Breast feeding and Periods

Hi,

My son xavier has been exclusively breast fed till 7 months.. he is now 8 months and on two small solid meals a day.. the reason for this is the paedie.. recommended this with his reflux.. any way..

this morning i noticed i have some spotting..... is this my period comming back and if so does this mean my milk supply will deminish?

i am taking care of myself and never had a supply concern.. also does this mean that my body is fertile?

i guess im looking at it in a positive manner.. my hubby and i would like to try to concieve a girl (if we were to have another boy we wouldnt mind.. but would love to try any way!) so if im begining to get my cycle back.. its probably a good thing right? rather than having to wean later on.. to get my cycle back!

Hi Amsta :)


I wouldn't worry :) You're clearly doing a really wonderful job breastfeeding your darling boy, and the fact that he's now also having solid foods can definitely be one reason for your cycle returning. Is he beginning to sleep longer at night lately? That is often another reason for your cycle to return.

My son is 4 in 6 weeks time and breastfeeds at least 3 times every 24 hours. He's always been fed to sleep for every sleeptime, he has always fed a lot and been a complete boob-aholic. When he was 10 months old, I had some spotting, a month later I had 3 days of light bleeding, and a month after that I had a proper period. It then took a few months to get into a proper cycle but it can take the body a few months to get back into the groove of things.

I don't think your supply will diminish at all. What may happen is that the taste of your milk may change a little - some babies turn their noses up at this, but others are not so fussy :lol: I reckon my boys sucks it down without tasting it too much, that's how milk-mad he is :lol: So if your Xavier seems to go off his milk one day, do not stress - just keep offering, keep drinking plenty of water yourself and offer him plenty of water, and I bet he'll go back on the boob properly in a day or two.

As for fertility - yep, if your cycle is returning, so is your fertility :) I have heard great things about ovulation kits, so this might help put your mind at ease. :)

Hi,

Well done on breastfeeding so long and so well! No, the return of your period will have no impact on your milk supply. This is a myth. You will go on to breastfeed just fine. Yes, you should now regard yourself as fertile, so if another pregnancy would not be entirely welcome, use contraception. (This should be the case at 6mnths or before if you are not fully breastfeeding or if your period returns earlier.

Thank you soo much for your help! xavier was waking three - four times last night.... with reflux pains.. his reflux seems worse since my period starting up... hoping this will pass the poor thing!

he doesnt seem turned off my milk so much.. but feeding quicker! ill just have to keep up my good eating habbits i guess and plenty of water.. i havent been to the gym coz of course ive felt a bit lowsy.. but maybe that will help my to have a better supply?

Hello

I had difficulty with my supply in January and my period returned. I am continuing to have issues with my supply over the past six weeks and utilise an artifical comp and recently had a period. I am unsure of whether or not as I am having issues with my supply, if this is the reason for my period starting or not but just wanted to say that I do have a period (I was hoping to be free of it) whether or not it is due to lower supply or I am just cursed but I do find that my period is heavier than I had before I was pregnant so perhaps some of women just do get a period even if breastfeeding. Your post just got my thinking about low supply - period etc.

Thanks

My periods returned about 7 weeks after birth I think. Had just stopped the post-birth bleeding and the wacko - first period. I've had them every three -four weeks since. Not happy at all about it. Doesn't affect my supply at all but is really really really really (is that enough really's?) painful to BF the week before the bleeding. Bub is exclusive BF too, and feeds really often so there is no reason they should be back, except maybe I'm just super fertile.

The timing of AF returning doesn't have anything to do with supply. It is uncommon for af to return within 6 months if your baby is exclusively breastfed, but it can happen. Not feeding during the night can contribute as these night feeds create a higher hormonal level than day feeds. Once solids are introduced - recommended at 6 months - then the baby is no longer exclusively breastfed, so this increases the chances of af returning.

af does not affect supply, but sometimes babies are fussy during the first af as the milk might taste a bit different. This is temporary. Also, supply is not affected by how much you eat or drink or exercise. The thing that most affects supply is the amount of breast feeds - the more often you feed the more milk you make. It is very common for babies to drink more quickly once they are a few months old - often they empty a breast in under 5 minutes. The faster feeds are not a sign of low supply, so try not to worry.