PP Bleeding or Period?

[mrflowers]

How do you determine if pp bleeding is a period or just pp bleeding?

My daughter was 7 weeks old on Saturday, and Sunday I lost a little bit of clear red blood. I felt crampy, but didn't lose any more until Tuesday evening, again clear and red. I stopped my pp bleeding between 4 and 5 weeks pp. Someone told me that any bleeding 56 days pp is considered normal, but it was unclear what they meant by "normal" (normal pp bleeding? even with that long of a break? or normal return of menses?).

I EBF the baby, she takes no paci or bottles. She drinks at least one time per hour, with *maybe* one 2-3 hour stretch at night (we co-sleep). I e-mailed my mw's here, but haven't heard back yet. I can't call because they have veeeeery limited hours of availability, and I don't feel that this is an emergency.

Thanks!

[my5girls]

I had the same thing after a couple of my babies; it's more than likely pp bleeding (mine was). I would be careful in case you're not ready for another baby, just in case.

[crazydiamond]

I'm not a birth professional, but I can tell you that I got my period back at 10wks pp. My post-partum bleeding ended at 6 weeks. I was told that it could be post-partum bleeding and maybe I just overdid it. But no, it really was my period and I had regular cycles from then on out.

It sucks because I was EBF, co-sleeping, etc. But I also have PCOS, and it seems that might have something to do with it.

[mrflowers]

Thanks for the replies; I heard back from the mw, and she says that it could be my period, or not. I know that time will tell, if I just wait 4 weeks or so, I'll know what's up. I just haaate not knowing what's going on with my body.

I got my cycle back at 12 months with kid #1, and 6 months with kid #2 (but he was already getting solids). Would it be so drastically different this time? I have so many questions, but I can't bring myself to keep e-mailing the mw. For instance, if this was pp bleeding, wouldn't it be old, brown blood? If it's pp bleeding, is it OK that I take baths?

Ugh. Hate uncertainty. Also, I was really hoping for a long break from menses, as I have endo, and my cramps feel like contractions.

PS--I'm nowhere near ready for another baby, as lovely as they are. We take precautions galore, even with lactational amenorrhea. I think I almost have a phobia of unplanned pregnancies (for me)

[courtenay_e]

Tell me about your day, or couple of days? Have you been doing more physically than usual? Long walk? Cleaning the house? Emotionally distressed? Could just be your body asking you to slow back down. Wouldn't hurt to learn some NFP, just so you could tell for YOURSELF what was going on...temping with cervical fluid and height can tell you a lot, and takes seconds a day.

[mrflowers]

NFP, that's a great idea! What kind of thermometer do you need for that? I'm not in the States, and it can be difficult to find things here sometimes.

So. Sunday, when I lost the first bit of blood, I was mostly just laying around with the baby. The day before I ran a lot of errands, with a lot of walking. Monday, groceries w/ 3 kids, then more laying around. Early Tuesday, 2 older kids puking, but then fine. So Tuesday was a combo of laying around with older 2 and doing chores. I do walk a lot, but I also rest a lot. I have been feeling stressed out at how much there is to do for the holidays, when all I really want to do is lay around and nurse.

Other than that little bit of blood on Tuesday, I've been "flow"-free, although crampy.

[courtenay_e]

WIth errands and chores, it sounds as if it may be your body asking you to relax and slow down a bit...

You'd need a basal thermomiter.

Checking out the Fertility and/or infertility boards here would probably give you more information than you could ever imagine you'd have available to you in the way of Natural Family Planning. We're Catholic, and use a book called "The Art of Natural Family Planning" and the Couple to Couple League's charts (www.ccli.org)...if you can get past the catholic dogma in the first couple of chapters, the information in the book is sooooo plentiful. It's the best book technically that I've found so far. Otherwise, there are online tracking charts (but I believe they're only for temps, though--I like tracking all threee as it's a thorough cross reference), and many other books... and those two forums would be a great help.

I think that, if you tracked your fertility, you could tell if you were ovulating...and it's a great way to just get to know your body better.

Good luck--and try to slow down a bit (which, with kids, is always a challenge!)!

[mrflowers]

I'll pick up a basal thermometer later today. I've always known my fertile periods w/out taking my temp, because it's is very, very obvious when I'm ovulating. But that's when my cycle is established, so that's a different story.

Thanks for the tips!

[BirthWithFaith]

This happened to me as well and I was EBFing newborn and tandem nursing 13 mo old at the time. I bled for 3-4 weeks and then it seemed to stop but came back in little spurts here and there over the next month.

Normal. Just PP bleeding still.

If you are having EWCM in patches here and there you might be ovulating or about to ovulate but EBFing probably not yet. Unless, you pumped and EBF'd because of excess milk and then you suddenly stopped pumping cold turkey and even though you are EBFing baby, your body might O because it thinks you weaned a lot. That's how my #2 came to be at 4 mos PP. We knew it and planned it but some aren't expecting that.

If you chart then you'll know what I mean.

[mrflowers]

Thanks, Jessica. I tried to find a basal thermometer today, with no luck. I'll keep trying; in the meantime, I just don't think that was a period. There was nothing 'flow-y' about it. I don't pump, so that's not an issue. Here's hoping it was just very off-and-on pp bleeding...

[courtenay_e]

if you can't find a basal thermomitor (and try asking the pharmacist, they are usually tucked away, 'cause very few people ask for them), you can get one off of ccli.org

good luck!

[mrflowers]

nak

i asked the pharmacist, she knew what it was but didn't have one or know who did. i'll keep looking, because ccli charges $25 (!) for international online orders. there must be one here somewhere!

[crazydiamond]

I don't know what country you live in, but maybe someone from the States can send you one? They're only like $10 at Walgreens. Also, if there are any versions of the biggie sites (Amazon, for example) that ship to your country, check those out too.

[mrflowers]

You're right; I'll look around online. I just think it's weird that they don't have them here. People made a point of pointing out that this village is "Catholic", which is such a weird thing to feel the need to emphasize, I mean, who cares? But if it is, indeed, a Catholic village, there should be some NFP tools around!
I'm in the Netherlands, BTW.