Semi-graphic AF question at 1 year post-partum

Shawnee11507

Pre-pregnancy, AF used to be fairly light and short, ultra-thin pads and about 4 days.  AF returned 6 weeks post-partum. The first 6 months I got two periods a month- one like my normal and one midway between with 1-2 days mostly spotting. Then AF skipped a month and a half and came back with a vengeance ever since.

The first two and a half days of AF (usually 7 days now), it is like I am going to bleed out. I have to wear a pad that if there were straps on the sides would be a diaper and sometimes a tampon in addition. Sometimes blood soaks through my pad and clothes within 2hrs. When I use the restroom, blood gets all over the toilet and sometimes drips down to the floor. The cramps are really bad those first 2.5 days too. I pretty much have to take Advil. And if I need to use the bathroom or have gas, holy shiz, it feels like I am 3 days post-partum again. The next 4 days of AF are like a normal medium- heavy period.

I had my annual the first week of August and the doc said to give it a year to get back to normal, but that was before the heaviness and cramps started and it will be a year Wednesday. 

Is this happening to anyone else?

 

 

ETA: I am not using any birth control (and don't want to) and I was EPing and still pump 2x a day. 

surpriseaddition

I had my c-section 12 years ago with DS (our second).  I also BF and was doing it around 2x per day when he was a year so similar there.  Yes, I had rediculously heavy bleeding and after I finished nursing I went on the pill because of it.  I know you said you don't want to, but we already had 2 kids at that point.  My doctor put me on the seasonal one where you only get it once per quarter, and after a year of that pill, I never got AF anymore.  That freaked me out, so I went off it shortly after a year.  Once off, AF returned and was back to normal.  I wasn't on it too long, but it seemed to correct the problem. 

RayRay007

AF for me is lighter and shorter than before, but with spotting on either side which I never had before and awful gas and bloating.

pixiepie76

That sounds a lot like what I'm going through actually.  I have super heavy flows, with cramping so bad, I almost have to spend the first day or two in bed.  I am going through way too many pads per day, and I have the spotting in between.  I'm going to ask my dr about it, in a few weeks, at my next pap smear appointment and see what he says. 

JennV514

I had horrible horrible periods after my first.