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3rd Trimester
sarteratops
member
A couple questions about BF-ing
sarteratops
member
Since we're getting down to the final stretch here, I'm wondering if any 2nd time moms or anyone with experience could answer a few questions I had. Thanks!
Is it true that you don't get your period while nursing? I know you can still get pregnant, but I've heard that you don't really get a period while LO is BFing. It's been so long since I had my period, I am definitely not looking forward to welcoming it back into my life!
When did/are you planning on stopping taking your prenatal vitamin? Will you/did you take it while you're nursing? I'm not sure if there's a nursing vitamin out there, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea to keep taking it so that LO gets all the necessary nutrients.
What is/was your feeding method? Will you set LO on a feeding schedule or let him/her tell you when it's time to eat? I'm in the middle of reading "Babywise" right now, great book so far, and brings up important aspects of nursing.
Thanks in advance for the input!
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Re: A couple questions about BF-ing
No, you can still get your period while nursing, everyone is different and it just depends on what your body feels like doing. My OB and primary care doctor recommend taking the prenatals as long as you are nursing. In fact, both my doctors are ok with me taking them even when I'm not nursing or pregnant. This is a good idea if you are planning to have more children as this way you are already getting the necessary folic acid that can prevent neural tube defects.
With DD originally we had weight gain issues and the doctor instructed me she had to feed at least every two hours. As she gained weight and stabilized I was able to let her set her own schedule.
Enjoy bf-ing and if you have any questions feel free to contact me. It was one of the best experiences of my life and am so excited to be so close to doing it again.
I got my period 14 months post partum which I have to admit was great - nearly 2 years without! It is different for everyone though. I have known women who got their's back 2 or 3 months pp.
On my m/ws & my son's pedi I continued to take the pre-natal until I stopped nursing.
I fed my son on demand in the beginning but I do have a memory of getting him into a schedule, albeit a loose one when he got a bit older.
hth
I Took my prenatal the entire time I nursed, which was 15 months. My pedi recommended it. I just buy generic, so its the same cost as a multivitamin.
In the beginning, you don't want to "schedule" your nursing sessions nursing on demand is best for building a great supply. I just nursed on demand and by about 3 months we had fallen into a routine.. He was nursing about every 3 hours by then but only getting up once at night. Since he was gaining great, we just went with it.
There is actually a lot of controversy about Babywise.... I'm pretty sure the revised addition has changed, but the older addition resulted in babies failure to thrive because of how strict it was in regards to feeding. I'm more of a Dr Sears/Attachment Parent so I don't know much about it. But I know people who it worked for ; ) HTH
I'm still nursing DD and she's 15 months old. After giving birth, you'll bleed for a while (I did for about 5 weeks - a lot in the beginning and then it gets less and less) and then didn't get my period until DD was 10 months old.
I wanted my kids very close in age so we had basically being TTC since DD was born. We're very excited for our BFP which I just found out this week
I still take my prenatal vitamins - the doctor told me to keep taking them because they're good for the baby while nursing and like I mentioned, I was TTC.
My feeding method with DD was on demand. In the beginning they nurse so often that it's near impossible to put them on a schedule. Plus BM is digested much more quickly than formula so they nurse quite frequently. They also go through so many growth spurts that it would be unfair to put them on a strict schedule while they're really young because some weeks they need more than other weeks. I only put DD on a nursing schedule once I introduced solids.
Hope that helps - good luck. Nursing is tough in the beginning but if you stick it out the first month, it's a breeze going forward!
Bored and lurking....
I nursed my DS for 13 months (I just stopped a few weeks ago.
My period returned when I was about 5 months pp. It sucked and I totally felt like I got screwed on that lol. I know several people that have 14-16 month olds and are just now getting their first period pp.
You are suppose to continue taking your prenatal for as long as you BF. I have to be honest, I forgot to take them a lot! As long as you eat healthy and take care of yourself I don't think it is a huge deal.
I always fed him on demand and he kind of put himself on a schedule which worked out really well with me. Until your LO gains all of their weight back after birth, you are suppose to feed them every 2-3hrs (even if that means you have to wake them up).
Good luck!
, 💙💙💙💙💙💙
I breastfed for 14 months, 9 months of which was exclusive (no solid foods or anything... She wasn't interested until 9 months!) and I got my period back a whole two weeks after my post partum bleeding was complete. (four weeks after her birth)
I nursed on demand the whole time and tried to take the prenatal vitamins the whole while.
Pregnancy # 6
4 missed chances
2 loving children
1 on the way
Some people get their period, some people don't. I didn't get mine until I started weaning from the pump at 11 months postpartum. I think I was down to 2 pumps a day when it showed.
Definitely keep taking your prenatal
We are all about baby led. At first there is some scheduling that has to go on because they are pretty sleepy (typically) and won't demand to be fed as often as they need to be fed. But after the first few weeks or so, that passes and you can just follow their cues. It will seem like they are wanting to eat all the time in those early days. That's because breastmilk digests very quickly and their stomachs are very small, so they are literally hungry all the time. I prefer baby led so that they can learn what hungry feels like and learn to eat because they are hungry rather than because it is time. No matter which way you go, most babies will need to eat around the clock (at least 1-2 times in the middle of the night) until they are 4-6 months old. We fed ours overnight until he was 14 months old. Even at our 9 month visit our pedi was encouraging keeping the middle of the night feedings because he's a 2nd percentile peanut
Be careful with Babywise. Do some googling. It has been linked to failure to thrive. I actually read the book out of pure curiosity and most of it didn't seem too extreme. However, it doesn't really give good guidance as to when certain things can be appropriately implemented. It definitely advocates CIO, which we don't do at our house, but is an ok choice. Just make sure you are not letting your newborn cry. When your newborn cries, you should respond. End of story.
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
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Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
yeah, i was one of the "lucky" ones who got AF back at 8wks PP even though i was EBF/pumping. it was clockwork from then on out when before baby it was all over the place. my cramps/bleeding was also a lot less post baby, so that was a plus.
yep, take the pre-natals the whole time you're nursing.
babywise= waaaaaaay to structured for my liking. i know some people swear by it but i've also read that it has been shot down by many Dr.'s as a crock and has led some babies to failure to thrive b/c they aren't eating enough. my kid was an every 2hr nurser for a long time, it made him happy so that is what i did! you'll have to figure out what works for you and your baby.
I got my period while nursing, but other women do not. Just depends on your body, I guess.
I was told by my OB and my dd's pediatrician to continue prenatal vitamins while bfing.
I think eventually you can get baby on a feeding schedule, but to establish a good supply and to help baby/you become pros at bf-ing, I think it's best to feed on demand in the beginning. I'm sure there are others who will disagree. This is just from my experience and what I've read/been told my the LC at the hospital.
Also bored and lurking.
I read through through the responses and agree with PP's about all of their points with feeding on deman in the beginning. I have not read Babywise, so I don't know about their methods. I did not see anyone mention the EASY meathod, so I wanted to add it in for your consideration. DS kind of put himself on this pattern after the frist 6 or 8 weeks, but I know that a lot of Mom's make it a goal too.
It stands for Eat, Awake, Sleep, You. They wake up from nap time, Eat, then are Awake for a while to do tummy time, bath, play, whatever, then they Sleep and you get some You time to do what ever you need. Most babies follow a 3 or 4 hour cycle.
I know a lot of women get tired of this advice, but I wish I had stuck to it more last time, so bear with me, sleep when your LO sleeps. The dishes and laundry can wait for DH to get home. Especially in the beginning, you just have to take the time to sleep since you aren't getting any in long stretches.
The other great advice that I got from my Mom was to change their diapers as soon as they wake up instead of right before they go down. Just undoing their clothes etc will make them cold and wake them up, making going down harder some times. GL and HTH!
This will be my 3rd breastfed baby. I think I average about 6-8 months until I got my first period and I bfed until 13 months. Everyone's different, just like everyone else has said already.
I take my prenatal all the way through until I wean completely.
I also nursed on demand. I've also heard some very negative things about babywise. Being that strict on a schedule just doesn't make sense. Babies have some pretty major growth spurts every couple of months, and when they do they pick up on feedings and feed more and more often. They need a lot more calories during those growth spurts. When you feed on demand, your breasts are already more accustomed to making milk on an "as needed" basis, so you are always ready for those growth spurts. My babies have always been right on the 50%tile for growth, so they are not overweight and not underweight. Oh, and my daughter was sleeping through the night (7-8 hours) at 4 weeks, and 5hrs by 2 weeks. My son was STTN at least 5 hours by 6-8 weeks.
Enjoy bfing! I will warn you, it can be very hard to start up. For some people it is not very hard at all. I have a pretty painful first week or so. But when you keep your determination and your baby's health in mind, once you get through the first week or two you will be hooked forever!
Regarding the period...everyone is different. I nursed DD for 22 months, but I got my period sometime between 12-18 months post partum (totally can't remember when exactly right now).
I didn't take any prenatals with DD1 because they made me sick, therefore I didn't take any while nursing. You can take your prenatal while nursing, there's nothing wrong with that.
You can't really set LO on a feeding schedule in the beginning. They'll eat when they want to eat, most often every 2-3 hours. DD1 was a cluster-feeder in the beginning weeks. She would go longer stretches of not nursing during the day (sometimes up to 5 hours) but would nurse much more often at night (like every 1-2 hours). It's normal and it's something they'll outgrow on their own.
According to my prenatal class instructor you will not get your period if you are EBF. Once you stop your period will return. BF is 98% effective as BC as long as the following is met 1. - EBF, 2 - baby is less than 6 months, 3 - baby feeds at least every 4 hours during the day and 6 hours during the night.
My prenatal vitamin says right on it to take while BF and like PP if you are planning on having more children continue taking it.
I'm sure everyone is different though, so I'd check with your DR