“Have You Ever Wondered When Your Periods Would Return After Having A Baby?”

Yet another question many mothers ask themselves. Unfortunately there is no answer to this question as we are all different. We all have different menstrual cycles, we all have a different birth story, we are all different ages, we don’t all breastfeed our babies, we don’t all breastfeed them for the same length of time, and the list goes on!

Research

I did some googling about when my periods would return post baby and here are a few things I found:

healthline– “What to expect from your first period after Pregnancy”

“A woman’s period will typically return about six to eight weeks after giving birth, if she is not breast-feeding. If she does breast-feed, the timing for a period to return can vary. Some women might not have a period the entire time they breast-feed. But for others, it might return after a couple of months, whether they’re breast-feeding or not.”

babycenter– “When will I get my period after my baby is born?”

“Whether and how much you’re breastfeeding are the main factors that affect how soon you’ll start menstruating again. But every woman’s body and circumstances are different, so there’s no reliable way to predict exactly when you’ll get your first postpartum period.”

 bellybelly -“When will I get my period after my baby is born?”

“Of women who choose not to breastfeed, approximately 80% find their period has returned within 10 weeks. Breastfeeding can delay menstruation and ovulation for 20 weeks or more, but it is not uncommon to find your period returning sooner, or much later, than 20 weeks. There are differences among individual women and their hormone levels, so it’s difficult to say when a period will recommence after childbirth. Some women find their period returns the very next month after the birth and at the other end of the scale, some women don’t menstruate until well after twelve months. “

 

I put together some questions to show how I gave birth, about breastfeeding and if on contraception.

My Answers-

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a cesarean?) Natural
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? 2 weeks like normal period then spotting for another 1-2 weeks
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? I decided not to go on the mini pill and just use condoms. I wanted to allow my body to do its own thing menstrual cycle wise.
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? Yes
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? 10 months and still going- aiming for 12 months
• 6. When did your periods return? Still waiting- however over the past few weeks I’ve had period pains on and off but no sign of anything else yet. A waiting game.

Clare, Sydney 

I decided to speak to a number of mums and ask the same questions to see the variety of answers that would come back.

From Other Mums:

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) C section after 17 hrs of natural labour.
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth? 6 weeks.
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? No
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? No, latching problems.
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? Expressed for three weeks. Combination fed for 3 weeks, switched to formula full time.
• 6. When did your periods return? 8 weeks.

Teash, Melbourne

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) Natural Birth for both birth
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ?I bled quite heavily for just over a week with both births (almost like very heavy periods)
•  3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? No, no contraception (except condoms) until after my second birth. I then got a Mirena
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? Yes, I was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed both my babies.
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? With the first, until 2 years old (as recommended by the lactation consultant at the hospital) and the 2nd I fed until 6 months (due to a health condition)
• 6. When did your periods return? Approximately 3/4 months after birth with both births.

Jaz, Gold Coast

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) natural birth
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? Around 3 weeks
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? Pill
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? No
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? –
• 6. When did your periods return? 2 months after

 Kylie, Central Coast

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) Both natural
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? 4 to 6 weeks but quite heavy for 2 weeks
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? Tried mini pill with 1st child but kept forgetting to take it. Used condoms but usually irritated . Husband got snip 3 months after 2nd child born
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? Yes
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? about 13 moths for both, 1st stopped feeding from 1 breast after 9th month, continued one 1 breast for 3 more. 2nd child rejected the breast after 12moths due to flow lessening from being at work.
• 6. When did your periods return? Period returned about 9 months after birth

 Jeanette, Victoria

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) 3 natural births
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? Bled for 4 weeks for the first 2 babies and 7 weeks for the third.
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? Implanon after 1st pregnancy, Nothing after 2nd and Pill after 3rd
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? yes
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? 1st was breastfed for 1 year
  2nd was breastfed for 3 months
  3rd is currently 4 months old and mix feeding
• 6. When did your periods return? Period returned 6 months after 1st baby
  And 2 months after 2nd and 3rd babies

Monique, Brisbane

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) Emergency section for 1st (labouring breech 2days before due date) and 2nd (10.5-8.5weeks early, labouring, breech) DOCTOR ELECTED sections for 3rd (placenta praevia), 4th (breech) and 5th (breech).
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? Between 5 and 7 weeks bleeding solidly and heavily for about the first 3 weeks after each.
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? Due to a blood clotting disorder, pills weren’t an option. I tried the Mirena after the 4th, but had it removed 8 weeks later as I decided period pains were better than I was experiencing with it.
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? I attempted to feed all 5 babies.
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? I made it to between 5 and 7 months exclusive breast feeding with each, but none thrived. So I changed to mix feeding a short time, then formula until at least 12 month. (5th is lactose intolerant, so had soy then lactose free formulas until 18-24 months when we switched to UHT varieties.)
• 6. When did your periods return? After the initial post delivery bleeding, I think I had periods again from about a FORTNIGHT LATER! (Urggghh!!) except with one (can’t remember which) where I managed to get about a 5 week break.

Christina, Gold Coast (formerly Newcastle)

 

• 1. How did you give birth? (natural birth or a c-section?) Natural
• 2. How long did you bleed after giving birth ? 6 weeks
• 3. Did you go on the mini pill? Or any other form of contraception? And if so what was it? No contraception
• 4. Did you breastfeed your baby? 100% breasfeed
• 5. How long did you breastfeed for? 10 months and still going
• 6. When did your periods return?Still waiting

  Cassy, Kempsey

 

 

By Clare at Relaxed Parenting- Guest answers included. 

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