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Normal Postpartum Cycle?

QUESTION

Dear Midwife,
I had my first child seven months ago. I have been breastfeeding her all along, and I introduced baby foods about two months ago.

This morning I thought I had gotten my first period since giving birth, but it wasn't what I expected. Other moms had told me horror stories about their first periods after giving birth, but the bleeding today has been light, I've had no cramping, and I had no typical PMS symptoms.

Am I just really lucky to have such an uneventful first period?

Or could this be implantation spotting and I'm pregnant? So now I am wondering if it really is a period I am experiencing.

ANSWER

Your first period after several months of breastfeeding is most apt to be a normal cycle or light spotting.

The other possibility is you are pregnant especially if you are not using really good contraception given your baby's age and that you are not exclusively breastfeeding.

I'd suggest a pregnancy test just to be sure, and if it's negative, count your blessings. :-)

-- Cynthia, CNM. PhD.

Cynthia Flynn

Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.