What To Expect From Your First Period After Pregnancy

When will my period return?

Your period will typically return about six to eight weeks after you give birth, if you aren’t breastfeeding. If you do breastfeed, the timing for a period to return can vary.

Why don’t breastfeeding women get their periods as quickly?

Typically, women who are breastfeeding don’t get their periods as quickly because of the body’s hormones. Prolactin, the hormone needed to produce breast milk, can suppress reproductive hormones. As a result, you don’t ovulate or release an egg for fertilization. Without this process, you most likely won’t menstruate.

Will my period be different?

It could be! Your first period after pregnancy could be heavier than you’re used to, and then get lighter over time. Here are some other changes you might notice:

• Small clots
• Heavier or lighter flow than usual
• Stronger or weaker cramps than usual
• Irregular period lengths

Periods after cesarean delivery

Your postpartum periods after cesarean delivery are not majorly different from periods after a normal vaginal delivery. You can expect vaginal discharge and heavier bleeding because your body is trying to shed the tissues that were lining your uterus during pregnancy.

Will a period affect the taste of my breast milk?

Ovulation and menstruation mean hormonal changes are occurring in your body. These may affect both your breast milk’s taste and supply. If you notice that your baby fusses at your breast when you have your period, it might just be a sign that it tastes different.

Which postpartum period symptoms to watch out for?

It is evident that your periods after pregnancy are going to be heavier and painful. However, these symptoms should not aggravate to a level of unbearable discomfort.

Watch out for the following symptoms:

• Excessive blood flow leading to soaking of sanitary pad every hour
• Bleeding accompanied by sudden, sharp or severe pains
• Sudden fever with no obvious source or apparent cause
• Persistent bleeding that lasts for more than a week
• Passing clots of blood that are larger than a golf ball
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
• Severe headache
• Difficulty in breathing
• Painful urination