When Does the Big P Begin?

Mine didn't start till my daughter was about 14 months old, maybe a little older. She was exculsivly bf till about 9 months, then the less I bf and the more cereal and solids she ate then I started my period. I didn't miss it at all, but my periods aren't as awful and painful as they were before I had my daughter. I know some people are just the opposite.

After reading these other posts I feel like a rarity. I started my first period three days after the lochia stopped. My son was only 4 1/2 weeks old. I only breastfeed my son and had looked forward to another few period free months but alas my body decided it was ready for round two, even though I am not ready for another baby.

I bottle fed but even though it was a very long time down the road before started having a period again.....Like several years.I don't know if my was stress related or not.I know that when Iwent 2 the doctor he told me that my uterus was tilted and he corrected it but still nothing.So it is really hard 2 say.

You can get pregnant now! Just because you don't have a period doesn't mean you can't get pregnant! My last 2 daughters are 2 days shy of a year apart! I know this b/c like you no period, nursing, and boom here is another baby! She is worth every second, usually! LOL! It varies with different women on when the big "P" will start! Good luck. I have 4 beautiful children, 2 in school 1st and Kindergarten, and then 1 and 2. I am getting ready to start a daycare in my home and very excited about it!
Good luck,
Deb

I am still nursing my son at 20 mts. and am 18 weeks pregnant. I started my period after a year of nursing. It really depends on the hormones. Some women will start after 6mts and some later and some sooner, sorry I know that doesn't really help. Just wanted to tell you that it depends on the hole hormone thing....Even if you are just BF you could still get pregnant. I went back on BC after my 6 weeks visit and I used the Mini pill which I had great success with.

It depends on the person, but it's important for you to know that you can get pregnant pretty much right away if you're not using some sort of protection. Just because your period hasn't started doesn't mean you won't ovulate (you ovulate before your period, not after).

Oh, be careful. You can still get pregnant, not very easily but you can.
Just take precautions.

How often you nurse, breastfeeding only and if the baby uses a pacifier or thumb will all affect the return. The more your baby nurses the longer it will keep AF away. But there are always exceptions to the rule. All breastfeeding literature says that if your baby is less then 6 months old, breastfed only and using you for all there suckling needs then there is only a 1-2% chance of pregnancy. After the baby turns 6 months old or if you introduce solids before then,then you need to use birth control. For me, my period returned when my daughter was 18 months old....I lucked out. Bookmark this website www.breastfeeding.com it answers a lot of questions. You do ovulate before your furst period. You must have ovulation to have a real period. If you ovulate you will have a period (unless you get pg) One person mentioned you can ovulate while bfing but not get periods and that is not true :) If you ovulate a period will follow so don't wait for that first period to clue you in that you are fertile. (better, Lisa?:))

K.

We have 3 kids. 10, 8 and 11 mos. With all three it was different. With both the 8yo and 10yo AF did not return until well after a year, they were born naturally and Zoey (11mos) was by c-section and my period came back when she was about 8 mos. and it was shorter in duration (3days) and has been fairly reg. since that time. I am not sure if the delivery/recovery affected my hormones differently or what, but hers was the shortest length of time.
I have been told that as long as you breastfeed it wont be back...but that has not been my experience. But like everyone else has posted, It was stressed to me that you can become pregnant even though you are not having your period. MY BF got pregant about 8 weeks after the birth of her daughter which she breastfed until her son was born.
Wish I could have been more help.

I nursed my son until he was about 18 months old... my period started back again when he was around a year old and not nursing as much (he went to twice a day for those last 6 months). My daughter is 16 months and I'm still nursing. She's nursing more often than he did at this age and my period just started again when she hit 13 months. You CAN get pregnant while nursing -- before you even get your period again! If you don't want to be pregnant then use birth control... oral contraceptives can mess with your milk supply, even the 'tiny' one so you might want to avoid it. Back when we lived in CA I had a couple friends who nursed all the way through the 2nd pregnancy and had both an infant and toddler breastfeeding! So yes, it's possible.

I think it is different for everyone. I have two little ones (Halle - 2 & Malachi 6 mos) and I have not had a period since Apr/May 2003. I am still breastfeeding our little guy who I got pregnant with while on the pill and still breastfeeding our daughter. I have heard of others who start their periods within a few months after birth. I really don't know if their is anyway to know. It is really frustrating that I feel like I could never really know if I was pregnant again, but I don't miss the period at all. I would like to take a break here but with two kids born while using contraception - I don't think I have too much of a choice. Good luck with everything!

it is very hard to predict when your period may or may not come back. some women don't start till they quit nursing...i on the other hand had my 1st post baby period when my daughter was about 3 months old even though i was still nursing. even if you are not having a period, you can still ovulate. you need to use some sort of birth control...my gyno put me on the mini-pill. it has only progestin in it it so it will not effect you ability to produce milk like estogen based BCPs can.

As far as your period returning that is a varying thing. While breastfeeding my son, my period returned at around 12 weeks post partum, but my best friends did not return for almost 10 months...

But you CAN get pregnant right NOW!! Breast feeding doesn't substitute for birthcontrol. So if you're not ready for another baby right now be extremely careful...check with your doc about birth control alternatives that are safe while breastfeeding!!

My son is almost 10 months and we are still breastfeeding. I pump twice daily during the week and nurse the rest of the time. I got my first period at 8-1/2 months, but I have only had one so far. It has been 37 days since the first day of my last period, so I am hoping it will not be a regular thing, lol! As far as getting pregnant again, definately don't consider nursing as a form of birth control. While it does tend to help space pregnancies, I know plenty of people that have been pregnant while breastfeeding.

When my daughter started sleeping through the night, my milk supply decreased and I had a 2 day period. Then my milk completely dried up and I started very shortly thereafter. I think that it usually returns when you are nursing less or when you are not nursing at all.

My Dr still advised me to use protection in order to avoid pregnancy. You could get pregnant before you actually have your first period.

I did not get mine until after my daughter was 6 months old, but when I did get it I had really bad cramps and I felt sick the entire time. I am still nursing my daughter ( 13 months old) and some months I do not get my period at all but the next month sometimes it hits hard.

I din't get my period back until I cut back on nursing quite a bit. BUT DO NOT think it is a lack of ovulation. YOU CAN get pregnant. It is just a hormone thing. Everyone is different as to when they get their period back.

Just because you're not having your period right now doesn't mean you can't get pregnant...find a safe form of birth control and use it regularly. As far as WHEN aunt flow will come for her periodic visit...that depends on you and your body I guess. Breastfeeding never delayed mine unfortunately, but I've heard of women who breast fed for a year and never got it the entire time. If you're concerned about it then I would recommend talking to your doctor.

You can get pregnant at any time, even when you don't have your period. It may take 6 mos before you get regular again.

You may not get a period until you finish nursing. Every woman is different. Some women don't stop ovualting after they give birth (like myslef I didn't think I was ever going to stop!) Some don't start until they're done nursing. I'd say after the first couple months start looking for it, but don't freak out if it happens before or after that. Hoped this helped. A.

Laurn My sis in law ,didnt start until she stopped nursing so many women are different ,but I would use protection to be safe .good luck .

You probably are ovulating... you begin ovulating again whether or not there's a period. You may not ovulate as often, there are many factors involved. My period returned when I stopped nursing as often and had lower milk supply.

I started mine when my daughter was 8 mos old. I nurse all the time. they are very irregular because I still nurse so much, but it still comes.
I was told though that you still ovulate even if you aren't bleeding....so be careful.

My son just turned 4 months and I got my first period about two weeks ago.