Birth Control and Breastfeeding HELP!!

Tamara - posted on 08/15/2009

Paraguard IUD. No hormones, insertion was a breeze, and all you have to do is check the strings 1x/month.

Theresa - posted on 08/15/2009

My doctor gave me the mini pill prescription, just in case I wanted birth control, while breastfeeding. He said it is the safest birth control for breastfeeding, as some forms have negative effects with breastfeeding. I did not take it so to say, but with asking similar questions, that was the answer given. Hope that helps!!:)

Carianne - posted on 08/15/2009

I had great results with Mirena when I was EBF my first. I had it put in when she was about 3 months old, but you can get it as early as 6 weeks after you've had a baby so I know it's safe for BF moms. The only downside is that it's an expensive visit to the OBGYN. It saves money in the long run though if you plan to not get pregnant for a couple of years. (It's good for up to 5 years). No hassle, almost no period, didn't even have to think about it. LOVED it!

Hanna - posted on 08/15/2009

i answered your question in the other one, but basically, as your child gets older, you don't really keep increasing your milk supply infinitely (if your baby is small, you may get away with breastfeeding him exclusively for up to 9-12 months, but most of us don't because after about 6 months his appetite is far larger than the supply), it sort of levels off at 26-32 oz per day (if you get more, that's great!). so as the baby keeps growing and his appetite rises, you keep feeding him whatever milk you have and supplementing the difference with solid foods and, obviously, keep increasing the amounts with age and size so that by the time the baby is 10-12 months old, he is eating mostly regular food and breast milk becomes supplement (that way it's also easier to ween him off when you're ready, without having to resort to formula and soy milk).



here is the two sites i used -- the first one gives you a fairly comprehensive picture of what to feed & when as well as some eating patterns, the second one gives you ideas for menu just in case.



http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/infant/st...

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/



as far as birth control, i am allergic to most things out there so we just opted out for condoms -- cheaper and easier. if you don't want to do nuvaring (which has the least amount of side effects) try mirena because it's not actually a drug. alternatively, i would talk to your OB about yeast infection and see he has any alternatives -- he would probably know better than all of us because he deals with many more women & he knows you. Good luck!

Brandy - posted on 08/15/2009

i would say talk to your gynocologist

Jocelyn - posted on 08/15/2009

i breast fed exclusively and went on the mini-pill at my 6 week check up. it didn't affect my milk supply at all. you could also try an IUD (mirena or copper)

Jen - posted on 08/15/2009

I don't have anything specific for you to try but by now your supply should be fine and you should not have to worry about that. You should probably just ask your doctor what they recommend. I know there was the one pill called seasonale or something like that where you only get 4 periods/year but i've just seen commercials for it. I used the nuva ring with no problems right after my 6 week checkup but I had lots of milk and no problems with yeast. I'm not sure if the location of the ring would cause problems if you are having trouble with yeast infections. The mini pill is only progesterone and often has less side effects than the regular BC stuff.

Krista - posted on 08/15/2009

Quoting Anne:

I was told that the nuva ring wasnt an option for BF mothers... if they were wrong I am going to be very upset! lol

I used it.

Krista - posted on 08/15/2009

Also....you do NOT need your doctor to insert the Nuvaring. You do it yourself. You put it in for three weeks and take it out for one. I never had to have my doctor insert mine. It's not an IUD.

Krista - posted on 08/15/2009

If there is any type of birth control that's going to react negatively with BF it's the depo shot, being that it's the highest level of hormones on the market (which is what makes you NOT have a period at all). I'd say you'd be safe with anything else. Personally, I use nuvaring and used it while BF and I had an overabundance of milk.

Can't say much about the yeast infections. I know that there is one other birth control on the market that gives you about 4 periods a year, but it's rather new. This is probably best discussed with your health care provider.

Rebecca - posted on 08/15/2009

I'm not up on all the people who can and can't use the Nuva Ring but I went on on their website and it is a hormanal birth control and it stated to talk to your doctor if you recently had a baby, miscarriage or are breastfeeding. So you might not be able to use it if your doctor feels there are too great a risk to use it while breastfeeding.

Christina - posted on 08/15/2009

Ok so I was in almost the same place as are many of us.... You have a milk supply that is already established. So it is safe and ok to use any birthcontroll that you would like. My dr. amd lactation consultant said that if I could get a solid milk supply and many women do that in the first three months. So you are good to go:)- I ended up love'n Yaz. I also suffered from extream yeast infections:( Not on this I did not get a one. I dont know how long the depo stays with you so that might be some thing you want to look into as well as ask your dr. and or nurse. They might have better suggestions. I also looked in to the nuva ring but that has some serious sideeffects and you beed to see the dr. to insert. Good luck there are many things to choose from. At this point nothing is wrong it's what works for you. Now one more thing cuz you have yeast issues you need to talk to your Dr. about the limited period part it might make things worse. Good luck

Chellsi - posted on 08/15/2009

Hi Sabrina...I am also a exclusive breastfeeding mother of an 8 month old :) I got the Mirena IUD put in when I was 3 months post partum and it has worked great for me. I have yet to have a period, and my milk supply was not effected.. I would highly recommend it--totally easy procedure, never have to get shots or remember to take pills, does not affect breast milk supply and it works for 5 years. If you want another baby sooner, you can simply take it out. It has a really low dose of hormones so it does not effect your weight :)



Hope this info helps :)

Chellsi

Anne - posted on 08/15/2009

I was told that the nuva ring wasnt an option for BF mothers... if they were wrong I am going to be very upset! lol

Rebecca - posted on 08/15/2009

You should check with your doctor about the mini-pill. It is for breastfeeding mothers as it doesn't have as much hormones in it. You could also look into the Nuval (sp) Ring or the Mirena (5 yr IUD) depending on what you want to go with.

Anne - posted on 08/15/2009

All I can say is don't go on the low hormone pill! I was on it and our daughter is 11 months today, and we just found out we are pregnant again! (happy about it though, it was just a shock!)