After childbirth, a woman begins to have a discharge from her genital tract called lochia. This is part of the recovery of the cycle after childbirth. They can vary in consistency, color, and duration. Lochia looks a little like menstrual discharge, but it is not yet menstruation, so many women wonder, “When will my period start after giving birth?”
Lochia is a vaginal bloody discharge that begins immediately after childbirth. They are made up of blood, mucus, and damaged uterine tissue. They last from 4 to 6 weeks and stop when the wounded surface of the uterus recovers. And after some time you should expect the onset of your period.
The menstrual cycle after childbirth depends on:
1) the way the baby is fed (breastfeeding, mixed or artificial);
2) the lifestyle of a mother (sleep and rest, a proper balanced diet);
3) and most importantly – the hormonal status of women, which is responsible for the onset of menstruation after childbirth.
Many moms are worried about the question: why don’t I get my period after giving birth? All in good time.
Period recuperation after childbirth during breastfeeding can start after several months of nursing, and it can be absent during the whole lactation period. The sooner mommy removes night feedings, the sooner menstruation will occur, because it is at night that the hormone called prolactin, which is responsible for breast milk production, is formed.
On average, it takes 1.5 to 2 months for a cycle to recover, both for breastfeeding mothers and for mothers who are nursing a baby with formula. However, you may not have your period for six months to a year and a half, which is normal. While a mother is breastfeeding her baby, most often she does not have any discharge, although ovulation occurs every month.
I would like to warn women against a common mistake: many people naively believe that while there are no regular menstrual cycles during breastfeeding, pregnancy is impossible, and you can relax in terms of protection. This is a misconception. Pregnancy does not occur because of the presence of menstruation, it depends on ovulation. And it is not easy to know when you are ovulating. Although with artificial feeding the recovery of the menstrual cycle is much faster than with natural feeding. In this situation, ovulation may occur as early as 1.5-2 months after delivery. Therefore, pregnancy is possible even before the first period after childbirth.
In general, the newly started periods after childbirth correspond to the normal cycle. But this is not always the case, the cycle may recover during the first two or three menstruations, so a delay, or conversely, a little early onset of menstruation is allowed. This may be considered normal. But if, after several months, the menstrual cycle is still not established, it is recommended to visit a gynecologist to rule out inflammation and other diseases.
Normally, your period lasts for 3-7 days. Most of the blood comes out on the 1st and 2nd day. However, more significant blood loss after childbirth is also a reason to visit the doctor.
Duration of menstruation, the amount of time between them may be different. But if they correspond to physiological norms, it is good.
The type of childbirth (natural or cesarean) has no effect on how your menstrual cycle will be restored, but rather depends on the way mommy feeds her baby.
It may happen that after childbirth your menstrual cycle may change. For example, if you had irregular cycles before giving birth, menstrual periods may start at regular intervals after giving birth. If your periods were painful before, they may be much easier to handle now. The pain syndrome is often related to a bent uterus before labor, which prevents menstrual blood from flowing out of the uterus. But with the onset of pregnancy and after delivery, the uterus assumes a more physiological position, so the pain symptoms disappear.
For more information on women’s recovery after childbirth, visit the online course at momslab.com.
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