Are you extra fertile after having a baby?

[KLD313]

My DD is 6 mos old. I stopped BF'ing around 3 mos but I had what I thought was a period around 6 wks post partum but it was light and since then I had light bleeding monthly but I bled twice in Feb and the second time was super heavy. Then I started to feel like I was ovulating a couple wks ago so now I think my period is due BUT I have this weird feeling in my stomach like I did 1000 sit ups and that's exactly how I felt when I was first pg with DD. Can you tell I'm freaking out?

[Uno-Mom]

I got my period back quickly, even though I breast fed for 13 months! And it was lots heavier and sometimes more achey than before I was pregnant. I got those nasty twinges that I'd heard other women describe getting at ovulation.

Nope, I didn't get pregnant during that time. Phew. :) I'm not sure it my stronger cycle experiences were from having given birth or just from being pill-free. I think the symptoms were stronger than before I first went on the pill, but that was about 9 years ago so maybe I didn't remember right.

[DietCokeLover]

I don't know the medical answer to your question, but I was nursing Dd, had period return at around 6 or 7 wks postpartum and got pregnant at about that same time. DCs are 11 months apart, so my nonmedical answer is that I definitely think I was more fertile.

[daisymommy]

It all depends upon the person. With my kids, I didn't get my period back until 15 months post-partum. Generally, you don't start ovulating until 1 month before you get that first period.

[KLD313]

I got my period back quickly, even though I breast fed for 13 months! And it was lots heavier and sometimes more achey than before I was pregnant. I got those nasty twinges that I'd heard other women describe getting at ovulation.

Nope, I didn't get pregnant during that time. Phew. :) I'm not sure it my stronger cycle experiences were from having given birth or just from being pill-free. I think the symptoms were stronger than before I first went on the pill, but that was about 9 years ago so maybe I didn't remember right.

Your periods were always heavy after you had your baby or did it go back to normal?

[fedoragirl]

I don't know the answer to your question but I do know my own experience. I didn't get my period back till 3 months after I quit nursing. I got erratic cycles along with heavy and light. I got pregnant on the first try so I think I must have been super fertile.

[bostonsmama]

It's usually not that women are extra fertile, more that normal fertility returns and you usually don't know it b/c ovulation happens 2 weeks before the first period, often with no signs or symptoms. A whole range of fertility can be normal post partum. I had a friend who needed IVF after her first, but after her second, she was 28 days like clockwork, which had never happened before. PG does weird things.

[sste]

I am just like bostonmama's friend. I swear that not only pregnancy but motherhood and lt breastfeeding jacked up my hormones. Prior to TTC with DS (which was a long, difficult process) I had a 20/21 day cycle and the suspicion was that I was low on progesterone. After having DS, nursing for 14 months, and just being a nonpregnant, non-nursing mom for an additional year, I had no problem getting pregnant with DD two years after DS was born. In fact, it took a month! When my period returned post-DS it was a nice 24 day cycle and stayed that way.

[KLD313]

Thanks everyone. I got my period yesterday as expected so that was good but it's soooo heavy again which is not good. I'm definitely not used to heavy periods.