Your First Period Postpartum: What to Expect

When will your period come back?

When your period comes back depends on whether or not you breastfeed exclusively, and varies widely person to person. If you don't breastfeed, your period may come back as soon as a month after delivery, but should happen within 2-3 months. If you breastfeed exclusively, your period may not show up until much later, or even after your baby has weaned, because prolactin, the hormone that’s in charge of your body’s breast milk production, suppresses ovulation in your body.

When can you use tampons or a menstrual cup again?

Doctors recommend waiting 6 weeks post-childbirth before inserting anything into the vagina. That means no tampons or cups in that time period, even if you have bleeding earlier than 6 weeks. Once you venture back into tampons or cups you may need a different size or a different absorbency. Your body just went through a lot, your vaginal muscles just pushed out a whole baby, it's understandable that things may have changed!!

Viv's Recommendations: Viv Cup Discovery Kit includes 2 sizes of the Viv Cup to test & see what works for your new period. Combo Viv Tampons contain 100% organic cotton in 2 absorbencies to adjust to your new flow.

Will your period be heavier or lighter than it was pre-pregnancy?

The first period after giving birth is typically heavier than normal, and that's nothing to worry about! At first, you may have some more clotting in your periods than before. Experts recommend seeking medical advice if you have blood clots in your period for at least a week. Some people find postpartum periods easier, because their uterus has stretched out and relaxed. Others find that they're more difficult, because the uterus is larger & stretched, meaning there is more tissue to shed each cycle. 

Viv's Recommendations: Viv Pads are ultra soft & extra absorbent, great for even the most unexpected heavy flows.

Is it normal to have irregular periods after giving birth?

After your first postpartum period, it may not show up again for more than a month...or it could be back in a few weeks! It can take a few months for your cycle to become regular again, and it's totally normal for your period to be a little all over the place for a little while.

Viv's recommendations: Stock up & be prepared with Viv Bundles, so you'll always have plenty of period products when you need them!

Can you get pregnant again before your first postpartum period?

Yes!! There is a chance of getting pregnant even if you haven't gotten your period back. Once your cycle comes back, you will ovulate two weeks before you get your first period, so you will have no advance warning that you’re fertile! Talk to your doctor about the best methods of birth control for you.