Hellobee Boards

It didn't ruin my supply permanently - AF came back at 12 months PP and my kids are 25 months now and still nursing. I always had low(ish) supply (at least for two kids to share!) so they were drinking formula before one and wcm after one in addition to the nursing. The first few periods I noticed a dip in supply, but after that AF never affected my supply.

Not for me - I got my first period PP at 4 months (d'oh!!) despite exclusively BF. Same happened to my mom and sisters - apparently mother nature wants women in my family to get pregnant again QUICK.

While my supply always tanked for about a week each time I got my period (starting a day or two before), it returned to normal for the other three weeks of the month. Normal for me was low anyway, so I had to supplement during my period (in my case with frozen BM that I had pumped during my brief oversupply phase in the first month or two PP).

That said, I figured my low supply would just keep dwindling and dwindling, given that my period came back at 4 months PP, and didn't think there was any way I'd continue to BF until my 1-yr goal. But I was diligent about pumping during the day at work, drank Mother's Milk tea like a lunatic, made lactation cookies, and LO did a lot of nursing overnight, and we actually ended up BF until I weaned at 17 months (due to pregnancy with new baby). I quit pumping at 1 year and definitely started giving LO WCM at that point as well, but we nursed morning and night for another several months, and she remained the HEALTHIEST toddler I've ever met that entire time, FWIW.

Since I weaned her, perhaps coincidentally, she has been sick a lot - like a normal amount of toddler sick (seems to be something every two weeks!). But during the 17 months I breastfed (even partially as for the last 5 months) she got one cold and was sick with Hand Foot Mouth for less than 24 hours and that's it. In that time I got several bad colds, the flu (Type B confirmed) and Shingles, both highly contagious, and she never got any of them from me!!! Our pediatrician was pretty amazed given that we mostly co-slept during that time and she was totally exposed to me!

It could be totally coincidental, but it is motivating me to really try to BF our next LO (due in a few months) for the first year as well, even if it's partial and we have to supplement again.