Re: Menstruation

[Marilyn Kleidon]

Hi Rhonda, Macha et al: I have had clients who were fully breastfeeding after lovely homebirths, family bed and so on who got their first period around 8-9 weeks postpartum and monthly (more or less) there after. I on the other hand didn't receive my period until exactly 4 weeks (I am sickeningly text book/average) after the very last nursing. For my second daughter it was ovulation that happened 2 weeks after the last nursing, so I didn't have a period for 3.5 yrs, just 2 pregnancies and births. My period started up exactly monthly there after. I menstruate like clockwork despite flood, fire, or famine, stress, divorce, family death etc.. I often feel like Descartes must have been thinking of my body when he thought up the mind body split. They are still frighteningly regular at 50. I don't have cramps so it isn't a big problem more amusing. So, I guess the hormonal mix is exquisitely individual. marilyn ----- Original Message ----- From: Rhonda To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Pinky McKay Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2002 7:28 PM Subject: Re: Menstruation You know that makes me sick! I am sooo jealous - 19 months HMM!!  I breastfed both mine and with Katelyn born 27/40 by emergency c/s I began menstruatin 5 weeks after her birth.  I put this down to the fact that my body did not recognise having a baby - it was more that it lost a baby - so to speak.  Then when I had George born 42/40 I had a traumatic birth and an emergency c/s (forced upon me for no good reason!) after 24 hours labour.  Still I bled for 7 weeks after birth and then at 81/2 weeks I began menstruating.  I breastfed him too.  (Both early onsets started regular menstrual cycles) I put it down to trauma and stressful birth - totally stuffed up the hormone levels etc etc.. Anyone else have any ideas? Anyone else know of it starting so soon after birth? Rhonda   -------Original Message-------   From: Pinky McKay Date: Saturday, June 08, 2002 22:07:40 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Menstruation   hi macha years ago, with a group of La Leche League mums we had a "mine is bigger than yours" sort of rave about who had gone the longest before menstruating post birth -All of us were breastfeeding toddlers or older. I almost "won" -I varied with each baby from fourteen months at the earliest to 19 months which happened while I was tandem nursing.Hormonal levels  depend on the baby's sucking patterns.I had bubs who sucked through the night (not a problem though -after about 3 months they found their own tucker at night, without disturbing me).   Why not check it out on the La Leche League site or ask at ABA for actual research type info? Might be an interesting forum question!!! Drop it in on somewhere like www.essentialbaby.com.au - and see if anyone is ACTUALLY breastfeeding!!   Pinky   ____________________________________________________   IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here