No period and 18 months postpartum

[@llli*abaker89]

Mine came back both times right at 3 mths pp and I was nursing exclusively, no bottles or anything so all they got was from me. I was lucky tho mine never nursed much overnight, I make tons of milk and DD1 never nursed more than 7 times per day, probably down to 6 times by 12 weeks. DD2 was (and still is) super efficient and would at most nurse 6 times a day as a newborn and quickly dropped to 4-5 times per day by 12 weeks of age. She gained a pound a week with only nursing 5 times a day, this went on for many weeks. And they had to be getting enough since both were in the 90 % or more!

[@llli*kmanih]

Mine came back both times right at 3 mths pp and I was nursing exclusively, no bottles or anything so all they got was from me. I was lucky tho mine never nursed much overnight, I make tons of milk and DD1 never nursed more than 7 times per day, probably down to 6 times by 12 weeks. DD2 was (and still is) super efficient and would at most nurse 6 times a day as a newborn and quickly dropped to 4-5 times per day by 12 weeks of age. She gained a pound a week with only nursing 5 times a day, this went on for many weeks. And they had to be getting enough since both were in the 90 % or more!

Oh, you must be one of the moms with a "high storage capacity"! One of my nursing books (I think "breastfeeding made simple") talks about such lucky moms...

I also couldn't vote as I got my period back at 10 months. Nursing 7-8 times a day... but a few weeks before my baby started to sleep from 12 to 6 am without nursing. After reading your comments about prolactin levels, now I understand why! To be honest, I wish I could have gone much longer without a period... It was a nice break. And I don't yet feel like my old self despite having gotten the period... maybe because I only had one cycle so far. Enjoy your break...

[@llli*abaker89]

It has been nice with the high supply but not so nice to get the period back so soon. Both my babies were fussy at that time of the month and with a fussy mom that is a recipe for disaster I did pump some when they were little and could pump well over 1o oz after they nursed in the morning.

[@llli*zorkycharlemagne]

I got mine 6 months pp. I was so upset.

[@llli*lllmeg]

I know this is perfectly normal, but I'm getting incredibly frustrated. I nurse my son at least 4x/day and all through the night, however, I want it back to feel like a normal woman again!

You are a normal woman. It is perfectly normal to have menses stop for this period of time (or longer) after pregnancy and birth, especially if you are breastfeeding. Speaking biologically, species wide, what you re experiencing is much more normal (and healthful) than to not breastfeed and have fertility return weeks after giving birth. It is also perfectly normal for your baby to want to nurse frequently at night.

If you want your period back that is your call, of course, as it is if you want to nightwean for any other reason as well. I also (temporarily) night weaned my oldest at around 18 months because I had not gotten my period yet and I wanted to get pregnant again sooner rather than later. I ended up getting pregnant shortly after my oldest turned two, by which time I would have likely had my fertility return naturally anyway, despite continuing to nurse round the clock (as happend after my youngest.) So I likely could have saved myself the trouble. Nightweaning is so often seen as a solution to all kinds of issues, and it can be appropriate, but it is often no picnic and can be really tough on mom and baby.

[@llli*mommal]

with LLLmeg. Do you want your period back because you want to get pregnant again, or do you want it back because you feel more "normal" when you have a monthly cycle? If it's the latter, I suggest letting that feeling go. There are immense biological advantages to not having a monthly cycle. Did you know that until the invention and widespread use of effective contraception, breast cancer was very rare? In fact, the only women who had a high incidence of breast cancer were nuns and spinsters- the only women who experienced monthly cycles throughout their reproductive-age years! It makes sense, now that people have discovered how many cancers feed off of estrogen. Every time a woman rides the estrogen roller coaster, there's a higher potential for a tumor to grow.

I'm not saying "don't night wean or you'll get breast cancer". Just that if you can, you may want to enjoy this hiatus. It has some plusses.

[@llli*ehoneybee]

Thank you, Meg, what you say rings true for me. I'm straddling waiting it out and letting fertility naturally take place and giving it a little boost.
Do you want your period back because you want to get pregnant again, or do you want it back because you feel more "normal" when you have a monthly cycle?
It's a bit of both, I guess. I feel fertility would make me feel more normal and, in turn, pregnancy would be more possible. Update: For the last 5 days, I have not nursed my son AT ALL during the day, and this has been primarily baby-led. He no longer pulls at my shirt and when I pick him up, he doesn't turn toward the breast like he used to. This makes me SO pleased that we are both on the same page! Of course, night feedings are the hardest, and I have no interest whatsoever in forcing him off that (plus I love co-sleeping!) So, my husband now puts him to bed and then when he wakes in 4 hours, I nurse him quickly to sleep in the bed and return him to the crib (or sometimes fall back asleep). Then, when he wakes up 4 hours later, I bring him in bed with me for a little cuddling/nursing. I hope it's worth not nursing during the day to jump start my cycles. If the night feedings are the ones inhibiting my cycles, we are on the road to phasing those out, too, just much more slowly. I'm watching for signs of fertility since I've gone from 8+ sessions to 2-3 at night and will reassess if this makes no difference. I also have experienced excessive dryness since nursing, so that is one more reason to taper off. Thank you so, so much for your help, ladies!!!! You all are so wise and insightful ;-)

[@llli*ehoneybee]

Also, one of the reasons I've gone so long is because of the cancer connection with quick return of menses (well, and that my son really loves his boobie!). I know the WHO says 2 years, now, but I'm almost there anyway. The jury's out on if 2+yrs. is the magic number for protection, but I have to believe if I fall a bit short, I still have protection. Also, what about the breastfeeding women whose fertility naturally returns before the 1 yr. mark? It does seem to happen quite often. Perhaps it's not the length of ovulation suppression but the quickness of pregnancy afterwards?

[@llli*workermom]

Hello again! I posted earlier about still not having a period with my son being 16.5 months (17 next week). I had been feeling like I was getting my period for a month and then just yesterday . . .voila! The Captain has returned. Heavy, but not nearly as painful as it used to be. My son is still night nursing a few times between 12am - 5am but I guess my body was just ready to ovulate? My supply has tanked too as I used to be able to pump about 10-12 oz at work. Now, I am barely getting 8. How interesting to see what our bodies do when we let nature take her course . . .

[@llli*lllmeg]

I am not sure if this is taking the topic off topic, but I will say that, indeed, excessive dryness can be an issue for breastfeeding moms and can make intercourse uncomfortable or less enjoyable. Luckily, there are many products easily available that can help with this, even ones designed for when couples are trying to conceive.