by Danielle Friedl

Created on: August 10, 2008

Ovulating after childbirth depends on a few key factors and is unique for every woman and each of her subsequent births. While one woman may be fertile again as soon as 10 weeks after birth, another can conceive in as little as 6 weeks which accounts for many of the big shocks some women receive when they return to their OB for their 6-8 week postpartum check up! Breastfeeding moms can expect to remain infertile as long as her baby is nursing around the clock, but again this is subject to each woman's body.

It's also important to note that just because your body CAN get pregnant doesn't mean you should. Most doctors recommend waiting a year between pregnancies to give your body plenty of time to recover. You may not have trouble reaching your pre-pregnancy weight and it seems that all systems are go, however your body needs to replenish it's energy stores and rest after the previous year of baby growing. Getting pregnant too quickly after giving birth can also increase your risk of having pregnancy complications with your next baby.

Following childbirth your body must get rid of all the extra blood and fluids that were once necessary to house your baby. For the first week there will likely be blood flow similar to a heavy period. As that decreases by the end of the first week the fluid changes in color to brown, then yellow and finally white before disappearing altogether. There may be occasional light bleeding for the six weeks following baby's birth, but the worst is generally over by the end of the first week or so.

A woman who is not breastfeeding should expect her period to return at about ten weeks, however having your period does not necessarily mean you've ovulated. There are two vastly different commonalities in the first periods after childbirth. In some instances a woman's body thinks it needs to make up for not ovulating for all those months and decides to drop a few extra eggs. Many women find themselves unexpectedly pregnant with twins if they haven't been careful with birth control. On the other side of the spectrum some women experience one or more anovulatory periods, or a month in which they get their period but didn't actually ovulate. And then again there are a large number of women who's bodies simply go back to normal.

For breastfeeding moms the hormones they're using to feed their baby actually suppress the body's ability to ovulate, and thus periods don't usually return for up to 20 weeks. Babies who continue to feed around the clock can push off mom's ovulatory period for over a year. And until baby stops nursing altogether periods may be highly irregular. My first period after my first baby came when she was 6 months old but didn't become regular until long after she had stopped nursing at 12 months. I got pregnant with my third baby when my second was only 11 months old and still nursing after having one period when she was 8 months old and then never having another one. My period after my third baby didn't return until she was blowing out the candles on her first birthday cake and I had stopped nursing. Over three years later it is finally settling back into a regular cycle.

If your plan is to refrain from getting pregnant you should discuss birth control options with your doctor at one of your visits close to the end of your pregnancy and put a plan in place. Women are advised to abstain from sexual intercourse for the six weeks following childbirth but not everyone follows the rules. At your six week check up your doctor will put your chosen birth control plans in place. If you should choose to throw caution to the wind, although ill-advised, be prepared for another bundle of joy to make their presence known as early as ten weeks.

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