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So this will be my first time breastfeeding....can I take the pill while bfing??? How likely is it to get pregnant while breastfeeding if I am not using any protection?
Your odds of becoming pregnant while breastfeeding are just as high if you weren't breastfeeding. It's an old mythe that states you can't get pregnant, believe me you can!! (I've know a few couples that got their next baby a lot sooner than planned )
here's what I found on the web as far as birth control pills...
Hormonal Methods
This is where the subject of birth control and breastfeeding gets slightly more complicated. There's no definitive answer as to whether hormonal methods of contraception pose any risk to breastfeeding women. Contradictory lines of thought have resulted in conflicting recommendations from generally authoritative sources. Therefore, a woman should seriously consider all her options before deciding on hormonal contraception if she's lactating. Here's what the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises breastfeeding women who wish to go with hormonal methods of birth control:
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Progestin-only contraceptives: This is the method of hormonal birth control recommended by ACOG for breastfeeding women. This includes "minipills" and Depo-Provera. Progestin-only contraceptives are not thought to affect the quality of breast milk -- in fact, they may slightly increase the volume of milk while breastfeeding compared with nonhormonal methods. Because it may have some effect on breast milk, lactating women should not begin taking these contraceptives prior to two or three weeks postpartum.
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Combination estrogen-progestin contraceptives: Any contraceptives containing estrogen have been shown to reduce the quantity and quality of breast milk. The World Health Organization recommends that the breastfeeding woman wait at least six months after childbirth to start using these pills. And their labels, written by the Food and Drug Administration, currently read, "If possible, the nursing mother should be advised not to use oral contraceptives but to use other forms of contraception until she has completely weaned her child." But it can be argued that these warnings are a result of earlier studies, when combination pills used higher doses of estrogen. The lower-dose tablets used today probably have less effect on the quality and quantity of breast milk. As a result, there is no definitive answer regarding if and how much a combination pill taken today may affect breast milk.
If there are strong reasons that you would prefer to start using combined estrogen-progestin contraception, it's important to understand and weigh the potential disadvantages. Since most women experience reduced milk as a result of taking combination pills (and this may be dealt with more easily after breastfeeding skills and patterns are established) a woman who chooses to breastfeed should not begin taking these pills prior to six weeks postpartum. If you begin to take them following that six-week period, it's recommended that you meet regularly with your ob-gyn or a lactation specialist for a breastfeeding evaluation.
Yes you can become pregnant while breastfeeding. You can get on they call the "mini pill". But I couldn't take it. It made me feel so depressed I felt like killing my self just about. So I stopped taking them asap. While breastfeeding you most likely will not have you "Aunt Flow". I didn't have mine till I stopped BF because my son thought it was funny to bite me. You will bleed the first month after having the baby then nothing or well that is what happened to me.
I breastfed all of my children for 8-10 months. Since we knew we wanted more children with the first two we just used condoms. My period did not return until at least a month after I was completely done BF with all three. But after DD was born the thought of getting preggo with a fourth right away scarred the heck out of me!! So I used a mini pill and all was good. The only part I didn't like was the fact that things are iffy when you go to wean baby. I like to gradually wean baby and the mini pill is only really effective if you are breastfeeding exclusively. So there was some time in there where sex was "scary" and we definetly used condoms. I went on regular BC pills after weaning last time.
i don't recommond the pill while BF, with both kids, the BC dried my milk up way early, my daughter it dried up by 8 weeks, and my son it dried up at 4 weeks.i wont be taking any BC, ill be getting my tubes tied.
The only pill my docs would let me use while breastfeeding was the mini pill. However it is not as effective as the regular pill. I wasn't told that until I had my third baby. The doc told me to call him when I stopped breastfeeding and he would switch me. Guess who got pregnant while they were still breastfeeding
I had no period and used the mini pill with my first and was fine. With A.J., I got the mirena IUD and I had light but regular periods even when breastfeeding. I do know if you miss one day of the minipill, you can get prego right away!
I'm not sure if it is *entirely* a myth that you can't get pregnant while breast feeding. For example, I BF'd my daughter for six months. About four weeks after stopping I got my period which would indicate that the only time ovualtion took place was after I stopped breast feeding. Mind you, I understand that the body isn't as likely to ovualte (some it will, some it won't) if you BF regularly. There is a board here on JM that looks at TTC while breastfeeding, so if you are looking a an alternative to the pill, you may want to see what these ladies have to say.
All that having been said, I will not be taking the pill while BF. We want to have more children, but regardless the thought of feeding my baby hormones isn't a great thought for me personally :-(
I'm not sure if it is *entirely* a myth that you can't get pregnant while breast feeding. For example, I BF'd my daughter for six months. About four weeks after stopping I got my period which would indicate that the only time ovualtion took place was after I stopped breast feeding. Mind you, I understand that the body isn't as likely to ovualte (some it will, some it won't) if you BF regularly. There is a board here on JM that looks at TTC while breastfeeding, so if you are looking a an alternative to the pill, you may want to see what these ladies have to say.
All that having been said, I will not be taking the pill while BF. We want to have more children, but regardless the thought of feeding my baby hormones isn't a great thought for me personally :-(
Have you thought about charting?[/b]
I guess I didn't think about all the hormones in the pill....not sure I want that in my system while bfing either. I don;t think I could chart though...I am sooo irregular when I am not on the pill and honestly I just don't trust it. Probably just be using condoms for a while!!!
Breastfeeding can delay fertility if you exclusively breastfeed on demand day or night. I've nursed three babies this way, and didn't have a return of cycles for 18mo, 15mo, and 16mo. I would recommend you read the book "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" by Shiela Kippley. To get you started, here is a link to information on Wikipedia:
I exclusively breast fed Jesse for 6-months I became pregnant with my daughter before he was six months, so, that means I was pregnant while exclussively breast feeding and NEVER had a period between baby 2 and 3. I believe, but could be wrong, that the pill I became pregnant with this baby on was the mini pill. If you truly don't want another baby, cover your bases.
I breast fed my daughter for her first year (exclussively the first 6-months) and didn't have a period for a I think 8-9 months. I don't know if I ovulated during that time period, but I certainly wasn't taking my chances twice. Protect yourself with condoms on top of taking the mini pill if I were you.
Breastfeeding can delay fertility if you exclusively breastfeed on demand day or night. I've nursed three babies this way, and didn't have a return of cycles for 18mo, 15mo, and 16mo. I would recommend you read the book "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" by Shiela Kippley. To get you started, here is a link to information on Wikipedia:
Breastfeeding can delay fertility if you exclusively breastfeed on demand day or night. I've nursed three babies this way, and didn't have a return of cycles for 18mo, 15mo, and 16mo. I would recommend you read the book "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" by Shiela Kippley. To get you started, here is a link to information on Wikipedia:
I'm not sure if it is *entirely* a myth that you can't get pregnant while breast feeding. For example, I BF'd my daughter for six months. About four weeks after stopping I got my period which would indicate that the only time ovualtion took place was after I stopped breast feeding. Mind you, I understand that the body isn't as likely to ovualte (some it will, some it won't) if you BF regularly. There is a board here on JM that looks at TTC while breastfeeding, so if you are looking a an alternative to the pill, you may want to see what these ladies have to say.
All that having been said, I will not be taking the pill while BF. We want to have more children, but regardless the thought of feeding my baby hormones isn't a great thought for me personally :-(
Have you thought about charting?[/b]
A friend of mine, while breastfeeding got pregnant. She was 12 weeks along when she found out. I asked how she could not know she was pregnant when she missed 3 periods, because that seemed like the obvious clue to me. She said she wasn't getting her period and hadn't been for the last 7 months while breastfeeding, so she had no idea until she started to feel sick. So... apparently you don't need to get an actual flow while breastfeeding to be ovulating???
I'm not sure if it is *entirely* a myth that you can't get pregnant while breast feeding. For example, I BF'd my daughter for six months. About four weeks after stopping I got my period which would indicate that the only time ovualtion took place was after I stopped breast feeding. Mind you, I understand that the body isn't as likely to ovualte (some it will, some it won't) if you BF regularly. There is a board here on JM that looks at TTC while breastfeeding, so if you are looking a an alternative to the pill, you may want to see what these ladies have to say.
All that having been said, I will not be taking the pill while BF. We want to have more children, but regardless the thought of feeding my baby hormones isn't a great thought for me personally :-(
Have you thought about charting?[/b]
A friend of mine, while breastfeeding got pregnant. She was 12 weeks along when she found out. I asked how she could not know she was pregnant when she missed 3 periods, because that seemed like the obvious clue to me. She said she wasn't getting her period and hadn't been for the last 7 months while breastfeeding, so she had no idea until she started to feel sick. So... apparently you don't need to get an actual flow while breastfeeding to be ovulating???
[/b]
Almost always you will get a non-ovulatory "warning" period before you have a normal cycle during which you ovulate. And, if your friend had been aware of other signs to watch for, she would have easily detected that her fertility was returning. Conceiving while breastfeeding w/o a period happens to 6% of all women who use LAM.
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