Postpartum Bleeding

Okay, so someone fill me in on why it couldn't be a period if you are breastfeeding. I am sorry I can't be of more help to you L., but I am confused. I have had 2 children before and both were bottle fed and we are going to breastfeed JJ when he is born. I need some hints here.

Hi L.,
After having my first child, I bled for almost 6 weeks. The doctor told me I was fine. I was breastfeeding too. You might bring it up to your OB/GYN in addition to your post. I didn't get anemic or anything.
I hope everything turns out good.
L. L.

I wouldnt be worried about ur issue. 6 weeks (and sometimes a bit longer) is the "healing process" from hving a child. You may just began to be more active and the bleeding increased or many things could help to make that begin harder. But in a couple weeks u hv ur six week ck up and thats when u should be done with the bleeding altogether. Some women go longer than 6weeks but not offen. I wouldnt worry. Its normal to be uncomfortable. U just had a baby pass through ya! Ur uterus is going down as well. Ur fine. If u really r super concerned and just cant wait to get the "ok" from the dr u could go in early. but u will still hv to come back for the 6 week ck up and it'd be very uncomfortable going in while ur bleeding and still swealed up...ugg.
I'd take it easy. No heavey lift or extra walking. Hope u didnt give to the "no " during ur healing process. Postpartum would hv to be soooo bad and mind stressed out to cause the bleeding. Ck things out on line
good luck and take care of u
R.

I didn't read the other posts, so I apologize if this has already been said. I too went through the same thing. The bleeding became light, then started back again, along with cramps. It's all very normal. For me, the whole ordeal lasted about 7 weeks. I was told by my Dr. that as long as it isn't very heavy bleeding, which means soaking a pad every 2 hours (so, you would go through 8-10 pads a day) you're fine. I remember thinking how quickly I had recovered, only to have it start all over again :(

You can have a period while you are breastfeeding. It's likely not to be as heavy as prepregnancy but it can still happen. You can also get pregnant while you are breastfeeding, even before the lochia stops. You are actual very fertile right now. This would be the reason they say no sex before the 6 week mark. It would be dangerous for you to become pregnant at this time.
This could be from over working your body, doing too much too fast. Or it could be a complication. I would take time to call your doctor, let them know whats going on and see what they have to say. That's what they are there for. They would rather you have a safe recovery than not.
Best wishes!

The same thing happened to me after the birth of my first son last year;I started bleeding again about 4-5 weeks after delivery. In my case it *did* turn out to be my period, even though I was breastfeeding exclusively. Sad, but true! Even though it's rare, that's still a possibility.

Hey L.! I would obviously consult your OB, but this definitely CAN be your period. MOST women don't have a period while breastfeeding, but some do resume normal periods shortly after delivery. So I would at least CALL if not go in to see your doctor and just ask him/her about it!! Good luck and congratulations!! ~~L.~~

L.,

If you think there is something wrong, especially with pain, contact your doctor right away. Just because you are nursing, does not mean you absolutely will not have periods. Listen to your instincts on this one--if you are worried, seek medical attention.

Best wishes,
K.

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter and for choosing to breastfeed! Such an excellent, healthy way to start for *both* you and your daughter (we all know breastfeeding is wonderful for babies, but did you know it's incredibly healthy for moms too - like a significant 25% reduction in breast cancer? and that the health benefits are even greater the longer you do it?). :)

On to the important topic: the bleeding. I agree with you that it would be *extremely* unlikely that it's a period, especially if you are exclusively breastfeeding (no pacis, no bottles of formula, etc.). So the 2 most common things would be:

1) an increase in your activity, and your body is responding w/ more bleeding as a little reminder that you're still healing, maybe take things a little slower for several more weeks, etc. This is probably the most common reason for an increase in lochia/bleeding.

2) possible retained products of conception (little piece of placenta still in there, for example) - this happened to me, and my experience with it made it pretty obvious something was up. I was passing bright red clots, these were increasing in size as the day and night progressed. I felt no pain or cramping, so at first I thought the bleeding wasn't anything, but clearly something was happening. ALSO, the big indicator for me was that my milk supply took a *drastic* sudden hit/decrease (I, too, was breastfeeding) to the point where I literally had to use some reserved, pumped breastmilk. It turns out that retained placenta can mess with your milk supply (hormones haven't completely shifted over into "postpartum, full-scale milk-making mode"). I ended up having a D&C to remove the retained placenta (got a spinal instead of general anesthesia so that I could continue to breastfeed immediately). As soon as the placenta was removed, like literally within 12 hours of that, a full milk supply returned (thankfully!!!). We're still breastfeeding and I don't take a moment of that for granted because of how close I was to losing that chance.

So... keep an eye on things, be gentle to yourself (even though you might want to be really active) and trust your instincts. If you feel like it's an increase in bleeding due to being overly active, then give yourself some time to rest and see what happens... difficult, I know, with having a newborn and a preschooler since that was my situation too, but try to enlist friends or family or a sitter! If your bleeding doesn't subside, or even if you just feel like something's "not quite right" or if you see other odd signs (like a sudden drop in your milk supply and your baby seeming hungry or frustrated at the breast), go to your care provider and ask them to do a transvaginal ultrasound to determine whether something out-of-the-ordinary is going on.

Hope everything resolves quickly and that nothing at all is wrong, and hold your babies close... my 2nd one (now 16 months) seemed to grow up way faster than my 1st (now 4 yrs old), and I just miss those precious newborn months, and all of those fleeting baby moments! All the best to you and your growing family. :)

As many mothers already said, this absolutely could be your period- even though you're breastfeeding. It's happened to many people I know.

However, as others pointed out, it could also be your body telling you to slow down. I had a couple weeks of regular, heavy bleeding postpartum and then it basically stopped. I thought I had healed pretty quickly and was lifting the full laundry bags, walking up and the stairs several times a day, etc. and then the bleeding started again. I took things easy again and it slowed.

The cramping could be your uterus contracting/shrinking back down. My postpartum contractions never bothered me, but while I was pregnant I heard they can be just as painful as labor ocntractions so I had prepared myself for the worst.

If you're comfortable asking, try to enlist some help from relatives or friends. I'm sure they'd be happy to lend a hand. You probably don't have anything to worry about, but call your doctor's office anyway to see what they say. :)

Hi L.,

I seemed to bleed forever after my second child (now 4 months old) and it did come and go. The pain you are experiencing could still be your uterus contracting. Aside from that, you do get your period while still breastfeeding. True mine didn't come back until 3 1/2 months but it is possible. It wouldn't hurt to call your doctor's office and talk with a nurse though. They can tell you if the amount of bleeding is normal.

C.

It's perfectly normal. I did the same thing for 8 weeks after my 2nd baby. Postpartum bleeding can go on for 3 months, in some women. You may notice that the more active you are, the more you start bleeding again. So it's nothing to worry about...as they say...just go with the flow, lol.

HI L.. I breastfeed my daughter and bleed for over a month after I had her. When you breastfeed it releases hormones that make your uterus contract postpartum (to get your uterus back into it's normal size). I did bleed pretty heavy though the whole time. As long as you don't pass any clots over the size of an egg, you are okay. If you are still concerned call your OBGYN and discuss it with them, after all that is what they are here for.

I would recommend that you see your OBGYN just to be sure.
But I can tell you that you can get your period breastfeeding.
My freind is on her second baby and with both babies, though breastfeeding them without any supplements has gotten her period back by week twelve with the first one and by week 6 with the second one.

This could possibly be your period, whether you are breastfeeding or not. I Had aperiod and I breastfed my son for 14 months. I was a bit disappointed LOL

L., I doubt that it's anything serious. It is probably your period. I breastfed my daughter & had very regular periods and went back on low dose birth control pills to help keep them light & regular. Some women are lucky enough to not get periods while they breastfeed but not all of us are so lucky. My first period after I had my daughter was pretty terrible, very heavy bleeding & cramping. I would call your OB/GYN and talk to one of the nurses about it just to put your mind at ease.