Breastfeeding and Period returning stats?

Howdy All,

I know I have asked the question before about when does your period return when your breastfeeding and I know its one of those questions that usually answers along the lines of "how long is a piece of string"

I am positive I saw somewhere some stats/percentages of when women usually saw their periods returing something along the lines of 5% before bub is 3 months, 15% before 6 month so on so forth (by the way those are not the actual stats just my example)

I just cannot remember WHERE I saw them. Its either hiding somewhere in these forums OR it was something in my antenatal classes.

Its really bugging me that DD has dropped some of her feeds and still no AF. Though for some odd reasons she still has one over night waking sometime between 11pm and 3am. I believe their feeding patterns generally change again around the 1 yr mark??

I am starting to worry that I am going to have to wean her so we can conceive again and I really don't want to do that but I don't want to wait much longer to start TTC and Ovulating again (hoping within the next 6 months :pray:)

Anyway if anyone knew what I was talking about I would be sure its a fellow BB'er

Thanks Nae x

I'm not sure about the stats but I am feeding Fred only twice a day now, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and still no real AF. My Dr's have said it is totally to do with the womans body and is different for everyone. I know some women who have had to wean to TTC as they just didn't ovulate while BF. I also no others who had no problems conceiving when feeding.

Either way - good luck :)

I'm sorry I haven't heard the stats you're referring to. I just wanted to say that your post was me a few months ago! I was so worried about TTC and not having AF back, so I completely understand how you're feeling. I was stressed it was something I had absolutely no control over and was umming and ahhing over weaning for fertility. I got AF back on DS' first birthday, still breastfeeding. I hope things return to normal for you very soon darl.

I also hope AF returns for you soon (since you want it and all ;) ). I think it is an individual thing when AF comes back but I just wanted to say that DS dropped a heap of feeds at 12 months. Don't know if that's a widespread pattern but it's certainly my experience. We were night weaning him but he also dropped about 4 other daytime feeds of his own accord in a few short weeks and we were down to only one feed a day pretty quickly. Of course, all babies are different so that's probably not very helpful either.........

Mine was 8 months post partum and im still bfeeding

I fell pg whilst feeding at least 5 times in 24 hours and no af. I too worried about getting af back but it is so individual. I know the aba says 14 months is the average, but that might be world wide.

Feeding changes lots after 12 months but for us it dropped and then picked up again to lots of small comfort feeds...so maybe that helped coz I wasn't really making much milk itms?

it's so hard - i haven't seen the stats you're talking about sorry hun - but i can' understand your desire to have some idea of the chance of you being able to TTC by a certain time

fwiw - E was sleeping through from about 6 weeks, started feeding overnight again when teething got bad at 6 months - and af returned for me at 7.5 months...

My experience to add, just to back up every woman is different, I was fully bf including through the night and AF returned at 6 months. DD refused all solids till 7-8 months so no truth to the dropping bf theory for me.

Hope you get a sign soon so you know where you stand.

There is a sticky somewhere on BB about periods returning post baby- but it doesn't differentiate between breastfeeding or not. Could this be what you are thinking of?

I have had spotting a few times but not sure if it is a mini period (and therefore i might be ovulating) or it is just spotting.

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My experience to add, just to back up every woman is different, I was fully bf including through the night and AF returned at 6 months.

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Me too!! Forgot to say that before. AF returned for me exactly 6 months + 1 day after the birth and DS had hardly ever gone even 4 hours between feeds at that stage. So it is definitely possible to get AF while feeding overnight.

I don't know of the stats but I was bf every 2/3 hrs and AF after about 4 mnths so I agree that everyone is different. Have you had a look at the ABA website?

Just thought I'd mention that from my experience it is more genetics than anything to do with how or how often you feed. My Mum formula fed me and my brother, I was (and still am) breastfeeding around the clock yet we both saw our periods return at 6months post birth. If you are comfortable/able to ask female relatives it might give you some indications based on their experiences?