# Soonest menstration returns postpartum while exclusively breastfeeding?



## AppleBlossomBaby (May 27, 2008)

I am only 3 1/2 weeks postpartum. My daughter was born at home with no complications. I had lochia for two weeks which has since stopped last week. But then this morning I am having menstrual like cramps and some very light red spotting( like a very light period). My daughter is exclusively breastfeed on demand and we cosleep, so she is nursing through the night too. I am also tandem nursing wiht my two year old. I am really wondering if this is my menstrual cycle returning so soon!? Or could it be something else? If so, is it normal to have like a mini period postpartum before your cycle returns while nursing? With my other children, my menstrual cycle returned at 8 months and 4 months...and I thought that was soon while exclusively breastfeeding!


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## Lahlah (Jan 8, 2008)

Mine returned after 3 months and we are EBF. Did you do too much physically? My PP bleeding occurred off and on for 6 weeks and usually came after I tried to do too much housework, errands, etc.


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## Khourtniey (May 3, 2007)

I am EBF.. I pump around the clock every 2-3 hours... My baby was just born in March and I think my menses is returning... I dont know though.. TMI I never went to a PP checkup.. And I havent officially stopped having discharge yet. I think Im stopping because it starts turning white then it turns red again. I know Im not doing too much. My pp bleeding lasted a long time for my others.

I was EBF my other two.. My first returned within a few months and my second was 8 months.


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## Khourtniey (May 3, 2007)

Err I just noticed you are only 3.5 weeks pp.. My guess is its still pp bleeding.


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## Jannah6 (Aug 29, 2007)

Mine always starts the next month PP. With DS1 my PP bleeding hadn't even stopped when my menses began







: I was about 3 weeks PP.


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## Jacksmum8 (Mar 7, 2006)

It really does sound like PP bleeding. Were you very active on that given day? The soonest I've heard of AF returning is 8 weeks PP and that was when bottle feeding, no breatfeeding at all. I never got my period back untill my DS was one year, and it was heaven, but I have endometriosis so it was a nice break.


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

I've been wondering the same thing

My DD is 6 weeks old and I stopped PP bleeding after about 2 1/2-3 weeks. Now just today I started bleeding again and I was really hoping that I wouldn't get my period again so soon. I'm wondering if mine is just more PP bleeding or if I'm just unlucky! lol
My DD is exclusively breastfed as well, we co-sleep and she nurses almost around the clock.


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## Jannah6 (Aug 29, 2007)

It's possible. It's happened 5 times over with me







. Maybe my next 1 will be different.


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## AppleBlossomBaby (May 27, 2008)

thanks for your replies. well today i am officially 4 weeks pp. and i woke up this morning and the bleeding is exactly like a period ...after the lochia stopped about a week ago completely. i was reading baout something called a "six-week bleed" perhaps this could be it? it is not like my pp bleeding at all. i am upset if this is AF so sooN! jeesh!


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I got my period at 3 months pp, nursing on demand, co-sleeping, baby wearing whole nine yards!

I did have times when I thought my pp bleeding was done, and then started up again a few days later, especially after a long walk or running errands etc


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## Carma (Feb 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tbone_kneegrabber* 
I got my period at 3 months pp, nursing on demand, co-sleeping, baby wearing whole nine yards!


Mine started 6 weeks PP with nursing on demand etc. and were also regular right away. Now that my two sisters also have babies, I found that they also got their period back really quickly with on demand nursing etc.
Sucks! Also in my case the first 3-4 periods were really heavy.

Carma


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## gingerbane (Jun 10, 2007)

Lochia ended at 11 weeks - AF returned at 12 weeks. I just couldn't win.


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## angeloak (May 23, 2008)

I had a similar question when I recently had the return of my period. My baby was born 1/08 and I have exclusively breastfed and worn her in a sling since she was born. After asking around, I had people tell me the return of menses has more to do with the length of time my baby goes between nursing. So since at 8 weeks she went almost a week sleeping 5 or 6 hours at night that triggered fertility. According to this child birth educator I asked, if a baby goes longer than 4 hours between nursing than it will trigger menses again. Can anyone verify this?


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## Khourtniey (May 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *angeloak* 
I had a similar question when I recently had the return of my period. My baby was born 1/08 and I have exclusively breastfed and worn her in a sling since she was born. After asking around, I had people tell me the return of menses has more to do with the length of time my baby goes between nursing. So since at 8 weeks she went almost a week sleeping 5 or 6 hours at night that triggered fertility. According to this child birth educator I asked, if a baby goes longer than 4 hours between nursing than it will trigger menses again. Can anyone verify this?

Consider it Verified







This is pretty much how it works.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

I got my period at 4.5 weeks pp, or at least I think that is what it was!! I should get it again in a week-week and a half so we shall see... I am thinking it came back so fast because my son has consistently slept for 5-6 hours stretches at night from the day he was born!!


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## tphoenix516 (Jun 14, 2006)

Hoping it's just pp bleeding!

I did that - pp bleeding stopped for a week or 2, then around 6wks I had 4 days of bleeding. I think I was just doing too much. I was so upset thinking my period was back already even with EBF.
Since then, no AF & I'm 11mos pp...


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## mstmompj (Apr 18, 2007)

Generally, any bleeding in the first 6 weeks is considered to be postpartum bleeding. However, you could start monitoring your morning temperatures to check for thermal shifts in the event of future bleeding incidents. I recommend the book *Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing* for more general information about the interrelationship between breastfeeding and the return of fertility.


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## Onemagicmummy (Jul 27, 2007)

i got first PP period at 7 weeks PP 2nd at 14 weeks 3rd at 21 weeks then they stopped after i got the implant in.

kiz


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## jsnv (Jan 2, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *angeloak* 
I had a similar question when I recently had the return of my period. My baby was born 1/08 and I have exclusively breastfed and worn her in a sling since she was born. After asking around, I had people tell me the return of menses has more to do with the length of time my baby goes between nursing. So since at 8 weeks she went almost a week sleeping 5 or 6 hours at night that triggered fertility. According to this child birth educator I asked, if a baby goes longer than 4 hours between nursing than it will trigger menses again. Can anyone verify this?

I'm sure there is going to be an exception to every rule so just call me exception...

With the first 3 of my children my period started back at 5 weeks and I never went more then 4 hours without nursing. (in the first couple of months)

But this one is my best sleeper, a couple of times longer then 4 hours (yay me!) and I'm now 7 weeks pp and still no period.

So~~ my own one person, very scientific study would disqualify this theory.


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## Beppie (Oct 24, 2005)

I also had a homebirth, with lochia stopping at 3-4 weeks postpartum. then at 6 wks pp i had 5 days of light bleeding, like a period (dd nursing exclusively all this time). 33 days later, I had light bleeding again for 10 days. but since then, I've had no bleeding at all (dd is almost 6 months old). so it might have been some kind of menstrual-like bleeding, but i doubt that i ovulated in this time. i've read a lot of books in this time, and one that was very helpful was The Garden of Fertility. she has a chapter on breastfeeding and fertility.


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## AutumnAir (Jun 10, 2008)

Wow, glad to know I'm not the only one. Doesn't make me feel much better about it though.. I got mine back 6 weeks PP. I know it was AF because DD is 5 months now and it's turned up faithfully every month since. She's EBF, we co-sleep and BW too. I was really looking forward to a bit of a break from AF since pre-pregnancy it was pretty bad - heavy and painful. One good thing, since DD it's been a bit lighter and I can actually function as a human being through it! But when I asked people IRL they all thought I was crazy - either they never BF or they did and didn't get AF back for a year or two...
Good to share!


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## Khourtniey (May 3, 2007)

Just thought you lovely ladies might like to know.... I had PP bleeding/lochia until this past week then BAM my period







Im so sad. I EP and Im up every 2-3 hours faithfully. Its so unfair. Im about 12 weeks pp


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