the joy of getting your period and breastfeeding

[leetarose]

so all the nurses and books say an added benefit to nursing is that it might ward off good ol' aunt flo. i also have the mirena, so i thought, "oh goody, no period for me". well, i get a light period every month for just a couple of days accompanied by shitty cramps.

Anyone else? Also, I have noticed that baby gets super irritable and refuses the breast during those couple of days. I can't find any lit to support my theory. Does anyone else have this issue? He makes a face like my milk is gross or something!

I asked the ob and she said i must not be nursing enough if my period came back! every two hours for the past six months seems sufficient for my LO who is already 20 lbs!

thoughts?

[kyriesmommy13]

dd is 25 months and still nursing several times a day. i got mirena around 4 months pp. fortunately, i didn't have any bleeding until about 2 months ago. it was not much bleeding. it only lasted a few days. and shitty cramps, lol. it then skipped a month, and i now have it back.

anyway, it is normal for baby to notice a difference and do all of the things you listed. i'veheard it many times. it could be due to a temporary decrease in supply (super irritable because he has to work harder), or a slight change in taste (making the face like the milk is gross because it tastes different)here is some info i found:

 

Low milk supply associated with menstruation: Calcium/magnesium supplement

Some women experience a drop in milk supply from ovulation (mid-cycle) until the first day or two of the next menstrual period. A woman's blood calcium levels gradually decrease during this period of time, and for some women the drop in blood calcium causes a drop in milk supply. For women who have this problem, calcium/magnesium supplements may be helpful. This practice has also been reported to eliminate most uterine cramping and some premenstrual discomfort such as water retention.

The recommended calcium supplement dosage is between 500 mg calcium/250 mg magnesium and 1500 mg calcium/750 mg magnesium (the higher dosage is generally more effective). Calcium dosages this high should not be taken alone, but as a calcium/magnesium (or calcium/magnesium/zinc) combination. Otherwise the calcium will not be adequately absorbed into your body. The amount of supplement depends on the composition of your diet -- the more animal protein, the more calcium/magnesium needed. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, the lower dosage may work fine for you.

Start the supplement when you ovulate, and continue through the first few days of your menstrual period. If periods are irregular, then begin calcium/magnesium at 14 days after the beginning of your last menstrual cycle, or simply take the supplement every day.  from kellymom.com

 

 

[kyriesmommy13]

Menstruation and Breastfeeding

Almost anything is considered normal when it comes to your periods while breastfeeding. All women experience a time of postpartum bleeding following birth which is not considered a menstrual period. If bottle-feeding, most mothers will have their first real period not long after this. Breastfeeding, however, suppresses menstruation at least for a while. For some mothers, there may be an absence of menstruation for weeks, months, and even years while still breastfeeding. Some mothers will even need to completely wean before they see their first period. Others, once their babies begin taking supplemental foods or sleeping longer periods at night, will see the first period. Once menstruation returns it may continue to be irregular during lactation. It's not uncommon to have a shorter or longer than normal period while breastfeeding. It's also not abnormal to skip a period or see the first period return and then find that months pass before the next one.

When the first period returns depends upon several factors: how frequently the baby is nursing, how often the baby is supplemented with bottles, whether or not the baby takes a pacifier, how long the baby is sleeping at night, whether or not solids have been introduced, and the mother's own individual body chemistry and the way it responds to hormonal influences associated with breastfeeding. Any time the stimulation to the breast is decreased, especially at night, menstruation is likely to return soon after.

When menstruation does return, you should consider yourself fertile and take precautions against pregnancy if desired. Some women consider their first period as their "warning period" that they are now capable of becoming pregnant. However, it IS possible to become pregnant before the first period returns, although quite rare.

The return of menstruation does not mean the end of breastfeeding. The milk does not sour or "go bad" when you are having a period. The milk is no less nutritious when you are menstruating than when you are not. Some women do notice a temporary drop in milk supply in the days just prior to a period and for a few days into one. This is due to hormonal fluctuations. Once the period begins and hormone levels begin to return to normal, the milk supply will boost back up again. Most babies can compensate well for this temporary drop in supply with more frequent nursing.

Nipple tenderness occurs for some women during ovulation, during the days before a period, or at both times. Some mothers report a feeling of antisiness while nursing at these times, too. As with the drop in supply this is also hormonally influenced and therefore temporary.

Some babies may detect a slight change in the taste of the milk just before a period, again, due to hormonal changes. These same babies may nurse less often or less enthusiastically during this time as a result.

For some women, the drop in milk supply and nipple tenderness associated with menstruation becomes more of a challenge. An effective treatment for these symptoms associated with the return of periods is to add a calcium/magnesium supplement to the diet upon ovulation and continue it through the second or third day of a period. The supplement should be 1500 calcium/750 magnesium but can be as low as 500 calcium/250 magnesium (the higher the dosage the more effective and quicker the results). It should be a combination pill. This much calcium should never be taken alone. If your cycles are not regular and you do not know when you ovulate, you can take the supplement the entire month until you begin to see a pattern to your flow. This type of supplement seems to work as it prevents the drop in blood calcium levels which occurs mid-cycle and continues through the second to third day of a period. It is this drop which is associated with the nipple tenderness and drop in milk supply as well as the uterine cramping so often experienced with menstruation. You only need to take one pill a day.

The herb, Evening Primrose, is also reported to alleviate nipple soreness brought on during ovulation or before a period. The dosage is one capsule per day.

 

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Written by Becky Flora, BSed, IBCLC Last revision: April 1, 2001

 

 

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More info:

How Can I Increase My Milk Supply?

 

 

[leetarose]

thank you! so I'm not crazy.... well, at least not about this one LOL!!!

[kyriesmommy13]

 

Quoting leetarose:

thank you! so I'm not crazy.... well, at least not about this one LOL!!!

 haha! definitely not! your doc is mistaken/misinformed :)