I'm wondering how long everyone bled after childbirth? I have been bleeding for 7 weeks. At about 3.5 weeks it seemed to stop, then I had a huge bleed (like hubby having to follow behind me down the hall to the bathroom with towels kind of bleed) and it hasn't stopped since. I am seeing my doc in a few days for my checkup, but I just thought I'd ask.
Could I have gotten my period at 5 weeks postpartum when I am exclusively breastfeeding? I thought I'd get a longer break than that!
It lasted until 12 weeks and then stopped! The doctor said this was perfectly normal for it to last up to 11 weeks, so I got an extra week or so in there!
I bled for nearly 3 months with my first (I had a 3rd-degree tear, which could have been part of it) and 2 months with my second. I got my period around the end of the bleeding (3 month mark) with my first, and haven't gotten it with my second (she's 14 weeks old).
I don't remember how long I bled after birth, but my period started at 7 months (while BFing).
I bled for around 11 weeks pp after our second child (with a small break but then it went on again). It wasn't normal. I finally called the doctor and he put me on medication to make it stop. I wasn't breastfeeding, though, so that may have made medication an option. In any case, I would talk about what's happening with the doctor.
I've had 3 kids and they were all different. All 3 have been exclusively breast fed, no bottles and no pumping ever..not once. My first 2 I pretty much got the break until around 6 months. With my third I never got a break. It would come and go and come and go. At my 6 week apt my midwife said everything was healing like it should be and I looked fine. She said it was probably that the lining kept trying to build up but wasn't getting far and I wasn't ovulating.
That much of a heavy bleeding though is a sign of something amiss though. You might have a retained piece of placenta or something. I would call your doctor sooner than you apt and tell them what it happening.
My post partum lasted for a solid 8 weeks and then was really irregular (despite breastfeeding) for the next 6 months. I didn't get a break either!
I don't want to scare you, and I know my experience is not the norm, but I still want to share it with you. After I had my daughter, I had a period for a long time...went to a 12 weeks checkup, still on my period. He tried the IUD, didn't work, tried several different types of BC, didnt work, did a D&C and put another IUD in, didn't work. Finally, he did a uterine ablation and a tubaligation in hopes it would stop my period. Didn't work. It's been almost 21 months and I'm still on my period. Somedays I spot, somedays I flow really heavy. I never know which day it's going to be. I have my hormone levels and bloodcount checked every 4 months and he cannot figure out the issue. My hormones are out of whack a little bit, but I'm not anemic. So, on the 18th, I am going to have a partial hysterectomy.
With your follow up, specially if you are bleeding that heavily, have him check your blood levels. Bleeding alot can cause a lot of harm and it's scary.
I think it's been 5 weeks that I bled postpartum for both. I breastfeed exclusively on demand, slowly introduce solids at 6 months (so they are mostly breastfeed from 6 to about 12 months), nurse at night, breastfeed past a year etc. I got a light period 15 months after my first was born (but didn't get back to regular periods and cycles until 18 months postpartum). My second is now 7 months and I have no period. But my cousin's wife breastfeeds the same way and gets her period back early (6 months or earlier even when nursing twins). So there's no guarantee, but statistically you have a 98% chance of being infertile for the first 6 months if you nurse on demand and around the clock.
When your bleeding came back heavy at 3.5 weeks, was it in response to you trying to do too much? My friend probably bled 7 weeks, and it would get heavy every time she tried to do too much.
As another example, I know another mom who bled for 9 weeks. Her midwife said that something abnormal was happening hormonally.
(Oh, to clarify, myself and the two other moms I mentioned all had vaginal births.)
I forget how long I bled for after birth... but my period kicked right back in 4 weeks almost to the day it stopped.
I was exclusively breast feeding as well. Breastfeeding is NOT a good source of birth control. It can work in certain cases, but not even most, much less all. In my family it's the "norm" for reproductive cycling to kick right back in almost immediately following birth. My OB had a suspicion I was already ovulating during my 2 week checkup (still bleeding from birth at that point).
Hm, something is wrong if you are still experiencing that much bleeding. was it a vaginal or c-section delivery? I bled for about 3 weeks with the vaginal delivery and did not get my first period until after 12 months. I breastfed for 15 months, first 7 months exclusively, after 7 months gradually in combination with solid food.
Dear mom, while exclusively breastfeeding delays the return of women's period, I think it's more than just breastfeeding. Are you breastfeeding on demand, for as long as your mom wants to nurse and not using a pacifier? I did plus my babies sleep with me and I didn't get my period for 4 years. That is from the time I got pregnant with baby #1 till 14 months after I gave birth to #2 who is exactly 2 years apart from #1. I got pregnant with #2 without ever getting my period, which probably means I would have gotten my period if I hadn't gotten pregnant with #2 as I was obviously fertile at that point. I got my period for the first time on Jan 1st of 2010 and got pregnant with #3 in March! I have to add that I nursed way past the 1 year mark and that breastfeeding was their main source of nutrition even after 6 months of age. I don't remember bleeding for too long after #1 or. #2, but #3 is 4 weeks today and I am still bleeding. Good luck to you!
Did you have a c-section or natural birth? I think it depends. My sister had a natural delivery and I believe she bled for a couple of weeks whereas I have only had c-sections and I bled for a little over a month. My doctor told me to do very light activity (no heavy lifting, no heavy house work, etc.) for as long as I was still bleeding. On the days when I felt strong enough to do more, I found that my bleeding was heavier and when I took a break and put my legs up to rest, my bleeding was lighter. IF you are exclusively breastfeeding (not pumping, not using bottles, or pacifiers ), then you shouldn't get a period so soon. I breastfed my first two children exclusively and my menstrual cycle didn't return for well over a year. This is a concern your should definitely talk to your OB/GYN about.
2.5 weeks with my first vaginal birth
3.5 weeks with my last - was a C section
I didn't get a natural period after either - I went back on the pill at 8 weeks each time and got the "pill period" that would normally come. So I can't say what would've happened normally.
If you had a C-section, I would check to see if anything has rutured internally. That doesn't sound normal. But they do say that the first period after childbirth is abnormally heavy. So, maybe.
Just had my first baby last fall. I bled for 5 weeks and it took 7 weeks after that to have my first period. I also had the slight reduced flow after 3 weeks and it got heavier again. I would have your doctor check and also keep taking your pre-natal viatmins to keep up iron levels and keep the rpotein up. Good luck.
