PP bleeding insight
At 3 weeks PP my bleeding had pretty much subsided, and by 4 weeks it was all gone.
At 6 weeks I started bleeding again and I thought it was my first PP period. I was bummed because I EBF and I was hoping I would have a little bit longer. Then I learned about the "6 week bleed" that many BFing woman experience, and since it went away pretty quickly I figured that's what it must have been.
Then yesterday I saw another small amount of bleeding, and I thought, okay, I guess THIS is my first PP period. But I only saw it once yesterday and there hasn't been any more bleeding since.
Does anyone have any insight as to what the heck is going on with my body!? I always thought that the first PP period was supposed to be super heavy, and that's certainly how it was after my first. So I'm not quite sure what I can attribute my random bleeding to!
Re: PP bleeding insight
I have the exact same thing.
Lochia for 4 weeks then it stopped, then at exactly 6 weeks had a week of bright red bleeding. I'm EBF and she does not take a pacifier or get supplements, and from what I have read, the chances of it actually being my period are less than 1%, but somehow that doesn't make me feel any better. I was really hoping to use lactational amenorrhea as birth control for a while, but when you have to question whether or not you're actually getting your period, it doesn't inspire confidence in that method
Here is what various sources have told me about it:
My Natural Family Planning book: 6 week bleed is common in EBF women and while it's not entirely understood, it's believed to be caused by hormone levels in breastfeeding women dropping. (kind of like how the placebo pill in BCPs causes withdrawal bleeding)
"Taking Charge of Your Fertility": For purposes of using lactational amenorrha as birth control, any bleeding before the 56th day PP is NOT your period and can be ignored.
My lactation consultant, upon hearing what Taking Charge of Your Fertility says: "It is totally asinine to make a blanket statement like that. If you don't want to get pregnant again, you should assume it is your period and start using birth control".
I haven't asked my OB because my PP appointment was right before it happened, but I'm going to guess she'd say the same thing as my LC. Also, I brought it up at my nursing mothers' group, and of the 10 or so women with babies older than mine, none of them had a 'six week bleed'.
I'm kind of torn
I filled my mini-pill prescription today but still don't want to take it.
You can get pregnant befor your first period even while ebfing. Be careful!!
Op in my experience my first period after a baby was heavy with heavy cramping. Both times bfing around five weeks I did bleed again a tinny bit for a day or so.