What it is
You are wondering when your first period after the baby will come, or whether that bleeding was it. Ovulation and periods are held off by prolactin, the hormone that drives milk. The more often milk is removed, day and night, the longer they stay away.
What's typical
Not breastfeeding: the first period usually comes six to twelve weeks after birth. Exclusively breastfeeding: often not until the baby is taking solids or sleeping longer, around six to nine months. The first period is often heavier and longer than you remember. The next few cycles can be irregular. Lochia that had faded and then returns bright red after six weeks is often a period. Ovulation can come before the first period, so pregnancy is possible before you see one.
What's known
ACOG and La Leche League describe this range as normal. Heavy first periods are common and usually settle within three cycles.
What helps
- Keep pads on hand from about six weeks, even if you are breastfeeding. It arrives without warning.
- Iron-rich meals if the first periods are heavy. You are rebuilding blood from birth too.
When to call someone
- Nowsoaking a pad an hour for two hours, or feeling faint.
- Todaybleeding with fever or pain, or clots bigger than a golf ball.
- At your next visitno period by three months if not breastfeeding, or three months after weaning; very heavy or painful periods.
Who helps
Tools: Due Date Calculator
Related
- Postpartum bleeding (lochia): what's normal, what's notPostpartum: Your Body
- Birth control after birthPostpartum: Your Body
- How breastfeeding works: supply and demandFeeding Your Baby
- Weaning: gradual, abrupt, and baby-ledFeeding Your Baby
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Patient FAQ on postpartum birth control
- La Leche League International — FAQ on breastfeeding and the return of your period
- NHS — Your body after the birth
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