Your health visitor is there to help you find the best option for you and your baby. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, because it’s important that you’re happy about how you’re feeding your baby. However, there are many reasons why women decide not to breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding after a time.įinding the best way to feed your baby can sometimes be difficult or stressful. There are lots of benefits to breastfeeding. The World Health Organization recommends that all babies are exclusively breastfed for 6 months, and then for 2 years or as long as mother and baby want to, alongside solid food.

This includes things like stress or having a medical condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome. This is possible, but there are many things that will influence your menstrual cycle. If I bottle feed instead of breastfeeding will that help my cycle ‘go back to normal’ quicker? NHS has more information about natural family planning. It is important to note that experts don’t know how expressing breastmilk affects LAM, but it may make it less effective. there are longer intervals between feeds, both during the day and at night.your periods start again (even light spotting counts).

you give them anything else apart from breast milk, such as a dummy, formula or solid foods.

This is known as the Lactational Amenorrhoea Method (LAM). It's important to start using another form of contraception if: Can I use breastfeeding as a form of contraception?īecause breastfeeding can suppress ovulation, some women use it as a form of natural contraception. Spotting is a light and irregular period that usually appears as spots of blood. When your baby starts breastfeeding less often (around 3 feeds a day), you may start ‘spotting’. If you combine breastfeeding with formula feeding, your first period could start again after about 5-6 weeks after having your baby. This is because the hormone that causes your body to make breastmilk can stop your body making the hormone that controls your periods. If you are breastfeeding exclusively, your periods may not start again until you stop breastfeeding or until you stop night-time breastfeeding.

How does breastfeeding affect my periods and fertility? You may be able to get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of your baby, even if you are breastfeeding and your periods haven't started again yet. It will be different for everyone, but most women will start having periods again about 5-6 weeks after birth. When will my period start again after having a baby?

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