Breastfeeding and Child Spacing
Question
I hope you can help me.
My baby is now 10 months old – exclusively breastfed for 8 months. Now he is still nursing 5-6 times a day and sleeping through the night.
I bled postpartum for close to 3 months and almost immediately resumed having irregular periods. At first they were 2 weeks apart, then 3, and then one period came 4 weeks later. The next period did not come until 7 weeks later. The last period came a little after 8 weeks. I am not on birth control. I would like to do natural child spacing. Am I ovulating? If yes, when does ovulation occur in a 59-day cycle?
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Answer
Last Updated: June 14, 2013
During the breastfeeding time you certainly may learn to use NFP. In fact it is a wonderful way to track your return to fertility. It is not unusual for women who are breastfeeding to experience some days of break-through bleeding, which would not be considered a true menstruation. From your description you may have experienced some of this . A nornal menses is 3-7 days in length and has a crescendo (light-medium-heavy-medium-light)or decrescendo flow (heavy-medium-light). Also with breastfeeding, when you are returning to your fertility you would expect some irregularity in your cycles. This is related to fluctuation in hormone levels, that can be related to baby’s eating patterns.
With a knowledgeable NFP teacher, you can learn to negoiate your return to fettilty with confidence. You will learn the sign or signs in your cycle that reflect ovulation. If you live in California, you may contact CANFP for a teacher near you.
Sincerely,
Maureen Scagliotti, RN, FCP
With a knowledgeable NFP teacher, you can learn to negoiate your return to fettilty with confidence. You will learn the sign or signs in your cycle that reflect ovulation. If you live in California, you may contact CANFP for a teacher near you.
Sincerely,
Maureen Scagliotti, RN, FCP
Answered By:
Maureen Scagliotti, RN, FCP
Maureen Scagliotti, RN, FCP, Founding Board Member of CANFP, taught the Creighton Model FertillityCare System of Natural Family Planning, while working as an OB nurse, in the Oakland Region, until her retirement.
