Registered User
A few post natal questions
Hello Ladies,
i have a few questions
1- Does BFing fulltime stop your periods from coming back?
2- Is it true in the first 6wks after having a baby your highly fertile???
thank in advance for your replies!
Moderator
Hi ~*Mizqtie*~
1. BFing does hold your period off for some amount of time, however that varies from person to person. I BF DD and mine returned within 3 1/2 months where as other ladies on here have not had a period for over a year! So it really does just depend on you and your body.
2. You know I had never heard of that before....so cant really help you there but perhaps someone else has some real evidence on that one
Registered User
Hi Lily Dust,
thankyou i thought it would depend on my body but just wondering what could happen TMI but ive been getting alot of mucus lately and we had unprotected sex and just umm thinking if i shouldnt have done it
im pretty sure a dr has mentioned about being highly fertile after having a baby but i cant remember 100%
The short answers:
1. No and
2. No.
But in truth it would vary from person to person. One of my Belly Buddies had her AF return at 7 weeks post-natal, so she was fertile at 5 weeks, arguably. My AF still hasn't returned, and DS is 7 months old - but both my Belly Buddy and I are BFing around the clock, often every 2-3 hours overnight.
Thinking about all my Belly Buddies, I'd say most have had their AF return now, but the few of us who are still waiting are fully BFing.
Registered User
ty P, im fully bfeeding too, granted he is only a month old today so obviously have a long wait to see when they return, but just a lil freaked out but hard cause DF doesn't like condoms and i dont want contraception...BUT i think he will be made wear them just incase
Moderator
You can still be fertile without the return of your period (or so my friends inform me) the 2 who have babies 11 months apart , that is
Registered User
Lily - you know i would believe that, my mum fully BF me till i was 9 months she gave up and the next month she was preg with my sister and she had no periods the whole time!
bit freaky now lol
I exist because my Mum returned to fertility and didn't know it yet. You can't get AF without first ovulating, so you WILL return to fertility before AF arrives, thus you might not know that you're fertile until you're either UTD or AF arrives two weeks later.
Registered User
whoa ok, so i guess i just wait and see...I suppose thats all i can do
Moderator
I did not know that! Gosh, Im learning a bucket load on BB this week. Makes complete sense though.
ETA: Least if you UTD, they wont be born in the same calandar year. 1 of the friends has hers in the same year
Yes, because (for anyone who's interested and doesn't know
If you're interested in watching your body and knowing when you're returning to fertility, I think Billings method is meant to be useful.
ETA: I should just clarify that some women might not ovulate and still get AF, but that's a fertility problem and not the same. I think.
Registered User
lily dust, lol sooo true on them not sharing the same year, DS2 was due on 9th jan but luckily come early im guessing id be due around september/october if it turns out, i also look at it as if its meant to be then its meant to be
P- i knew AF was the unfertilised egg, but yeah just abit confused on whether id get them back and how to tell if it turns out i am UTD but as i mentioned before i guess i just wait and see! I guess the more i think about it the more stressed/worried/confused even im going to make myself!
Registered User
Another thing to consider is that the 6 week guideline for abstinence is also related to the placental site fully healing to minimise the risk of infection of the site.. So condoms are definitely worth consideration for your own health.
Cheers.
Registered User
Hi,
If you are fully breastfeeding and your baby is having no formula or food and your period has not returned it is VERY unlikely that you would become pregnant until your baby was over 6 mnths of age. It would be extremely unlikely that you will be fertile in the first 4-6 weeks post birth.
Under 6 months, if if you do have a period it is likely that you will not have ovulated before you have your period. (this changes after 6 mnths.) The problem comes when mothers start a bottle, and therefore there is a longer gap between feeds, or when they wean but don't realise they will need extra contraception without the protection of breastfeeding
Registered User
I have heard that you are highly fertile in the 6 weeks after having a baby if you are not breastfeeding. The reason being your body (hormonally) thinks your baby had died so wants to get you pregnant again straight away. I have no references or proof in any way for this, but it made sense to me.
Registered User
You people have sex after babies? O_o
I got my period back after 7 months with #1 - literally the day I weaned to night feeds and went back to work - and at 4 and 3 months with the other two despite them both being breastfed (to 14 months and 6 months to date). Kid #1 used to spend, oh, 9 or 10 hours a day feeding at 45+ minutes a stretch. The other two are little hoovers and while they were exclusively breastfed for ages a feed would be barely 5-10 minutes.
Fortunately sleep deprivation and sharing a room with a wriggly baby is an excellent contraceptive.
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