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Ask A Doula
Questions and Answer

Q. My wife is breast feeding our baby 3 times a day and the baby is 2 months old.

After how long should her menstruation return?

A. Nursing a small baby 3 times a day is not enough to stop ovulation. Chances are she will begin to ovulate soon. In order to inhibit menstruation the baby must satisfy all of his sucking needs at the breast. That means, no bottles, no pacifiers, and no schedules.

Ilana Stein has been working professionally with pregnant women since 1983 as a childbirth educator, labor assistant and breastfeeding consultant. She was originally certified by the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth (The Bradley Method), The Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), and Doulas of North America (DONA). She teachs the ALACE Labor Assistant training workshop nationwide. She has spoken at conferences and at the New York University Graduate Program in Midwifery about labor support. She is a Positive Pregnancy and Parenting Fitness (PPPF) instructor and La Leche League Leader. She is also a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor at the local YMCA. She volunteers as the coordinator of the annual New York Area YM-YWCA Women’s Wellness Weekend.