BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I just got AF..what gives???

The dr said that as long as I express (I don't BF, but I do give DS breast milk exclusively since I pump) I won't get AF, and last night she showed up.

Is this a sign that my milk production will decrease?

Has this happend to anyone?

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

Pumping does not stimulate milk production/letdown the same way that actual nursing does- so I think there is more of a risk of losing a supply.

There are so many other components involved with actually nursing, namely the baby suckling- changing speeds as the milk lets down or slows up to increase/decrease output.

I know when I pump, I don't get nearly the same amount that she's getting when she's nursing (which is why it takes her 8 minutes to drain a breast, but 20 minutes for me to get the same. I also notice when I nurse, I get multiple letdowns, whereas when I pump I'll usually just get one.

Wanted to add, I wanted to get AF so we could start TTC again, so I had replaced one feeding with a pumping session.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I got mine too... I can only pump since has reflux and I have to put RC into every one of her bottles otherwise we are dealing with serious spit up, and a very unhappy baby....

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I pumped and nursed DD for 16mths, cylce came back 6mths into it. I think it's just a myth. I stopped pumping now so we'll see. I know a lot of women who get it while nursing or pumping.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I pump exclusively & AF came back at exactly 4 months to the day of my due date. It slowed down the day or 2 b4 AF arrived---yet now at almost 9 months PP I still have no problem pumping.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I nursed almost exclusively and pumped once a day for the first six months. My dd only has bottles of bm once or twice a week. We never gave her a drop of formula until 6 months, started food at 5.5 months and guess what...I got my period 16 wks pp. Its different for everyone. I do not believe it means your milk is decreasing. Same thing happened to me with my son and I nursed him for a yr with only occasional formula feedings.

Message edited 3/30/2008 4:28:32 PM.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I pump and nurse and got AF at 4.5 weeks pp, apparently pumping doesn't work the same as nursing exclusively

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

When I was working, I combined BF and pumping. I was pumping 3 times a day. (I am currently EBF and no longer pumping.) I got AF at 8 months PP. I have also heard that when you pump you can get AF sooner.

As as PPs said, pumping is not as affective as the baby is at getting the milk out.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

When you pump the hormones aren't the same as when you have the baby to the nipple. I got my AF at 8 weeks pp, and I pumped like a maniac.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

wow this thread was really helpful.

I didn't know all this.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I EBF, and until I returned back to work 2 weeks ago (DS is almost 4 months old) he wouldn't take a bottle. I got AF 8 weeks pp. But my hormones have always been wacky, and the pill couldn't regulate them (actually made it worse).

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

AF returned at 8w PP, and was completely normal in every respect. Or should I say, appeared to return at 8w PP. It seemed that I got the smallest break after delivery (just one full week with no bleeding - and then what seemed to be AF). However, there have been no signs of a return since then.

Re: BF'g/moms who express..I don't get it..

I both EBF and pumped.

AF came back 1 week shy of 5 month PP. I had been sick and took a medication unsafe for BFing. I pumped less that week because I was pumping and dumping. I got AF shortly after.