How long did it take for your cycle to return after having a baby & breastfeeding?

[julie_ann_jules]

I got AF at 5 months and its been regukar for two cycles now. I am still feeding every 3hrs day and nignt

[Laranna]

AF came back for me at 7 months and my cycles went into a 33 day cycle. Fell pregnant again when DS was 11 months. He self-weaned at 14.5 months.

[Snowy Love]

19 months for me - he was still feeding before bed and sometimes during the night.

[berrme]

i got AF back 13 months after having DS1, exactly 2 weeks after his last ever feed. We had been down to 1 feed a day for a couple of weeks and only 2 a day from about 10 months.
Still no sign of a return with DS2 and he is 5 months.
I love having no periods, but it does make it difficult to choose between feeding and trying for the next bub.

[Heaven]

I was wondering the same thing too Ren, no sign of AF here yet.

[AmandaJ]

Julian is just over 11mths now and I still have no sign of AF returning, he was sleeping through the night from 6ish weeks from 5:30pm to 7am and I never got them back. With Cody it was 11 and a half months and I was still b/fing regularly with him, plus I got all crampy again before they arrived so sort of had a sneaking suspsion they were on the way.

[indie24]

AF arrived 8 weeks after DD was born. The first few times were a bit random for timing but now it is every 28 days on the dot.

[MantaRay]

With DS1 it came back after 7 months - it was irregular but I still conceived DS2 after just 3 cycles. With DS2 it came back after 6 months.

[BekZ]

A bit tmi....

I was wondering this the other day. Miss Eva is only 11weeks and she feeds regularly, still twice over night. However this week I have felt pain in my ovary area and my cm is looking rather fertile...I think it is safe to assume my cycles maybe coming back

[Olive]

i just got mine back this time on saturday, 7 months 1 week

[Acacia]

Shanti, I know it's not helpful, but just wanted to add that AF arrived for me at 5.5 weeks after birth - exactly 28 days after my lochia stopped lol DD at that point was having one stretch of 5-6 hours without a feed but feeding 2-3 hourly around the clock otherwise (plus cluster feeds), and I would suppose that was enough my body to say "Yep, time to start making babies again"

What I might be able to add that is helpful is the first few months were a little all over the place - first cycle was 28 days, then I had 2 cycles of about 16 days, then a really long one of about 42 days, and then they settled down in a normal pattern of 27-29 days since then. I think this might have been to do with the frequency of feeding DD in the early days changing and my cycle hormones changing in response. I don't think it would be too uncommon for AF to take a while to settle down when she does return.

I hope that things fall into place for you with TTC another LO, and from the responses it sounds like 10-12 months or so is a fairly common time for her to return. Fingers crossed until then!

[Shanti]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Wow I didnt' realise I had forgotten to post in here. I got AF the next day after i posted last in here... after the spotting. so 8mths post partum I got AF back!!! And ever since it's been spot on 32 day cycle! I'm very lucky it's regular.....

[Freya]

10mths (today actually lol) and he is still feeding twice overnight.

[Sterla]

I got mine back when DS was 11 months, and he feeds 3 times a night quite often.

[skeetaboat]

At 18 months there was no sign of AF or O, and I was desperate to TTC again so I made a serious effort to wean and bang, there she was, the very next month.

[AndiE]

I didn't get AF back - fell pg with DS2 approx 12 months after having DS1 (by then we were down to morning and evening BF only)! I didn't even pick up any signs of ovulation - suffice to say, finding out bub#2 was on the way was a suprise, albeit a nice one!