breastfeeding as contraception?

Kasey - posted on 04/09/2009

It is definately not a good contraceptive. You should have a back up. They say that it can be but you can always get pregnant again...backup is a good idea.

Brenda - posted on 04/09/2009

Oh I should add my little ones will be 11 months apart. I'm due in May

Brenda - posted on 04/09/2009

Um take it from me who is know due with baby number two. I was breastfeeding my son and when he was 7 weeks old I got pregnant again. I would suggest a mini pill or some other form of contraception

Gen - posted on 04/09/2009

Talk to your doctor about Mirena. Theoretically if you are not having your period you should not get pregnant but it's not 100% nd you could still get pregnant.  A Mirena is an IUD and it's very effective and safe. I had one for 5 years and couldn't have been happier. You don't have to think about it, and it's localized hormones so you don't have side effects... Except for one really great perk- a lot of woman don't have their period. When you want to get pregnant again you simply have it removed and can try right away.

Kirstie - posted on 04/09/2009

it's a myth according to research.

Jennifer - posted on 04/09/2009

If you strictly breastfeed you don't usually get a period for 6 months. It is difficult to get pregnant then. (Not impossible, but difficult!)

Tori-Ryan - posted on 04/09/2009

STOP and read this...I used to think breastfeeding was a good contraceptive until I ended up with two babies 14 mos. apart.  I wasn't taking my mini pill religiously like I should have been because I was just sure breastfeeding would take care of it.  OOPS it didn't.  Better to be safe than surprised.

Liz - posted on 04/09/2009

AHHH DONT!! lol i know SO many people that listened to this and ended up with a kid 10 months after their first. Talk to your doctor! They know best, and they should be advising you on this. Until then, CONDOMS.

Heather - posted on 04/09/2009

Definitely not!!!!!!! You can absolutely get pregnant while breastfeeding even without having a period!

Lorraine - posted on 04/09/2009

It doesn't work.  My children are 11 months apart thanks to this type of contraception!

Karen - posted on 04/09/2009

Breastfeeding is not a form of birth controll. That is a big myth. I would consult your doctor, but the most reliable form of birth control if you are breastfeeding is the condom. You don't have to worry about side effects from the pill being ingested while nursing you baby.

Sally - posted on 04/09/2009

Quoting Ally:

i can tell u as a nurse that bc of this huge misconception many a lady shows up to her 6 week postpartum check up already preggers again! it is very effective in certain circumstances ...you baby must be under 6 months old ..you must be exclusively btrastfeeding with no supplementation of any kind of formula or solids and you have not had a period since delivering...if all three of these are true 4 you it is a fairly effective method...i chose not to use hormonal methods like the pill since it can effect milk supply and we either use condoms or my husband pulls out and a year later i am still breast feeding and not pregnant!

Totally agree with everything Ally said - would like to add the importance of night feeds for contraceptive purposes. One of these feeds is often the first feed to be dropped by baby and mum gets a longer and much needed block of sleep.  Mums need to be feeding day and night 3rd or max 4th hourly for breastfeeding to be reliable form of contraceptive.

Belinda - posted on 04/09/2009

Ask any doctor and they will tell you breatfeeding is not a contraception at all, you are best to get the mini pill otherwise you will have another mini you very quickly!

Caroline - posted on 04/09/2009

Hi, I was breastfeeding my five month old and successfully conceived my youngest which was planned. I made sure that inbetween i was on the mini pill. better to be safe than sorry!

Wendy - posted on 04/09/2009

Heres my situation. I waited 16 years to fall pregnant for the2nd time. he was planned right down to the hour so to speak. successfully fell pregnant and had my son. while breastfeeding at approx 2mths my milk dried up, went to the doctors and surprise,surprise I"M PREGNANT! a few words of advice- don't think for an instant breastfeeding is a contraceptive.

Jo-ann - posted on 04/09/2009

i took the mini pill when breastfeeding\ my 3rd child and it did us no harm!! but i had nothing with the first 2 and theres 4 and a half years between them so i just think if its ment to be then it will happen xx good look xx

Erin - posted on 04/08/2009

I would say no. I was given a low dose pill when I was breastfeeding and I would recommend that.

Angela - posted on 04/08/2009

not really that good.

Melanie - posted on 04/08/2009

i have a 19 mo old breastfeeding contraception baby! that is a myth!

Melissa - posted on 04/08/2009

A friend of my husband was breastfeeding, then threemonths after giving birth she became pregnant...so I don't think it works as a contraception.
Also my OB told me the same thing.

Krista - posted on 04/08/2009

Also...any form of birth control with estrogen seriously diminishes milk supply. If you want to keep nursing, stay away from it!

Krista - posted on 04/08/2009

Quoting Queade:

Quoting Krista:

There are three rules that apply to be somewhat safe. If the baby is under 6 months old, exclusively breastfeeding or mostly breastfeeding, and not going for more than 5 hours breastfeeding you are probably ok. If those factors are not true, than you need a little something else. That being said, I have seen people who do fall into all three categories still get pregnant and my son is 13 months, sleeping quite well through the night, and mostly eating solids and I still am not ovulating. Condoms are good if you don't want to take a pill.

Breastfeeding is no form of contraception at all.  It doesn't matter how long since you fed or how old the baby is.  If you don't get pregnant, it is totally luck.  Don't be too sure you are not ovulating, if you are not you are a rare bird.

Those are general rules of thumb straight from lactation consultants...It is a form of naturally spacing, for about 6 months, but that is not always 100% for many people.  And actually I am not ovulating, I test daily.

Lynn - posted on 04/08/2009

YOU CAN GET PREGNANT WHILE BREASTFEEDING!! I am living proof... ! There is 15  months difference between my two kids... I got pregnant when my daughter was five months... I didn't find out I was pregnant till I was 9 weeks...and the only reason for that... not because I noticed it... My husband told me to go take a test because my cravings were sounding too much like my pregnancy cravings... sure enough I was pregnant... So this time around if you are not into the pill... talk to your doctor about the NuvaRing... I'm loving it... :)

Cheryl - posted on 04/08/2009

It is definitely a myth.  my sister was breastfeeding her second child and ended up pregnant not too long after.  Her 2nd and 3rd are only 14 months apart. 

Mae - posted on 04/08/2009

thats not true you can get pregnant still breastfeeding

Courtney - posted on 04/08/2009

Breastfeeding is NOT a form of contraception!  Being an OB nurse, this is a huge part of our teaching for our patients.  You can still get pregnant even if your cycles haven't returned.  I have seen several patients come in to deliver their second baby only 10 months after their first child because they relied on breastfeeding as contraception.  Hope this helps!

Nicole - posted on 04/08/2009

No, breastfeeding does not stop you from getting pregnant. The mini pill has to be taken at the SAME TIME EVERY DAY to be effective. If you forget, you must use other forms of contraceptive in addition to the pill... Birth control pills can also make you HUNGRY and made me gain weight after my first! With my second I waited until recently, when he was 10 months old (used foam until then), got on the patch and steadily started gaining weight right away... It also can decrease your milk supply, and the hormones pass to your baby through your breastmilk. My personal preference is foam, and I am not renewing my BC prescription this month because I really don't want to gain any more weight!

Tracey - posted on 04/08/2009

No..........go on the mini pill!!! I am Pregnant and caught while i was exclusively breastfeeding, so no it is definatley not a reliable contraception hun :)  My son was about 4-5 months when i conceived and i hadnt had a period since having him.  He had always been breastfed and hadnt had a complimentary feed of any kind at any time.  I only knew i was pregnant once the morning sickness hit because i obviously hadnt had a period since b4 i was pregnant with my son.  So i can safely say breastfeeding is not in the slightest way a form of contraception. 

Queade - posted on 04/08/2009

It is not contraception at all! My brother was born 11 months after my sister who was 100% breastfed! It is a Russian Roulette and works as well as the lucky few who don't get pregnant under normal circumstances with no birth control. If you try it, be prepared to get pregnant, and if you don't get pregnant, it is just dumb luck!

Queade - posted on 04/08/2009

Quoting Krista:

There are three rules that apply to be somewhat safe. If the baby is under 6 months old, exclusively breastfeeding or mostly breastfeeding, and not going for more than 5 hours breastfeeding you are probably ok. If those factors are not true, than you need a little something else. That being said, I have seen people who do fall into all three categories still get pregnant and my son is 13 months, sleeping quite well through the night, and mostly eating solids and I still am not ovulating. Condoms are good if you don't want to take a pill.

Breastfeeding is no form of contraception at all.  It doesn't matter how long since you fed or how old the baby is.  If you don't get pregnant, it is totally luck.  Don't be too sure you are not ovulating, if you are not you are a rare bird.

Queade - posted on 04/08/2009

Quoting Krista:

There are three rules that apply to be somewhat safe. If the baby is under 6 months old, exclusively breastfeeding or mostly breastfeeding, and not going for more than 5 hours breastfeeding you are probably ok. If those factors are not true, than you need a little something else. That being said, I have seen people who do fall into all three categories still get pregnant and my son is 13 months, sleeping quite well through the night, and mostly eating solids and I still am not ovulating. Condoms are good if you don't want to take a pill.

Breastfeeding is no form of contraception at all.  It doesn't matter how long since you fed or how old the baby is.  If you don't get pregnant, it is totally luck.  Don't be too sure you are not ovulating, if you are not you are a rare bird.

Krista - posted on 04/08/2009

There are three rules that apply to be somewhat safe. If the baby is under 6 months old, exclusively breastfeeding or mostly breastfeeding, and not going for more than 5 hours breastfeeding you are probably ok. If those factors are not true, than you need a little something else. That being said, I have seen people who do fall into all three categories still get pregnant and my son is 13 months, sleeping quite well through the night, and mostly eating solids and I still am not ovulating. Condoms are good if you don't want to take a pill.

Amber - posted on 04/08/2009

Breastfeeding is NOT birth control. You need to use protection for that.

Erika - posted on 04/08/2009

It's written in every book that your gynecologists give out that even if breastfeeding women do not have the period they can still get pregnant.

Fiewor - posted on 04/08/2009

Believe me, breast feeding is DEFINIETLY not a contraceptive. I am two months pregnant  and my baby will be one next week. I had to stop breast feeding him when I found out. Wanted to wait another two years before having another, but it is not to be. Pills could mess up the breast milk, so either use a condom or your husband should pull out (my husband refused both).  So we have this wonderful gift earlier than expected.

Vanessa - posted on 04/08/2009

you can totally get pregnant while nursing! that is a myth. i asked my doctor the same question. in fact, since you don't get a period usually while nursing it is very hard to tell when the safe times of the month are! Be careful!

Sithembile - posted on 04/08/2009

Its far from reliable. my sister thought the exact same thing she fell pregnant 3 months after her 1st child.. WITH TWINS.. stay on the pill. peace of mind

Michele - posted on 04/08/2009

My friend was breast feeding when she fell pregnant again.I'd try the mini pill.Or condoms.Or just not go near your husband lol

Anne - posted on 04/08/2009

PS - I haven't had a period in case that makes a difference?!

Anne - posted on 04/08/2009

My doctor totally shocked me yesterday by telling me (without me asking!) that it was safe not to use contraception as I am exclusively breastfeeding up until 6 months!

I'm not sure she was supposed to tell me that as I'm sure plenty of people out there can attest to the opposite - however I think it has to do with the frequency of the feeds and the fact that my daughter is having no formula at all..!?!?!

Anyway - nice as it sounds, if we do go 'au natrel' it will only be because another one wouldn't be the end of the world!

My advice is if you don't want another one, use contraception anyway, no matter what my doctor said!

xo

Shelagh - posted on 04/08/2009

I believe it used to work well, in a time when the population in general wasn't so well fed - the body wouldn't support breastfeeding and another pregnancy. But we are now healthier and better fed than we were maybe 100 years ago - so the body can support both. In other words, if you don't want to get pregnant, use some form of contraception.

Elsbeth - posted on 04/07/2009

They say its not a safe contraception, so i would be careful, i was breastfeeding and didn t take anything else in that time (almost 1 year) i also didnt have my menstruation the whole time, but still i heard of other women getting pregnant in that time.

Wish you all the best

Melissa - posted on 04/07/2009

Didn't work well for us - that's how we ended up with #2. :-)

Ochey - posted on 04/07/2009

that's what i thought .. till i got pregnant again after four months of giving birth with our firstborn... ouch! better consult with your ob/gyne about other options which is/are safe while breastfeeding. : )

Jacquie - posted on 04/07/2009

I wanted to get pregnant again soon so that they would be 18 to 20 months apart and well they are 13 1/2 mon. apart.  Breastfeeding didn't work for me and no I never got my period.  I hear it can work but it didn't for me.

Lisa - posted on 04/07/2009

DOESN"T WORK... I'm living proof. My daughter was 4 months when I got pregnant while breast feeding. I had one period in between pregnancies. We didn't want to wait long anyway. Unfortunately my milk went away once I got pregnant and I had to switch to formula

Tina - posted on 04/07/2009

ps- rhythm is also not reliable no matter how "regular" you seem to be. 4 generations of my family used this and failed! lol

Tina - posted on 04/07/2009

no- i am a nurse who's been working in ob/gyn for 10 years. breastfeeding is not a reliable form of birth control. in fact, a lot of women get pregnant soon after having a baby- their body is in pregnancy mode and it's quite easy!

Michelle - posted on 04/07/2009

breastfeeding is NOT a contraception method. pill is not necessarily safe while breastfeeding. use condoms or other method

Alicia - posted on 04/07/2009

In a word...risky. I got pregnant with baby number 2 while breatfeeding.