when was your 1st cycle after baby?

KristyElder · August 2010

I'm new to this board, and my baby girl is 9 months old. I still breastfeed about 4-6 times a day, usually not at night though. I still haven't gotten my period back yet, but that doesn't surprise me as much as it does frustrate me. I had a very irregular period before I went on fertility treatments to get pregnant the first time, sometimes going 90 days, and I didn't ovulate on my own at all. My FS and OB said this pregnancy could have jumpstarted things in my system though, so it might not be so hard next time. Does anyone have any experience with this? When did you get your first cycle, and did you have problems with irregular cycles before you got pregnant?

BetchySprout · August 2010

Most people here don't have any babies, so your best bet for this question might be a baby board.

I got my period back 9 months post partum, after going off of the minipill. I breastfed until 1 year but my cycles were pretty normal.

I have a few funny ones here and there, but for the most part, they have always been about 30-32 days.

Cat-in-Boston · August 2010

My sister had difficulty getting pregnant with her first child. At her 6 week check she was told by her doctor to start trying for a second one anytime as it took so long their first time that it wouldn't hurt to start trying right away. She was only pumping at that point, but needless to say, she now has 2 under 2...

Your period may not start but you may still be ovulating. My advice is to just start to try when you figure you're ready and if you need to track your system in order to try and figure out ovulation then do that as well.

KristyElder · August 2010

Thanks! I'll try the baby board too!

staycee · August 2010

she was 6.5 months old. she'd nurse morning and night. And I'd pump 3x's a day at work still when it returned.

MySweetBaboo · August 2010

I got my first pp period 6 weeks pp, but the second cycle was 57 days long. Since the long one, I have had them from 27-31 days, before baby they were every 28 days on the nose.

sweet*pockets · August 2010

3 months pp... even though I EBF until 6 months. go figure... took another 3 months to regulate back to 28-30 day cycles. HTH.

tosh24 · August 2010

5 f***** weeks! Angry Yeah, I was not happy (and no, it wasn't post-partum bleeding, and I ebf for 6 months, bf for 14 months).

My mother had a similar situation in which her pregnancy with me "jumpstarted" her very pre-pregnancy irregular cycles into very regular cycles. It may not happen for everyone though. And even if being pregnant were to help your cycles, it still may be early yet for AF to return if you are bf. I have a few friends who waited well over a year for AF to come back while they were bf. Good luck to you!!

collyflower · August 2010

I didn't get mine back until a month after I totally finished BF/pumping (which was 8 months pp).

ToBeMrsC6907 · August 2010

10 months pp, and I EBF'd.

May524 · August 2010

I got my first pp period about 3-4 weeks after delivery. I know it's TMI but I just stopped bleeding from delivery and then my period came. Grrr.

momtoRaegan041008 · August 2010

I didn't get my period until I stopped Pumping ( I exclusively pumped), that was after my daughter was a year old. I was on the mini pill until I stopped pumping and got my first period and went back on BCP.

waterbaby16 · August 2010

Hi Kristy. My DS is 9 mo and I still bf about 6-8 times a day. AF returned 6 months pp, and has been regular since. I have always had 28-29 day cycles though. It is normal to not see AF till you wean completely.

I have heard of many having an easier time getting pregnant the 2nd time around. Good luck to you!!!

Marcilyn0812 · August 2010

I EBF'd and pumped 1x a day at work and I got my back around a year.

Stephcara · August 2010

I BF for 6 months and got my first period about a month after weaning.

purpletulip · August 2010

I'm hoping I'm about to get my first one, and ds just turned one. We're still BF'ing day and night. I had irregular periods before I got pregnant.

I started charting (you don't have to wait for your period to do so, just pick a day and jump right in) about a month ago and I think I may have caught my first post partum O.

GL!