question to mothers who have weaned lo

[hello_kitty]

Hi lladies, I gave birth 8 months ago and have not had a period since. I do get the menstrual cramping and after it became too annoying, I finally went to the doctor 4 days ago time get it checked out. He says the lack of af is probably due to my wacky hormones while bf. He prescribed bcp for me to take for a month to restart my cycles. I've heard that bc can affect supply, and really don't wanna take the risk...but I guess I gotta do whats necessary. For the mothers who bf, when did you get your period...if you weaned your lo and the menstruated, when did you get you get your period again? Do you think I shoukdctake bcp or wait until im done with bf? I feel really bloated don't know if that's due to lack of af. Thanks ladies.

 

[Janers]

I've been exclusively breastfeeding my LO and still have no period, which is totally normal. Every once in a while i get period like cramps, but nothing ever comes of it. You won't get your period until your LO signifigantly drops feeds. Its totally normal to go without AF until 14 months even. If i were you I wouldn't take birth control pills and risk a drop in your milk supply. Let your body get back on its cycle when its ready.

 

[korndogger123]

I got mine back naturally at 5 months. We weren't nursing less, or anything, I guess it just decided it was time to come back. If it haddn't come back I wouldn't have worried about trying to make it come back.

Why don't you try some sort of "anti-bloat" medicine for your bloated feeling, see if that works before you do the BCP.

 

[Button#]

I still haven't had my period, although I'm on the mini pill as well so that helps keep it away.

 

[Rachel_C]

Your doctor sounds like a quack! It's totally normal for your period not to come back while breastfeeding, it's not supposed to. It's nature's way of making sure you don't have a baby every 10 months so your body has time to recover and your children each get a good length of time on breastmilk. Restarting your cycle just seems like a weird thing to do... okay so now you might get bloating and cramping but having a period will mean you get bloating, cramping AND bleeding. I know which I'd go for .

My period came back 12 weeks after birth and I was really annoyed about it as I was still EBF on demand, through the day and night. The average for BF women is apparently 36 weeks but there is a huge amount of variation, from just weeks to years!

 

[Celesse]

Mine came back at 12 months with #1, and 16 months with #2.

What I've found both times is I get a few weeks of cramps, funny mucus, headaches and on and off PMT feelings whilst my body is gearing up to ovulate. I reckon that's what could be happening to you. I wouldn't bother with the pills and just let your body do what its trying to do.

ETA: technically AF didn't come back with #1 at all I just got pregnant....but it would have done if I hadn't got pregnant iykwim.