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Expert: - 1/30/2009


Question
Hi Sally,

I have 12 and 1/2 month old girl, whom I am breast-feeding twice a day
(morning when she wakes up and before she goes down for the night).  She is
sleeping all night in her own room.

I had a period a little over a month ago, which coincided with her sleeping
through the night and in her room for about month.  Before that we were bed
sharing and she nursed basically through the night.  We moved her to her
room because she was waking easily in bed with us- we were sadder to see
her go than she was to leave I think.  Slept through the night almost
immediately.

Sorry for the sidetrack...anyway I had a period about a month after those
changes occurred, and my sex drive also seemed to return more to normal as
well, as if I was ovulating.  However, I have not had a second period and it has
been almost 35 days!  Took a pregnancy test, which came back negative.  No
breast tenderness like I experienced with my pregnancy, pretty sure I am not
pregnant, but I have never had an irregular period before.  Is it normal to have
a period and then not have one regularly if still breast-feeding, even as little
as twice a day?   I also keep feeling like I am going to start but don't mild
cramping and such.  

If you can answer, thank-you so much I have been doing a lot of searching
on the internet but have not found someone else with my exact issue.

Thank-you
Rainey

Answer
Dear Rainey,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

What you're experiencing now with your menstrual period is very common. I talk about this in my book (see below), but briefly, here's the story: Women vary enormously in resuming their menses while they're nursing and even after they wean their babies. Irregularity is typical. From your symptoms and from the fact that you did have one period, it sounds as if you'll be getting another one soon. It may take some months for your schedule to be regular, and if you don't want to conceive another child right away you will want to use some sort of birth control (I talk about this in my book also, in terms of the best kinds of contraception for a breastfeeding mom).

Best regards,

Sally
--------------------------------
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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