EBF and period returning - question

delujm0

Hey all -

 

Admittedly I'm kind of uncomfortable with the fact that I have no idea when this will happen (I'm a planner) - but just wondering, especially for those of you who have temped/checked CM and have been through this all before -

 

• I have read that temping while EBF is kind of pointless until your first period shows up.  Accurate?  I mean if it's not going to tell me anything, what's the point.  But once I get my first period back, I'm planning to temp as birth control (decided against going back on a hormonal pill in favor of condoms pre-O each cycle until we TTC #2)
• Would the same pre-O signs be present in your first PP cycle?  I ask because I saw (potentially TMI) a fairly large amount of EWCM this morning.  So I mean I guess I can wait about two weeks and know for sure (haven't had sex in a couple of weeks, so no worries there), but I don't know if this is something that can just show up for no reason PP or if it's a good indication of my cycle actually returning

Perhaps the fact that I'm a planner by nature runs contrary to my "not wanting to use hormonal BC" situation.  I didn't want to deal with waiting for my cycle to readjust post-BC when I was ready to TTC #2 probably in about a year.  I know that once you're regularly going more than 4 hours during the day or 6 hours at night without feeding/pumping you have a chance of your cycle returning - and I pretty regularly go 8+ hours overnight (usually only 3 hours during the day).  I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with my period again for many many months, but it kind of looks like that won't be the case?

What have your experiences been, and what signs were present before your period returned?

heidiiwa

You're at a high risk of getting pregnant. Are you OK with having another child so close in age to your LO? Neither breastfeeding nor natural family planning are super effective as birth control, and you are actually more fertile after having one baby, even if your period has not returned yet.
If you don't want to get pregnant and you don't want to use hormones, have you considered a copper IUD? Very effective, no hormones, and return to fertility right after taking it out. I had one put in since there is no way I can handle another baby again so quickly. But maybe there is another option that would work for you so how about discussing it with your OB-GYN?

delujm0

heidiiwa said:

You're at a high risk of getting pregnant. Are you OK with having another child so close in age to your LO? Neither breastfeeding nor natural family planning are super effective as birth control, and you are actually more fertile after having one baby, even if your period has not returned yet.
If you don't want to get pregnant and you don't want to use hormones, have you considered a copper IUD? Very effective, no hormones, and return to fertility right after taking it out. I had one put in since there is no way I can handle another baby again so quickly. But maybe there is another option that would work for you so how about discussing it with your OB-GYN?

Ok I have already mentioned that we are using condoms...I understand how to not get pregnant, I did it for many years. And we know temping to avoid is not the same effectiveness as the pill. We're comfortable with having kids close in age if that happens but seeing as I'm not pregnant right now (which i know bc i will take a test monthly until my periods rerurn) there would be at least a year between this LO and any future child. I don't see that as a huge problem.

My question was just whether the normal signs of ovulation are present in the first PP cycle, or if things like ewcm can just happen randomly PP because your hormones are out of whack. Also wondering for those of you whose cycles have returned how you knew they were coming. I've been told that the first PP period is a doozy. Not super looking forward to it!

I guess this was kind of a stupid question though based on the lack of responses. ;-)

cbrtncanadian

I just had my first period about 5 days ago at 17/18 weeks PP.

I found the following;
-normal flow
-normal length
-normal cramping and acne breakout

I didn't know it was coming but I had been waiting for it knowing at some point it would return.

I'm lost on some of the abbreviations and terms you've used in your questions and that put me off responding because I wasn't sure I could offer anything relevant or helpful... Perhaps you would get a better response if you clarified?

delujm0

@christinabrtn sorry about the abbreviations...I was using the terms that are common on the Trying to Get Pregnant board (TTGP), where I know a lot of us started when we first came to the Bump.  EWCM = egg white cervical mucus (which typically indicates ovulation is near), pre-O = pre ovulation, PP = post partum, TTC = trying to conceive.

 

I'm just a little nervous about when it will start up...in high school my cycles were spectacularly irregular, and I cannot even count how many times I didn't realize they had started until I had bled through my pants.  Slightly traumatic, and I'd like that to not happen to me at work.  I'd hate to have to start wearing liners every day but I think I might have to, just so I'll stop stressing about it!  When I came off the pill last year my cycles were actually reasonably regular, so once the first period shows up I should have at least some idea of when they next one will follow, thankfully.  Not knowing wtf is going on is the worst!

APago

I am doing the same thing as you. I was never on birth control before we got pregnant and don't plan on going on anything now. I was temping, checking my CF, tracking and using condoms pre-O.

I got my first PP period at the end of September, LO was about 15/16 weeks then. I actually found my first PP period to be lighter, no cramps and not too crazy. My second PP period (right now) has been heavier but again nothing crazy. I do believe my period returned because I dropped my MOTN pump (so going 8+hrs no pumping) and my day pumps were every 3-4 hours instead of every 2-3 hrs.

I noticed when I got my first PP period that I had noticeable EWCM. A couple weeks after that I got my first PP period. May not be connected but that was my experience.

Also, I didn't bother temping before my first PP period. I have heard it's pointless and so we just always used condoms. I just kept an eye on my CM (nothing to really note) and tracked very loosely. Now I'm back to temping and tracking again since I've had my first PP (and second PP) period.

I was hoping I also wouldn't have to deal with my period for many more months, but oh well! Maybe you won't have to! But if you do, look at it like this...you can get back to tracking and regulating everything in preparation for TTC#2!

Good luck!

delujm0

@APago thanks so much!  That was really helpful, and basically exactly what I'm planning to do. :-)

 

I've dropped my MOTN pump most nights but not all...but I'm thinking that's probably enough.  LO has been STTN or only waking up once (at least 7 hours after going to bed) since she was 10 weeks old, and she's now 18 weeks.  If I wake myself up and am engorged and in pain MOTN, I will pump, but otherwise I try to make it until my alarm goes off at 5 or until LO wants to eat (which has been happing a bit more often now with the 4 month regression).  In January I'm going to start trying to cut daytime pumps from about every 3 hours to every 4-5 while I'm at work, so if it doesn't happen now, I'm sure it will at that point.  I'm still running a surplus now even after cutting the MOTN pump, so I'm really only doing it because I'm in too much pain to go back to sleep without it.

 

Good to hear it wasn't way worse than normal!  My doctor told me that after each of her 3 kids were born her first PP period was horrible - extra crampy and extra heavy.  So I'm hoping that doesn't happen to me!

APago

No worries! Our plans sound quite similar actually.

I go back to work in January and am planning to drop my pumps to every 4-5 hours so I was thinking my period would return then, but I got it earlier so go figure!

Everyone reacts differently to their PP periods. My pre-baby periods were horrible! Super crampy, my first day was usually a write-off, and heavy. I've noticed a big change in my cramps, as in I don't get any! Hooray! So things have changed for me in some ways. But with that being said, this second PP has been really heavy.

I wish you light and crampless PP periods! [-O< Haha

You might know in a couple weeks or your increased EWCM could just mean your body slowly gearing up again and it might actually take a couple of months to kick in (this was my hope).

Its a pain not knowing when you'll get your first PP period, so you can be prepared, but you seem to be pretty in tune with your body so just look for the little signs!