know this response comes a little late...but every woman's body is different. What happens for one may or may not happen for another. Personally, I my cycle started back up about 5 weeks after I stopped nursing my son, but it was irregular for about 3 or 4 months after.

2nd, I don't know if you're trying to get pregnant or not, but nursing full time doesn't fully protect everyone from getting pregnant. My mom nursed me exclusively and my younger brother and I are 10 months apart, yes I said it - 10 months apart! I was born in January and he was born in November...of the same year!!! And my sister-in-law who also exclusively nursed who 2 babies, but hers are a year apart, both born in August! So be careful if your intentions are not to get pregnant soon.

I did start my period again until my son was 15 months old, and I had reduced the number of times I was bf to just a few times a dy. I am now just bf my 18 month son at night. I must say I did NOT miss having a period. Enjoy it while you are period free.

I breastfed my son until he was 14 months old. My period didn't return until he was completely weaned.

I completey weaned my daughter at 13 months and it was another 2 months before my cycle returned and it was regular immediately. HTH.

Baby #1 - 14 mos.
Baby #2 - 2 years.
Baby #3 - 2 years 2 months.

Of course, every woman's hormonal levels are slightly different, but it seems to depend in large part on how long they go at night between feedings.

I didn't have mine either time until I completely quit breastfeeding. The first one was around 10 months. The second around 14 months.

Congrats!! I am currently breastfeeding my 8 month old daughter and had my first cycle this month - bummer. I guess my body is trying to get back to normal but the break sure was nice. Enjoy the time way from the 'monthly'.
E.