When does AF return?

[maggie2]

I'm almost 11 months post partum and still haven't had a visit from her;)

I'm obviously still bf'ing - just wondering how long it took those of you who bf'd for a while to get your period again?  We have somewhat of a special circumstance here in that my dd has severe food allergies and is not allowed to have anything but breast milk and a small supplement of formula overnight via an ng tube.  So I suppose it might take a bit longer for me to get my period?  since dd is still relying on my milk for almost all of her calories?

I've just wondered about this because the past 3 days I have been absolutely craving the sweet stuff - I've gorged myself on all sorts of bad foods - I've never had cravings like this before - and no, I'm not preggers!  I've tested quite a few times out of paranoia!

I sort of wish I'd just get my period so I can start charting, etc - we want to avoid another pregnancy for now, and don't use artificial contraception for personal reasons.

So what makes AF return?  How long did it take for you?

[shivi]

bfed both mine exclusively for first 6 mths -

Oscar dropped to two feeds at 10 mths by his own choice - am and pm - and I got my AF back just around 3 or 4 weeks after that. In saying that, I didn't have another till he was around 14 mths - and he self weaned at 16 and things got back to normal fully only after that.

Emma still bfeeds - we dropped to 3 feeds from 4 by cutting the df around about a year old and I got my first AF as I thought at 13 mths ish but it was an early m/c so I must have ov'd when we dropped to 3 feeds....got a normal period recently and had the mirena inserted on day 1!!! Still feeding am and pm.

hugs

S x

[Shiv52]

I was about 9 months when we dropped from 4 to 3 feeds but fairly irregular until she was about 13 months and down to 2 feeds. 

HTH!

[Jiinx]

I, surprisingly, got mine this month. She stopped doing nightfeeds and does 4 feeds...was a little sad that I did get it! I forgot what a pain it is to have those monthly visits

[-kgmf123-]

I am obviously unlucky - bf dd until she was 30 months and af returned on month 3  , I am also bf ds who is 5 months and AF returned on month 2.

[A pair of Charlies]

For me, AF came back with a vengence at 7m. She's been pretty regular since, give or take a few days either side. For the first 6m+ AF affected my BM supply - it dipped - and DS wasn't too impressed with it for a few days each month too. The supply dip for me may well have been more of a health issue related to AF, as opposed to AF in general. If that makes sense!

So, 7m. DS was exclusively BF until a week a go. At 7m, I think he was on 5feeds per day - but not fed between DF and wakeup.

HTH

Charlotte

[Peek-a-boo]

With DS back at 6 months (he was sleeping 10 hour stretches as a 3 month old, although that was short-lived).  With DD not until she was a year.  She also had at least one night feed and just a week or two before her first birthday she STTN for 2-3 days in a row, and within a week or two AF had started.

The bfing hormone suppresses ovulation, but only if it is at high enough levels non-stop.  So, if you regularly feed at night, your AF is likely to stay away longer as you keep the hormone level higher round the clock. 

I saw a post on a different forum of a woman who had gone 10 years with out AF, having had (I think) 3 children in that time period as she bf and co-slept and the constant nightfeeding of co-sleeping kept AF away, but as soon as she did ovulate, she'd get pregnant before it could create an AF!   

[shivi]

I have high prolactin levels (had before I ever had children and had a benign cyst on my pituitary gland as a result) so this is a reason (I believe, medically logical anyway) that my AF stayed away so "long" even though I had them both sleeping thro the night from 14 and 10 weeks respectively with the DF (but DS's was always ebm in a bottle so actually I went from 7 or 8pm to 7am from 14 weeks with him....

I actually have to take a drug called Norprolac when TTC to lower my prolactin levels enough to ovulate....(well I *thought* I had to and so did my ob/gyn till my early m/c earlier this year). All my other pgs (have been pg 5 times in all) were conceived once I lowered the prolactin levels to the normal range.

[-kgmf123-]

Ooh I wonder if I have naturally low prolactin levels then? I was / am exclusively bf feeding baby (and several times during the night) but still AF returned really early!