missed

Shivana - posted on 01/18/2011

i think a good link for everyone who is interested in tracking their cycle and working out their fertile time (in order to achieve or avoid pregnancy) is www.fertilityfriend.com

Kimberly - posted on 01/10/2011

I have to agree with Amy, and would encourage any postpartam woman to look in to the Billings or a simmilar Ovulation Method system. I have four children and have BF all of them and knowing more about your cycles and how your body is working relives SOOO much of the worry.

Amy - posted on 01/09/2011

I would echo what everyone else has said re: irregularities being pretty normal. I gave birth to my daughter in May '09. She was exclusively breastfed, but started sleeping through at 3 weeks (I know, very rare!), and so I wasn't feeding every 4 hours. The WHO points out that breastfeeding can only be assumed to stop ovulation if you're feeding every 4 hours day and night. So within a few weeks of the first night unbroken by a feed, I got a small amount of bleeding, that looked like my body's pitiful attempt to menstruate. It hadn't even been a year since my LMP, and I was completely unimpressed! However, I then had next to nothing about 30 days after that, about half a day's worth of some very confusing bleeding 30 days after that... then a normal period, that seemed much more like the pre-pregnancy pattern, 3 months after that first bleed. I think my body just took a while to get going with menstruating. Now the pattern's fairly normal, although a bit longer than pre-pregnancy. My daughter is still breastfed on demand at 20 months old - first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and at least 1 or 2 other times during the day. Sometimes it seems like it's all day, every time I sit on the couch! But those earlier bleeds were strange. They didn't even smell right, although I struggle to be more specific than that. Perhaps they were actually the last bits of post-partum bleeding Just be careful, and I would recommend the Billings Ovulation Method for spotting a return to ovulation. This is more significant than watching for your first period, as you may ovulate two weeks before your first period - or those bleeds may be anovulatory (no ovulation associated with it). Keeping an eye on your cervical mucus may help you to tell the difference!

Rhianna - posted on 01/09/2011

It could have been invulusion (not sure about the spelling) that happens when your uterus fully closes arounnd 8 weeks. It happened to me. Just make sure you are being careful if you don't want another one right away :)

Kim - posted on 01/08/2011

I wouldn't be too concerned. My daughter is 2 1/2, and my periods are still odd. I've started tracking them, and it looks like my cycle has just changed to a longer one... used to be 30 days, now it's more like 40. But I was kinda freaked out for a while. But yeah, I wouldn't be concerned. Oh, and whether your period is regular or not, you could definately be ovulating, so like everyone else said, keep in mind that you definately could get pregnant. I started taking monthly preg tests once I was done breastfeeding, cause I really didn't want to get pregnant and not realize it and drink. But I was done with the whole constant sobriety! Gotta have a drink with the girls every once and a while!! :D

Kat - posted on 01/08/2011

Could be LAM Lactation Amenoria the lactolin and oxytocin levels in your blood prevent the folice stimulating hormone or FSH from being produced so you don't ovulate and therefore don't have a period. but still use protection as you will ovulate at some stage

Bernadette - posted on 01/08/2011

my period came back at 3 months too, and I was breastfeeding as well. Maybe get a doctor to do a pregnancy test because if you have low levels of the hcg hormone, sometimes the home tests can fail to pick it up and give you a false negative reading. A blood test will tell you for sure.

Marsha - posted on 01/08/2011

Yea, periods are messed up after a baby. I usually had one within a month, then nothing for 8-9. With both of my children!
Just be aware and use protection, like Laura says. Even if you don't have a period for months, you can still get pregnant anyhow. Breastfeeding isn't 100% pregnancy proof.

Jessie - posted on 01/01/2011

thanx it has me all freaked out. my husband says i need to relax and trust the tests lol

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/01/2011

Cycles can be VERY irregular while breastfeeding. Most bf moms don't get a period for 8-18 months! But some do get them earlier and then they are usually infrequent and unpredictable.If the test says negative, I'd think you are just taking a slow time easing into your cycles again. I have one friend who got one period at 3 months and then not another one til 9 months! So it's not predictable, just have protected sex and be prepared! It could show up out of nowhere, or could be gone again for months!

There's no true 'normal' because every woman and baby makes for a totally different arrangement so it's really 'normal' to be quite abnormal if you know what I mean :)