How long was it before you got your first period after birth?

[Juniperberry]

With #1, I exclusively breast fed for 6 months, then still BF on demand but also some food during the day and didn't get my period until he was almost 2 years old.

With #2 (he is 1 month old) I am also exclusively BF and today had a lot of definite menstrual feeling cramps. Do you think this could be my period? It seems way too early to have it, but what else could these cramps be do you think?

thanks alot!

[Maplecat]

I got my period back when my son was 19 months. We were still nursing on demand and nursing through the night.

[kitkat5505]

With #1 it was 6 months, about a month after we started a little bit of solids and he started sleeping longer at night. He was bf'd until 1.

With #2 it was a year, even though he'd been on solids for months and only bf'd half the time after 8 months.

[Drummer's Wife]

between 9-11 mos post-partum with each kid. All breastfed.

[studentmidwifemama]

Did I see that you are only 4 weeks postpartum? It could be normal healing rather than your period.

[ColoradoMama]

Those cramps could just be your uterus trying to get back to normal. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that you could be getting your period back, but honestly, I would seriously doubt it. You had nearly two years with the first, so it's unlikely that there would be such a dramatic difference.

I got my period at 5 months while exclusively bfing #1.

#2 I got it back at 10 months while tandem nursing #1 and #2 (aka the child who could suck the chrome off a bumper)

#3 I got it back at 7 months while tandem nursing

#4 I got it back at 4 months while exclusively bfing (man was I ticked!)

You two year mamas really chap my hide!!!

[LionTigerBear]

Both times, I breastfed on demand. First son didn't really get into solid food much even at a year old, second son was eagerly eating solids from 6 months old. Both times, I got pregnant at 14 months postpartum with no period first.

P.S. I go the cramping for the first few months PP with my second son, too. I think it was just my uterus doing a little more shrinking-- maybe? I don't know!

[azmomtoone]

10 mos

[dogmom327]

9 mo for AF but it was 16 mo PP before I had very strong fertility symptoms (clear ovulation pain, lots of CM)--of course that was the month I conceived again...

[nameisrio]

8 mos. - nursing on demand & thru the night; eating some solids about 2X/day. I didn't have any cramping before my period but my nipples hurt when nursing a week or so before it came back and now I realize I was ovulating - they hurt a little when nursing each month, but not as bad as the first time.

[kerikadi]

#1 - 6 months and that time I only EBF 2-3 months before adding formula
#2 - 9 months EBF for 6 months before adding solids
#3 - 11 weeks with EBF and co-sleeping
#4 - 12 weeks with TANDEM and co-sleeping
#5 - 13 weeks EBF

[Belle]

I've had three periods in five years.

After my first birth I got pregnant before I had a period. Exactly two years postpartum. I miscarried that pregnancy and had three normal periods after that. Then got pregnant again. I'm 13 months postpartum and have not had a period yet. My second child night weaned herself around 6 months.

[BugMacGee]

11 months with #1. 20 months with #2.

[nighten]

16 months, still nursing on demand.

[bri276]

17 months. I was ep'ing.

[lafemmedesfemmes]

10 months with #1. i weaned him at 26 months.
14 months with #2. he's still nursing at 18 months.

christina

[emaye_to_2]

Around eight months post-partum.

[callieollie]

With #1, I got it back at 9 1/2 months. I was shocked too because I exclusively breastfed until 6 months. I introduced some solids then but he really didn't eat anything until almost 9 months. Even then, he was nursing on demand during the day and every 2-3 hours at night. And he'd nurse for an hour at a time sometimes.

With #2, I am 7 months pp and haven't gotten it back yet. I keep thinking i'll get it any day now because she nurses much less often than my ds did, is a much faster nurser (never nurses for more than 10 minutes at a time), and sleeps longer stretches at night. I did tandem nurse for the first 4 months though so maybe that helped. I'll be curious when I get it back this time.

[QDB]

I got it back at 10 months postpartum.

I was astonished that my body felt like it could do all that again.

And I felt crampy at moments for a good 8 weeks after ds was born, too.

[dziwozony]

i bled a bit around week 5/6 postpardum...then it went away after a day & i sort of got my period back around 11 months...just some spotting really...then i got pregnant! so never fully menstruated. but yeah, your body could just still be healing. use birth control if you're worried & just wait to see if it repeats next month, i'd say!