# For those who have EBF 2+ kids, Did your cycle come back at the same time?



## Abraisme (Mar 8, 2009)

Hello all, I was just wondering if most people have their cycle return at the same time pp with each child?

My period returned right at 12mo pp the first time around. We want to have another baby, but not until at least 12mo pp. I'm really wondering if we should start trying to prevent for the next few months or not. (I know that there aren't any guarantees).


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## ~Katie~ (Mar 18, 2007)

About the same time. Five months for DS and four and a half months for DD. I'd say if you don't want to get pregnant it's better to be on the safe side and use some sort of prevention, you can ovulate before your first PPAF as that is what happened to me with both children.


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## pianojazzgirl (Apr 6, 2006)

My cycle resumed many months earlier with my first - but then again she wasn't the avid nurser that my 2nd was.

FWIW I think AF came after 10 months the first time and after 16 months the 2nd time.


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## K-Mom3 (Apr 27, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pianojazzgirl* 
My cycle resumed many months earlier with my first - but then again she wasn't the avid nurser that my 2nd was.

FWIW I think AF came after 10 months the first time and after 16 months the 2nd time.

My second was earlier--but she started going 5+ hour stretches at night much earlier and I assumed that was why. So for me it was 11 months, 7 months, 9 months.

I really like the book Garden of Fertility by Kate Singer--I read it after my cycle had resumed after baby #3 but it had a lot of information that would be nice soon after your baby is born. Like, how to keep your cf dry for longer to keep fertility from resuming and also how to try to bring back af so that you can start reading your fertility signs more reliably. There's also lots of threads on this topic in the fertility forum.


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## tabrizia (Oct 24, 2007)

I voted in the much later category, but I don't really feel it was much later. With DS it returned at 7 months, with DD it returned at 9 months, so 2 months later, but with DD I was also tandem nursing since both DS and DD were nursing at the time. So I am not sure if it would have returned earlier if it was just DD nursing or not.


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## lrlittle (Nov 11, 2005)

DS1 was 12 months. DS2 was 5 months, total bummer for me. DS2 is a much "better" sleeper though, so I try not to complain.


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## Biscuits & Gravy (Jul 17, 2008)

I got it back when DS1 was around 12 months old. I was pumping for him at work at the time, and dropped a session which I believe is the reason for it returning.

DS2 is 15 months and it has not returned. He has started sleeping a bit more in the evening so I'm wondering if that will bring it back. I hope not.


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## greenmamapagan (Jan 5, 2008)

Same for me. 1 day shy of 6 months for DD and 3 days after for DS. Tandem feeding only bought me another four days. Mightily peeved here.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

12 months with #1, but only about one month with #2. Huge difference.


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## dex_millie (Oct 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamazee* 
12 months with #1, but only about one month with #2. Huge difference.

I about the same as you

14 months with #1, then around 3/4 months with #2. #2 was and still is nursing multiple times during the night.


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## Mamabeakley (Jul 9, 2004)

DS1 = 15 mo
DS2 = 9 mo
DD is 8 mo & no definite signs yet

They are all pretty different nursers, though. DS1 was all-boob, all-the-time. DS2 was so distractible I could hardly get him to stay latched for 5 minutes at a time. DD is somewhere in between, so I'm anticipating that my cycle will come back somewhere in between 9 mo and 15 mo.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

this time was my longest, even though she wasn't ebf at first (preemie, nicu 17 days, came home 100% bottle fed my bmilk).

#1 ebf until 2 1/2 mos, af back at 8 wks pp
#2 ebf until 6 mos, af back at 6 wks pp
#3 ep until 6 mos, af back at ~8 wks pp (not entirely sure...he was in nicu 35 days)
#4 ebf until 6 mos, af back at 9 wks pp
#5 ep for 6 wks, ebf until 6 mos, af back at 11 1/2 wks pp


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

DS1 it came at 9 months pp...

DS2 I *swear* I had a period at 2 months pp (actually, 8 wks, almost to the hour since DS was born...). But then I had nothing untill 4 days ago (7.5 months) when I started again. DS2 is still more or less ebf, though he's had a few bites of solids off and on for the last month or so.


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## tracymom1 (May 7, 2008)

After DS was born I conceived DD without having had a period (surprise!)- I was about 12 months postpartum. This time around AF returned at 6 months postpartum, even though I am BFing around the clock!


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## Abraisme (Mar 8, 2009)

Well, it seems that I should start being a little more careful. My baby is still nursing several times at night, plus I pump about 10oz a day to donate, but it still doesn't seem guaranteed in any direction.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Wow, I'm surprised to see all these early returns of periods with exclusively bfed kiddos!

From what I have read, the average for people still nursing is 10(?) months. For moms who ecologically bfeed (no pacifiers, no bottles, night nursing is unrestricted...) the average is 14 months.

AF returned with DD (first child) at 11.5 months. She continued nursing at least every 1-2 hours around the clock until after she turned two (and we partially night weaned for 4-5 hours a night). AF returned with DS (second child) when he was 25 months. Still nursing around the clock.

Supposedly, on average, it takes longer to return with each subsequent child. That said, it also, on average, takes longer for women who are lighter (weight).


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

"Other" for me.









DS: 1st PPAF at ~8 months, he was exclusively BFd on demand night and day.

DD1: 1st PPAF at 5 months. She was exclusively BFd on demand night and day, tandem nursing with DS.

DD2: 1st PPAF just a couple days shy of 1 year. DD2 was nursing on demand around the clock, but was eating solids. Triandem nursed until DS weaned a few months past 4 years, still tandem nursing with DD1.

(Apparently my body thinks it's time to get pregnant again ~14-15 months post-partum, any birth control or other TTA methods be damned.







)


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

15 months with DD, 16 months with DS.


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## Abraisme (Mar 8, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tracymom1* 
After DS was born I conceived DD without having had a period (surprise!)- I was about 12 months postpartum. This time around AF returned at 6 months postpartum, even though I am BFing around the clock!

This is what I would like! I want to see how many years I can go without a period.. ha ha. Yet, I don't want to get pregnant right now.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

All four times, my cycle returned right around a year post-partum. It didn't matter if I was weaning (like with my first), or tandem nursing (like I did with my 3rd and 4th baby). It always came back right around then - with no correlation to them sleeping through the night, either. My first was sleeping all night at 10 weeks, my 3rd was up nursing frequently (with his younger brother) until he was 3 years old.

I guess that's just when my fertility returns.


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## sewaneecook (Nov 1, 2005)

After #1, 4 months PP.

After #2, 10 weeks PP.

No pumping or supplementing either time!


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## Lucy Alden (Jun 15, 2009)

#1, 10 months pp
#2, 4 months pp
#3, 11 months pp (tandem nursing)

I think af came back at 4 months with #2 because he was tongue tied. He had a hard time latching and just didn't seem all that interested. Once he was clipped, he began to nurse like a champ!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

I voted Other. With my first two, it came back at essentially the same time - 18 months or so. With my youngest, though, it came back at around 15 months. Interestingly, he was the only one I was with 24/7 and didn't have to pump at work for. I would have expected it to come back earlier with the first two, and later with him. No such luck!


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## dkenagy (Jun 25, 2004)

I wasn't exclusively nursing my first and I got my first PPAF around 6 weeks. Then, with my second, it was 11 months to the day. Third was 10 months and a couple days, fourth was 14 months. Each of the last three were very similar nursers; all still nursing around the clock past a year... funnily enough, my earliest "BFing" ppaf was with my baby that nursed the most; EVERY two hours or less from birth well past a year...


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Well, for the first two it came back around 18 months. This time, 2 months postpartum!!


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## puddleduck (Jan 3, 2005)

6 months
4 months
8 weeks!

This was with BF constantly day and night at least every hour.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I am quite thin, nurse around the clock day and night, only had one child that a bottle or paci for a short amount of time.

DD1- 2.5 years

DD2 18 months

DS 8 months

Yea, it has come back ONE YEAR earlier with each child.







I was really surprised at the 8 month one, I know the average is 14 months, I couldn't believe that I had gone years before and then it went down to a measly few months. A little bitter yes, for the first time in 7 years I have finally having to think about BC.


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## Huck (Apr 2, 2008)

AF returned at 6 months with DS, who was a very frequent nurser day & night.

AF returned at 4 1/2 months with DD, who doesn't nurse as much as DS and started sleeping 5 hour stretches within the first 3 months. We're tandeming with DS.


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

DS1 and 2 8 weeks
DD 5.5 weeks. So around the same time.


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## Harmony96 (Jun 3, 2005)

I can't answer this poll yet, but I'm holding my place, lol. With DD, she had no solids or pacis or bottles until 8 months, but was sleeping through the night starting at around 3 weeks old (surprised me b/c I totally thought I'd be nursing at least once/night for a LOT longer than that). AF came back when she was 7 months old.

With DS, he is also sleeping through the night, but started that a little later, at about 7-8 weeks. He's 5.5 months old now and I haven't had any signs. I did have a big sign w/ DD around the time of my first ovulation (painful latch-on for a few days). When it happened, I wondered if I'd ovulated.... and sure enough, 10 days later, there came AF.


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## elisheva (May 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TiredX2* 
For moms who ecologically bfeed (no pacifiers, no bottles, night nursing is unrestricted...) the average is 14 months.


This is me. Until dd could get her had in her mouth recently it was only my breast for her. Yet I got my period back at 8 weeks pp...oh, and I am tandem nursing, too. With ds1, I got AF at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks with ds2. Hurrah for tandeming.









I'm, shall we say, fluffy. I wonder if fluffiness is a factor...


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## mae14 (Mar 26, 2009)

my first was a section and got my cycle back 2 weeks after the pp bleed was finished. My 2nd was vbac and my cycle returned 9 months after and with my third 7 months after.


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## MangoMommy (Oct 20, 2008)

#1--5 mo (was not EBF)
#2--15 mo
#3--8 mo, which bummed me out. She nurses all the time, doesn't sleep thru the night,etc and does get bottles or even solids.


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## lava (May 5, 2007)

With #1 we had bf problems so she was getting formula and I was pumping and bf'ing part-time and gave up by 2-3 months. Got 1st pp period at 6 weeks.

With #2, #3, and #4, very successful bf'ing, nursing round the clock, etc. #2 had no soother but my boob, #3 did take a paci, and #4 found his thumb early on (which still amazes me--never had one express even a mild interest in their thumb before)--but none of them slept more than 1-2 hours that early on. All of those--1st ppp at 6 weeks. And yes, fertility too--#2 and #3 are 13.5 months apart--you do the math.









Guess it's just how my body works.

-lava


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## Just1More (Jun 19, 2008)

Seems like when I get below 9 hours of nursing a day is when it's over for me.

That's been different for each one. 13 months, 7 months, and 10 months.


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## firewoman (Feb 2, 2008)

I can't remember when it came back with my first, but all the others are listed.

2nd-9 months
3rd- 8 weeks
4th- 4 months
5th- 3 months


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

I'm like the unluckiest woman when it comes to AF with DD it was at 8-9 weeks PP, with DS it was at 7 weeks PP. With him I bled all 6 weeks too, ugh. Way LAME, I EBF all night and day and no matter what I am just one regular woman.


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## redpajama (Jan 22, 2007)

I voted "much later," but I was tandem nursing, so I think that had some effect.

After my first child, I started my period at ~11 months.

After my second (while tandem nursing), I started my period at ~19 months.

And I'm currently tandem nursing my second and third, so I guess we'll see!


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Because this is a cycle question and not one specifically about parenting a baby, I am moving this to Fertility.


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## ms.shell (Jul 25, 2008)

DS1 was 15 months when af came back.
so i was QUITE surprised when i got a period before ds2 was 2 months old. They both were EBFed, but my younger son started sleeping through the night really early and i guess that is why af came back so much earlier after his birth. (the sleeping through the night thing was short lived, btw- now at 1 yo he wakes up at least 2x a night (or more) to nurse).


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