Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: All Perfect Welcome to unapologetically woman. Alex is here who is an international board certified lactation consulted and mother of two. She is the founder of motherhood blooms lactation a private practice dedicated to helping mothers feel seen heard and validated while helping them reach their breastfeeding goals. She provides care with a non-judgmental evidence-based in holistic approach with the birth of her first child in her own challenges breastfeeding for the first time. She found her passion for lactation support in education. She is dedicated to ensuring you feel well supported confident in you feed your baby. You are a goddess. How amazing is that? Thank you so much Alex for being on the show.
Alex Wachelka: Thank you so much. I'm so excited to chat with you today.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yeah, I'm reading your bio and everything about you and I'm this is so uniquely her this, it's just something that you don't hear in I'm really honored to have you on the show and one of the things that you mentioned was your expertise in delayed period when it comes to breastfeeding and I really would like to get into that but first before we go into that I would like to talk about the bleeding that happens after the pregnancy. We're going to talk about post partum bleeding and it is what women should expect and how it's different from a period
Alex Wachelka: Yes, it is. So very different from a period now every single person who has a baby is going to bleed after birth. So even if that baby's born via cesarean birth, you're going to bleed after birth because what's the blood's coming from the placenta? So we give birth to baby and then we give birth to the placenta and the placenta is about the size of a dinner plate. We've got an To 10 inch wound in our uterus that needs time to close so you can imagine already how different it is from a typical period bleed and we need an average of four to six weeks for this wound to actually close up and healing for that bleeding to stop. So that's one of the biggest differences is that your post partum bleeding. it's called lokia. Is going to last an average.
Alex Wachelka: Of four to six weeks. So that's already very different than a typical monthly period the other thing that's going to be different is how it progresses so initially right after birth, it's going to be heavy. It's going to be a really heavy flow but this isn't something where you can use just a heavy flow pad for we need something that's labeled for maternity use something that's for postpartum because it's going to be heavy. There's also going to be large clots and these are things that It's normal to have clots in this blood and for a lot of people it's really alarming and when I say it clot, I mean anything smaller than a clementine is still considered okay and normal and that's wild for people to find out like you and when I teach this stuff people's jaws drop because they're wait what? so definitely, I mean if there's ever concerns you always want to bring this up to your primary care provider, but
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Alex Wachelka: it's really normal to have this heavy bleed with clots in the first few days right after. And then what we see is the blood it starts to change. So it does start off really deep red.
Alex Wachelka: It is really heavy. And then as your bleed continues, it starts to lighten up the color starts to shift. We're gonna moving from that red range to more of a pink color gets a lot lighter and then anywhere between that four to six week timeline is where you will then end up with the bleed will stop it will sort of transition to more like a white creamy discharge and then it will be gone but it is the fact that the length is so different and that we have this heavy bleeding with clots and the other thing. I'll add we're not putting anything inside even if we had a cesarean birth. We're not using menstrual cups or not using tampons. you've got to use the postpartum pads or diaper and that's what's happening in those first few weeks right after birth.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Whoa, this is so crazy because this is things that you do not hear about when it comes to the birthing process. I feel like it stops right after they let us know. Hey, this child is gonna pop out of your vagina. It's gonna hurt like hell I feel like it stops right there.
Alex Wachelka: Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: There is no information out there. it is out there, but it's not prominently That This is going to happen to you after a baby. that's a big excuse my language f****** deal.
Alex Wachelka: Yeah. Yeah, and that's why someone like you and your show is so important because as women we literally are not given this information about our bodies. there is so much that.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: That yeah.
Alex Wachelka: Surprises a woman after childbirth that it really shouldn't like we should have this information ahead of time.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Definitely because I'm thinking about what you're saying and I would be terrified if I'm constantly bleeding like that because I'm automatically gonna be like, it's Why am I bleeding this way? that is such a scary thought and we really have to know more information about this and you having a child of your own and experiencing this on your own now I would love to know your experience when it comes to the post partum bleeding and when I say your experience, I mean the she Like your environment at your mentality at the time, and how you coped with it.
Alex Wachelka: yeah, I've got two kids so obviously with my second I had been through it once before but when I had my first I thinking back I think I had the understanding that there was only bleeding after birth. It wasn't lactation consultant then wasn't and educator of any kind but I Learn I had to kind of prepare my body what to expect and so I knew that I was giving birth to the placenta after my baby and there was going to be this large wound, but I didn't really know what that meant until I experienced it and it's the heaviest bleed I've ever had in my life, but it was only heavy for the first few days because then after that it already started to lighten, it's just that it lasted a long time. So for me what I found most helpful is I was a huge fan of the postpartum diapers like the depends that you go by at the store.
Alex Wachelka: And I would use a maternity Pad but then I would put it in a diaper instead of my underwear and I would wear that just in case it was just as a caution just in case this is heavy bleed. I've never experienced this before maybe there's an overflow and within a couple of days things had a progressively lightened up and then I was just using the postpartum pads and wearing regular underwear. I think I a study bleed for probably a week before I started to notice the color start to change. So that's what the red started to shift and things got light for me personally with my first born it was about four weeks so that whole process with the color change and the bleed lightning and then ending up just as a white discharge was about four weeks for me. And then that's why we have this average because every person is so different but then
Alex Wachelka: There was I had clots. I remember passing clots and was kind of like I was a little concerned and I talked to my midwives and they reassured me like they're said, how big were these clots? I was probably the size of a dime and I was like and she's like, my goodness. No, she's like if we're looking at the size of a golf ball and my eyes were like, what did you just say? And she's she had no concerns. I didn't have any red flags. there was no odor there was no off colors like things like green like everything was totally normal. But I remember I'm having a midwife. So this was in the very early days. She had come to my home. There's a couple home visits and Frank go see them and I remember sitting on the couch and I brought that up that I was Seemed like clots.
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Alex Wachelka: do we need to panic? It was like no that's totally normal. And I was like, wow. Okay. So I remember that that was something that I did not I didn't know.
Alex Wachelka: There wasn't really any cramping or anything like that. So when you menstruate if you're someone who experiences cramps because it's a bit different and there wasn't a lot of cramping. However with my second child. There's something called after pains that happens. And when that uterus is Contracting down, you're feeling almost the intensity of labor contractions again, for usually the first one to three days and I definitely experience that with my second and was just like holy cow and it was like they're way more intense than a period cramp and they actually intensify when you're nursing because it has to do with the hormones that are released and I did not have this with my firstborn and I had my second and he was nursing I was like, This is what I teach other people about and I mean anything that you would use for period cramps you can use a heat pad or ibuprofen or something like that. You can absolutely do but that was something that was very
Alex Wachelka: New to me with my second board something that I knew about, but I was like, I probably won't happen to me, but definitely did. Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: My God, that's crazy. my goodness. It's I am just okay, so I guess because I was thinking my gosh, it's gonna be painful for four to six weeks. So I'm glad that you clarified that it's not always like that…
Alex Wachelka: Okay. Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: but you could have those I didn't even know that after pains is like a contraction all over again. You're like, what is that? I guess that makes sense because like you said, you're the placenta you're getting rid of. so that makes sense for the body doing. What is wait, actually no, does that make sense? Because if you
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: feel it sometimes but you don't feel like I'm confused. I'm confused myself.
Alex Wachelka: So after babies born the placenta, which is the organ that forms keeps you baby, the nutrients cross the placenta during the pregnancy. It's after your baby's born. The placenta is born so it detaches from the uterine wall. So that has to heal but also your uterus just expanded 500 times at size. So it is Contracting down immediately after birth. It starts Contracting down and so you are
Alex Wachelka: Bleeding as your body's like closing down the wound Left Behind you're basically healing where the placenta was attached. Your body has to heal that now but at the same time the uterus is getting smaller because it's Contracting down you can experience some cramping in that first one to three days. Generally. It's worse with a second baby and a third and so on it's not many First Time Moms experience that but it's definitely something that can happen but you're not feeling this for four weeks every day. It's very much something. That's Easy to go through but not postpartum's not easy, but I mean the period the bleeding itself. it shouldn't be painful and cramp being uncomfortable for four weeks.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: And what else is bugging me a bit. It's like bugging me right now because it's a wound, it's imagine you guys and a sore on your body. Okay that you can see in this open and that's inside your uterus and that is what's happening in my mind right now and I am like, my gosh and then I think about women who try to go back to work and I'm like bro flipping way. I'm just like now, I'm an act of this mood now, that's crazy to me. That's insane. there is a womb literally inside your uterus that is healing during this time. And I never associate this when thinking about post partum bleeding.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: that's crazy. my gosh, and there was something that you mentioned about breastfeeding and Earlier, you were talking about how breastfeeding impacts how quickly your period returns and I would like to First we're gonna take a quick commercial break and then we're gonna come back and Alex is actually going to explain to us. how breastfeeding impacts when your period returns so stay tuned.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yes, so, okay. let's do this. I'm ready. Welcome back you guys out apologetically woman. We are here with the lovely Alex and we were talking a little bit during the break, about women returning too quickly, after pregnancy dealing with the post partum bleeding and Alex had some wonderful things to say and share and I absolutely want her to share this with you guys and to really take what she is saying to Heart
Alex Wachelka: I just wanted to quickly sort of build on what you just said about women heading back to work and how this is absolutely insane. if this was on the outside of our bodies, people would take notice and Care a heck of a lot more than they do we have moms, especially in the US heading back to work at six weeks postpartum or sooner. Meanwhile, we have people who breed animals and dogs and those dogs can't even be separated from their moms till they're eight weeks old but we're like, no people just go back to work. we have a broken system everywhere. We don't have proper maternity care. That's a whole different topic. But yeah, I just wanted to add that you just said if we could physically see this people would care a lot more meaning the people…
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yeah.
Alex Wachelka: who are the policymakers and our governments would care a lot more like that's a big deal.
Alex Wachelka: Yeah, we just have a as a society that doesn't care enough, what you were saying with that the wound from the placenta being born if that was on the outside of our bodies people would take notice they would care so much more energy and efforts would be put into trying to have paid leave for families that we're not heading back to work while we're literally still. after giving birth to a human being
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: yeah, yeah in that that is the thing,…
Alex Wachelka: that
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: and also, women also need to take more charge of that as well when it comes to demanding certain things from our employers because this is our health and medically This is a part of us being healthy. So it can get legal. now that I'm even thinking about it. It's because I literally have a sore inside my body and it's healing because I just delivered women also, have to start taking stands I'm not returning until such and such time this is what's going to happen. you want to send me things here. This is what I can handle during this we really have to get to that point, but it's scary, for a woman to think about trying to voice…
Alex Wachelka: yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: what she's going through. Hero because also she's comparing herself. I feel like women do that a lot. They compare themselves to their male counterpart and how they're working and how they're being productive and it's like they're on a 24-hour hormonal clock. We are definitely not. Okay, our energy levels can switch so quickly and it's like we have to honor and respect that and stop comparing it's like we could be just so much more productive when we honor what's happening in any phase any season of our bodies as women just honor it dude. If it's winter outside put on a coat don't put on shores. Could you want to fight it? it's not going to help you and it's the same thing with our bodies. It's like, okay.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: I'm gonna honor that I just gave birth to this beautiful soul that is now in my arms. I'm going to connect we are going to love each other during this. This is a beautiful ritual here and you spend that time while you're healing with your baby and speaking on that the breastfeeding aspect right this is what you have to go into breastfeeding and I would love for you to talk about how the breastfeeding impacts how quickly your period returns because we know four to six weeks you're going through The post partum bleeding. What is your period delayed during that entire time? what's actually happening and how does breastfeeding impact the return of a woman's menstruation?
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Alex Wachelka: Yeah, so anything before eight weeks postpartum most practitioners would call that lokia so anything before eight weeks we've classified post partum bleeding again for most people step four to six week Mark. But then basically what's happening is that the hormones that are needed for your body to produce milk and lactate are actually in direct competition with the hormones needed for ovulation. So generally what happens then is that because your body is prioritizing lactation and milk supply for a hormone or ovulation is sort of on the back burner. So there is an average now. This is where every one of us is so different. I even have a different experience between both children. I'll share but it's an average of about nine months. That you don't have a period for. now
Alex Wachelka: this depends on a lot of factors primarily you need to be exclusively breastfeeding. So what that means is it's just your milk but also as soon as bottles are introduced what if you're pumping milk, as soon as you're bringing pacifiers, all of these can actually affect how quickly your period will return if you're not nursing at night time that can also impact things so when we talk about Breastfeeding delaying ovulation and therefore the return to fertility and your cycle. It's exclusive breastfeeding. So this means ing baby is nursing on demand. So basically whenever they cue that they're hungry they're feeding so that in the night time that means during the day basically your baby would be under six months old and if all of those criteria are met then there's something that we call lactation amenorrhea method, which is
Alex Wachelka: some people will use it as a form of birth control. Because when all of those are met there's a average of about 98% chance that it's an effective form of birth control now that is another Topic in of itself. And it's not gonna work for everyone. It definitely doesn't because in our modern day world, it's a baby's using a pacifier or you're pumping at night time that's automatically going to impact things. So I'm here more so to talk about how it impacts it whether or not you want to use it, that's to each and each person individually, but basically an average of nine months. and with my first born
Alex Wachelka: We actually had a lot of challenges breastfeeding and that's why I'm at board certified lactation consultant today. And so he was supplemented with formula for a few weeks. I was pumping we didn't use pacifiers because he wasn't a big fan, but technically I did things that should have interfered and brought my period back sooner, but I finished the postpartum lead and then I didn't get my period with my first born until I was 10 months postpartum. Because while we had a rocky start, I did move to exclusively breastfeeding him. That was what I wanted. That was my goal and I was able to stop supplementing and everything and he was then therefore just nursing whenever he needed to.
Alex Wachelka: And it was 10 months before my period came back. The other thing to keep in mind is that you can ovulate before that first period comes and so if you're not tracking these things if you're not, in tune with your body, if you don't know what to look for when it comes time that your body is ovulating people can miss that and then, some people have surprise pregnancies or they're suddenly their period shows up and so for me, I remember I don't think that I ovulated or at least I didn't really pay attention to notice the signs, but I know at 10 months I was just just got my period like there wasn't a lot of warning it just sort of like, okay, and now I was from then on I was menstruating even though I was still breastfeeding my son. I know people who at two months postpartum. They're Cycles have come back.
Alex Wachelka: I know people who did exclusively breastfeeding everything I said and it's always, on demand. There's ors. There's no pumping and at three months. Their period came back. There's other factors like, insulin plays a role and people's blood sugar but generally speaking because the body's priorit making milk ovulation and return to fertility is on the back burner for a little while.
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Wow, and that makes so sense. Wow, our bodies as women are just so amazing. We are such beautiful being like hey That is just amazing to just think about that process the body is just like hey, it's about the baby right now. Okay, another one can wait. This one's here.
Alex Wachelka: Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: It's like let's do this and that's just so amazing to me like to understand and know that process because I'm one without children, so it's like I don't know anything about this process in my mind is you guys go through a lot of pain. that's what I'm thinking but that is to me how beautiful the body just regulates itself like that and I know that you were saying
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: it's impact is different for every woman. I mean and that's also good to understand as well to understand. Hey, whatever's happening. it is literally about you don't compare yourself.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: too much, to like that average, but like you said, go check in with your doctor, make sure everything is okay stay on top of it. Make sure they don't give you the brush off because they know that you're going through postpartum bleeding, make sure they're no, it's like no I'm gonna need you to understand don't allow them to give you the brush off. I definitely want to make sure I mention that because too many times it's expected that we should internalize the pain and the suffering that we do go through even when you think about with our period, it's normal push through it.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: and it is normal, but I should be resting there's a difference. My body is saying something different from what you're saying and to honor that and that's crazy that this is what led you into becoming a lactation specialist is because of your experience with your child. Now you said with your second child it was different.
Alex Wachelka: Yeah, so with us just speaking about return to periods with my second child. I was 15 months postpartum. So it was actually a longer period of time and…
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC:
Alex Wachelka: I didn't have a period for over one year and so it was very like so I went 41 weeks pregnant with him.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: snap.
Alex Wachelka: So 41 weeks pregnant No period Then I had the four weeks of lokia and then I went 15 months. With no period because I was exclusively breastfeeding him and he nursed during the nighttime longer than his brother did and so those things all play a role. But yeah, I remember when 10 months came and also okay because my period gonna show up what's gonna go on and there was nothing and with him at 15 months. though the day before my period came I
Alex Wachelka: had a
Alex Wachelka: Wave of hormones we'll call it that I was angry one minute. I was crying. The next I was what is going on? I thought it was just a hard day of being a mom and then I went to the bathroom. It was like, there she is and arrived at 15 months postpartum. And so one thing that I do want to add is when that first period comes back postpartum. It can be a lot different than what your periods were like before and that what I mean is before pregnancy, so it's not gonna be like the lokia we talked about but it might be heavier than what you're typically used to the length of it might differ and so these are all things to watch out for because what's normal for your body and if you have concerned, always bring them up with your primary care provider and I know for me and the first few periods were initially heavier than what I was basically used to as someone who
Alex Wachelka: before I had kids and then Things shifted and I found out what was normal for my body, but that was a big difference between baby one and two was with my second. I just had this wild day which I know a lot of people can relate to even when it's just your period right sort of those PMS symptoms and it's coming and…
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: he
Alex Wachelka: that's just what's happening. Here's my Cycles back now, so Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: I'm so glad you explained that because I was going to act did you have any symptoms before it came and I feel like that makes sense for it to be really intense. I mean it's delayed for over a year and I probably would have freaked out and thought I went straight into menopause or something, did I just miss something like I wouldn't free over a year, but that's also good information to know and to also know hey, stay track of it every single month still, Hey, I'm feeling a little different here, and be able to recognize when it might possibly start because probably it's gonna be different for you. It's gonna be different for everyone. That's why tracking your period Now tracking postpartum is important including you're Cravings you guys your energy levels your mood understanding because you're gonna
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: You said your period is going to be different now. So now it's like you have to understand how to It's like She's flowing a different way. All you left this time. All right, I'm gonna go love with you, and just going with that part of your season in that change.
Alex Wachelka: Okay.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: So that's really beautiful know and Thank you so much. I feel so like I'm getting goosebumps you guys like Goosebumps, and I'm so honored to have you here on the show. And before we, go into a closing. Is there anything that you would like to share with the audience? Is there anything that you would like to promote? How can we support you?
Alex Wachelka: I'm thank you. Yeah, you can find me on Instagram at motherhoodblooms lactation. You can also if you had to my website motherhood Bloom's lactation.com forward slash resources. All the things are on there. So any of the free guides that I have you can access courses waste there's different ways to work with me. I see clients one on one. I've got a group program. So yeah connecting with me on Instagram or head over to my website.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yeah, my goodness. You're I am really so honored you guys if you have to listen to this episode over again if you're on iTunes, okay, if you are watching this on YouTube rewatch this again, okay, because this information is so
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: So important for anyone who is thinking about having a baby period you should know what's going to happen after the baby because we go straight into just taking care of the child, but you have to take care of yourself. I feel like oftentimes mothers lose that aspect and having people like Alex really show mothers you are worthy to take care of yourself as well as your baby is a beautiful inspiring energy that she is just putting out into the world and I am honored and thank you so much for being here.
Alex Wachelka: Thank you so much.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: All right, you guys we're gonna go into our closing real quick. So stay tuned.