What You Need to Know About Irregular Periods While Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can be termed as an action of feeding a baby with milk from the breast. It is always important to breastfeed your baby exclusively until Six months however the instances of an irregular period can get you worried a lot.
Christine Juma 
Some women do experience irregular menstrual cycles after breastfeeding this is as a response to hormone transition, Sarah Schooler, an international board-certified lactation consultant says.
“When a breastfeeding woman’s menstrual cycle returns vary so greatly from woman to woman, but are most strongly correlated with her reaction to breastfeeding hormones and how frequently her baby is nursing,” Schooler explains. “On average, a woman’s cycle returns at 14 to 15 months postpartum, but a woman’s period has a greater chance of returning sooner if her frequency of breastfeeding decreases.”
Importance of BreastFeeding in Babies
- Breastfeeding protects babies against allergies, sickness, and obesity.
- It also protects them against diseases, like diabetes and cancer. Additionally, It protects them against infections, like ear infections.
- Breast milk is easily digested therefore no constipation, diarrhea, or upset stomach. Babies under exclusive breastfeeding have healthier weights as they grow.
Irregular periods: When one has irregular periods it means that the length of their menstrual cycle (the gap between their periods starting) keeps changing. Hence their periods may come early or late.
Causes of Irregular Periods:
These may be caused by pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, infections, diseases, trauma, and certain medications.
Getting Pregnant while breast Feeding
This might sound funny but its the truth. You do not have to worry about getting pregnant again while breastfeeding especially for the fast 4 months before your period returns to normal.
This is because, Your body knows it’s not going to be able to handle another baby right now, because you’re producing milk for one brand new life already, so your period won’t come.
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Breastfeeding does prevent pregnancy, but there’s a catch — only in the first four months, and only if exclusively breastfeeding at the breast. Notably If supplementing, pumping in place of feeding directly and not talking about in addition to — or if menses has returned any time in the time period, it can no longer be relied upon as a contraceptive.
