I know that most nursing moms are free of periods in the early months, but I was never that way. With my first, my period returned when my high need, exclusively breastfed baby was six weeks old. Now my second baby is three months old. I breastfeed exclusively and got my first period at five weeks postpartum. I feel like an oddity. Am I the only nursing mom to have an early return of menstruation while exclusively nursing?
You are definitely not alone. There are other nursing mothers, who exclusively breastfeed, and still have a very early return to fertility. It isn't the norm, but it does happen -- I've seen it in practice, as well as with a very close friend who experienced an early return of her menses with all three exclusively breastfed children.
Studies have shown that, in general, assuming the same nursing pattern with subsequent children, your length of time without a period (lactational amenorrhea) will be similar (Ford, 1991). So, it is not surprising that you experienced an early return of your menses the second time around.
Once your menstrual period has returned, even while exclusively breastfeeding, it is wise to look upon it as a return to fertility. If you do not wish to become pregnant again, it would be wise to use birth control when you make love. My very best wishes in mothering.
