Periods After Birth

I was told by many breast feeding mothers (and Google), that one of the many benefits of it, is that you don’t get your first period for a long time. In fact, most women who are breastfeeding don’t get a period at all whilst they continue to nurse. But because It’s me and my body has to be complicated and rebel against my wishes, my period returned to haunt me at 15 weeks postpartum.

I’m still holding a grudge against my menstrual cycle at the moment as this is against everything that I have been told.

I’ve always had really bad periods, starting from a young age, having no improvement with pain as I’ve gotten older. When I found out I was pregnant, other than the blatantly obvious reasons to be excited  (the fact I was having a baby), I was also thinking in my head, ‘ah I don’t have to buy tampons for 9 months’. And then when I heard that breastfeeding also keeps mother nature away, I was almost ecstatic. So you can imagine my horror when my period came knocking on my door only 15 weeks after having my baby. I was mortified.

Also, I was not prepared at all. All my pads and tampons had been thrown out when we moved house and the maternity ones I had bought for after birth had all been used. I felt like it was my first time experiencing a period all over again. Then I remembered, the only things I had that would hold and stop anything from leaking whilst I went to the shop, were either breast pads or nappies. The breast pads would be useless, and Griffin’s nappies would be too big, he is now in a size 3. However, I then realised that I had some size 1 Asda nappies that I didn’t use because they irritated Griffin’s skin. Luckily, my period made its entrance whilst I was already at the loo so I was able to clean myself up and make a quick dash to my sons bedroom to get the nappies.

I then had to go to play group so I had no time to go to the shop beforehand, all the way through it I felt like I had a brick in between my legs. I was paranoid that it might have looked like I had a giant bulge, maybe it did but the other mums were too traumatised to tell me.

This is a topic that mums don’t really discuss or feel the need to tell you about when you are having a baby. No one asks what It’s like, whether It’s like your other ones, is it heavier more painful or the opposite? From my experience, I feel like it has come back with a vengeance. My moods are all over the place and my cramps are awful. All of this on top of looking after a baby is horrible. My stress levels are heightened and I think I’m a shit Mum for 1 week every month because I’m so emotional and overreacting to every tiny thing.

Steven is a blessing for putting up with it all, I must turn into a right bitch. I really think our vaginas postpartum should be discussed a lot more than what they are. We’ve put them through a traumatic experience whether you delivered vaginally or c section, we still put them through a lot of shit.

I really hope in years to come it isn’t such a taboo subject, us women have to stick up for each other and our fairies. We have to support each others mentality because recovering after birth is horrible enough without people hushing  the subject of what has gone on down stairs.

Big up to our Lady bits!

Taken from my blog: www.theeeverythingdiary.wordpress.com