Hi guys – Time and time again I hear women talking about these things and sadly over and over again there seems to be so much confusion . . .

I breastfed my eldest daughter and I remember this time with great fondness but I also remember

being confused about al lot of things. Don’t get me wrong I knew ALL about breastfeeding and how to do it, ALL about storing my milk etc BUT sadly that was were my education ended.

I believe that as parents we should be aware of as much info as possible because lets face it, we don’t need any extra stress and not knowing causes stress! ! !  So anyway I’ve done some research for everyone and have put this together.

The main rule to remember here is that nearly anything is considered normal when it comes to your period while you are breastfeeding. Most of us know that breastfeeding can stop our periods for a little while; however there are some mums that never get their periods whilst breastfeeding. Then of course there are the really lucky mums who don’t get their period until after they have completely weaned their bubs. (I wish)

When your periods returns its very important not to expect your period to be as it was before. Some women will have shorter and lighter periods whilst others suffer with heavier and longer periods. . ALL this is still considered by doctors and nurses to be normal. It is also very normal for your periods to be irregular, for some women this may mean a period once every few months. (Sadly mine were heavier, longer and painful. Just my luck, sheeesh)

Please remember that once your period returns (even if only once or just a few spots) that you are fertile again and you should take precautions if you do not wish to have another child yet.

Years ago there was an old wives tale that said that if a women began her periods she must STOP breastfeeding immediately because the milk was no longer any good and had turned sour. . THIS IS NOT TRUE . . . . . Mums can continue breastfeeding as normal when their periods return.

If you are breastfeeding and your period does return there are a few things that you need to know.

• Some women may suffer from a temporary drop in their milk supply prior to or after their period. This is due to hormones and is normal and nothing to stress about. Babies themselves tend to cope well with this and adjust themselves by feeding a little longer or a little more frequently.
• Some women complain about nipple tenderness and a lack of patience while feeding. This too is normal and is related to hormones (have to love those hormones don’t we. .  NOT)
• It has also been said that some babies can taste a very slight change in flavour of milk just before your period. This may make your baby a little fidgety or less enthusiastic. (Look on the positive side, your baby can tell you when you’re a due)

We all know the benefits of breastfeeding and most of us choose to do this, as I said above I breastfed my eldest yet sadly I was unable to breastfeed my two younger children. Even though I did not breastfeed my two youngest I still put them close enough and mimicked breastfeeding as closely as I could. This too affected my hormones much the same as actually breastfeeding. So for those mothers who opt to bottle-feed some of you may still experience some of the things I have mentioned above.

It’s also important to remember that if you are at all concerned that you sho8uld speak to your local Child Health nurse or Breastfeeding Support Service

Some of this comes from leaflets; other titbits come from various websites and also some info come from my nurse friend.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you and others out there . .

Cheers Kellz

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