Breast feeding as birth control...

Charlena - posted on 07/28/2010

I watched that show " I didnt know i was pregnant " ...... yea I wont be using breastfeeding as a form of BC lol

Paula - posted on 07/28/2010

not at all it is a myth you can get pregnant 24 hours after giving birth we are a fertile creature

Lisa - posted on 07/28/2010

My younger sisters are 18mths apart. The reason!!! My mom thought that if she breast fed then she couldnt get pregnant. Well she did. So I would actually use a real form of birth control.

Marina - posted on 07/28/2010

Not effective. I myself got pregnant with my second son while I was still nursing #1, though he was 15 months old already. I have an aquaintance who got pregnant w/ #2 when #1 was only 6 weeks old and still nursing! I'm still currently nursing my second son and I've been ovulating and trying to get pregnant with #3.

A - posted on 07/28/2010

There is a key element when using BFing as BC. You have to do it a certain way...for example....no solids until at least 6 months, must feed ON DEMAND (no schedules), do not use pacifiers or supplements, etc. If you vary from that it may effect your reliablility. My sister did all those things and still got her period back right after birth, so its not 100% but for MOST people who breastfeed in this manner, usually don't get their period back until 14 months post partum. My son was exclusively breastfed pretty much until 10 months of age (he didn't take to solids) and I got mine back 8 months post partum (but I had also got bad advice and put my son on a schedule for the most part) so I don't know if thats why or not.

Rebecca - posted on 07/28/2010

As far as i know you have to BF for 6 months for it to work...so for the first 6 months you need another form of BC which i think a lot of Dr's don't inform women of resulting in unplanned pregnancy. It can work if done right, just like family planning method works.

The reason women get PG before they get a period is because they don't know when they will ovulate and because they never had a period they take for granted they can't get pregnant...well ladies remember the egg is released BEFORE you get a period thus you would get PG before you first period.

Chiquita - posted on 07/28/2010

Thats totally not true you can still get pregnant even though u are breast feeding.

Samantha - posted on 07/28/2010

I was using the LAM method very strictly (like Genia was describing) and using the low dosage pill....7 months after giving birth to my daughter, I am pregnant again (now 17 weeks). So yes, Breastfeeding correctly might work as a form of birth control, but I would recommend a back-up plan. I am the perfect example of why birth control, no matter what form, does not always work (2 miscarriages, an 11 month old, and another on the way)!!

Mandalynn - posted on 07/28/2010

Its not BC... My mom got pg with my lil brother when she was breast feeding me.. My doc said it could actully make me more likely to get pg while a women is breastfeeding.. IDK if its true or he was just trying to scar the snot out of me but it oworked

Emily - posted on 07/28/2010

Breast feeding can slow down or prevent you from ovulating, but even if you are not having you period while breast feeding you could still get pregnant... I know two girls who got pregnant while exclusively breast feeding before they ever had their first post pregnancy period (I think my mom did too). Though some people successfully breast feed and do not use any sort of birth control and manage to not get preggo I personally would not take the chance. I hope this helps.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 07/28/2010

Melissa,

Michelle Duggar weaned all her kids by 9 months and was only able to breastfeed some of them for a few weeks so she's not a good example :P.



To the OP, check out all the links posted it you're really intersted in it.

Taita - posted on 07/28/2010

the doctor says it is birth control for 9 mos however i have heard of some people that get pregnant not very many, i used this and didnt get pregnant but its diffrent for everyone i think

Michelle - posted on 07/28/2010

NO! Breast feeding alone is not a form of birthcontrol. I tried taking the 3 month Depo shot. I had severe headaches with it so they switched me to a progestron pill. Estrogen is bad for the baby so progestron was the only other option for me.

Sheleen - posted on 07/28/2010

It's different for everyone. My mom NEVER got preggo while breastfeeding. And she had 8 of us!!! I also did not even have a period until I was practically done breastfeeding my first child and we weren't all that careful. However I started a period at 6 weeks after my second. So even my own body was different with each pregnancy! So if you feel like that's what you want to use as a birth control method go for it, however also be ready for the idea of another baby just in case, cause like i said everyone is different!

Rachel - posted on 07/28/2010

I got the IUD so I would not get pregnant, but could breastfeed.

Rachel - posted on 07/28/2010

It is not a form of birth control.

Nicole - posted on 07/28/2010

Not a wise decision. Everyones body is different and this may be true for some. It is absolutely not true for everyone. If you have started your period or have been spotting at all you can get pregnant and after you do you are more fertile than before your first pregnancy.

Gabriela - posted on 07/27/2010

You can even get pregnant while already pregnant, though you will most likely just think you had twins. And the same goes for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding usually inhibits ovulation if all the conditions mentioned before in the thread are met, but you could start ovulating at any time WITH OR WITHOUT A PERIOD before it. So, it can let you down without a warning. And you can take the mini-pill while breastfeeding.

Jenn - posted on 07/27/2010

Genia and Sara D have everything correct. It IS a very effective form of birth control when done correctly so please don't spread misinformation if you don't know!

Melissa - posted on 07/27/2010

NO DO NOT TRUST IT!!!! Have you seen that show 17 kids and counting? Do you see how its now 19 kids and counting? Yea that woman has been breast feeding since in her early 20's and she is also always getting pregnant. That the only proof I need lol!

K - posted on 07/27/2010

Like I said, very specific conditions must be met, if they are not met, it doesn't work.

Sarah - posted on 07/27/2010

As far as I know it doesn't work!!

K - posted on 07/27/2010

Breastfeeding actually IS a great form of birth control, but you have to be following certain conditions for it to be reliable. It's called Lactational Amenorrhea.
http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_roo...

Liz - posted on 07/27/2010

Doesn't work! I had 2 babies in 2006, one in January and the other in December. I was breastfeeding and I hadn't even had a period before I got pregnant again.

Clare - posted on 07/27/2010

It doesn't work, both my mum and my aunty fel pregnant will brest feeding and on the brestfeeding pill

Stephanie - posted on 07/27/2010

"You have to explore different options because you can't take any birth control pills while you're breastfeeding either" yes you can, they have a mini pill you can take with lower hormones.

Dusty - posted on 07/27/2010

no birth control is 100% unless u tie ur tubes or something to that effect my mom has gotten pregnet on every form of birth control reselting in 8 kids and 7 misscaries and no its not genetic cuz i have only been able to get pregnet when i use preneatels it never fails a mouth after i start taken them iam pregnet but i would not try the shot i was on it and it mde me miss periodes wow right ud think its a good thing but iam a beliver its not ur supose to have them so ur uters stays healthey i suffered from cysts on my uters in high school and it sucked big time try running a lap and end up bent over cuz one rupters on u not fun my addvise is talk to ur ob tell him ur conserns and what u want from a birth control he will give u options and u can decided that way he will know what would b harmful and whats not and what would b best for u and ur life style!!!

Melanie - posted on 07/27/2010

I don't believe in birth control, personally. Not to say that is true for everyone. I don't trust IUDs. I had a friend who got pregnant TWICE with IUDs in. I got pregnant and miscarried due to the pill when I was in high school. Probably a good thing, but it hurt. I just personally don't believe in any form. Breastfeeding, I am told is not a very good method, though.

MamaTo2 - posted on 07/27/2010

Breastfeeding CAN delay your cycle but it's not reliable at all!!! I was told by many people and even read in books written by doctors that if you always feed on demand it will delay the return of your period 6 months to a year. Not true across the board! I'm sure it's true for some woman but it's not the "rule" by any means. From the time my son was born I fed consistently and fully every 1-2 hours and pumped whenever he slept longer than that...my period returned when my son was 2 months old. Fertile, obviously! Ha. Not only that, but breastfeeding can make a previously regular cycle very IRREGULAR, which makes it much harder to predict or determine when you are ovulating. As I said, I always fed on demand, my cycle returned at 2 months, I was doing great with natural birth control for four months then as soon as my son started on solids my cycle jumped ahead a full week unexpectedly and I got pregnant again right away.

Candice - posted on 07/27/2010

Ok so Breastfeeding CAN delay the return of your menstral cycle, but that doesn't mean it always will. Some say if you skip to many nursing sessions it could bring back your cycle.
There isn't many options with this. It's kinda letting nature take control.
You can take Birth Control and still Breastfeed. There are estrogen free BC pills out there (estrogen interefers with milk production) you can get a IUD that doesn't have hormones as well.

I have had luck with just breastfeeding. With my second child, My period didn't return until 13 months after her birth. BUT that deosn't mean this will happen for you. It ranges from woman to woman. I know a mom who was exclusively breastfeeding and she got pregnant again 6 weeks after her first baby's birth.

I would use condoms and look into different types of BC as well.

Valerie - posted on 07/27/2010

Nope!! Breastfeeding is definitely not a form of birth control! I know someone who thought that it was, and about a month or two after she gave birth, she was pregnant again!!

Dusty - posted on 07/27/2010

hellow i come from a family of 8 kids and my 2 older brothers are the same age for one week my aunt told my my she couldnt get pregnet so no i doesnt work my mom ended up with 3 kids in dippers at the same time and back then it wasnt throw away she had to hand wash them all!!!!

Johanna - posted on 07/27/2010

breastfeeding will make your monthly cycle delay but your body still could release and egg so is best to be on birth control...

Serena - posted on 07/27/2010

I got pregnant 2 1/2 months after my daughter was born because i wasn't on birth control i was just breast feeding. 6 weeks in i miscarried because my body just wasn't ready. Dont put yourself thru it

Jeremi - posted on 07/27/2010

It won't work, it will delay your period as long as you're breastfeeding but you can still get pregnant. You have to explore different options because you can't take any birth control pills while you're breastfeeding either. I got on the shot.

Amanda - posted on 07/26/2010

My DD is 18 months and still nursing and I don't have another form of birth control but I have not had a period this whole time either so everyone's body is different but for us breastfeeding has worked just fine! However, you can get the IUD or the Mini Pill (Progestin-only)

Katherine - posted on 07/26/2010

yep, it's called knocked up!

Genia - posted on 07/26/2010

Yes, actually it IS a form of birth control. It's called the lactational amenorrhea method. There is a wealth of information on it in books, online, and through doctors and fertility experts. IF your child is under 6 months of age AND not getting any supplements (water, juice, formula, solids), IF they nurse at least every 4 hours during the day and go no longer than 6 hours without nursing at night, and IF you have not had a period or any signs of ovulation (such as cervical mucus), THEN it is roughly as effective as the pill.



Yes, some people have gotten pregnant while using it correctly, just like some people get pregnant while using the pill, or condoms, or an IUD correctly. The fact is, there is NO 100% effective form of birth control. So saying that because you know someone who got pregnant while breastfeeding (without knowing for sure if they were even doing everything right...did you check their cervical fluid for them?) means that breastfeeding is without a doubt not birth control is pretty preposterous. I guess the only birth control that is really birth control is abstinence then.



To the OP - if you don't fit the rules for LAM, or are not comfortable with it, look into the Fertility Awareness Method or Natural Family Planning. It takes a lot of discipline to do, but is just as effective as the pill when done right. It is basically keeping track of all your fertility signs to know when you are ovulating so you can avoid intercourse or use extra protection during that time. The book I mentioned above is full of info about it. I personally don't have the self-discipline for it, but I know many people who do. HTH.



wanted to add - I used the lactational amenorrhea method with my last 2 children and - wonder of wonders! - I didn't get pregnant! i didn't even ovulate until 17 months with my son...my daughter is about to turn one and still no ovulation or period (or pregnancy, lol).

Nikki - posted on 07/26/2010

it is NOT a form of birth control at all

Genia - posted on 07/26/2010

what SaraD posted is correct, it is only a form of birth control when done correctly, and you should always learn and watch for signs of fertility. The book Taking Charge Of Your Fertility is a must-read for all females!

Aura - posted on 07/26/2010

Breastfeeding is not a form of birth control. I know too many people that got pregnant that way. It's misinformation, it doesn't work.

Sarah - posted on 07/26/2010

I didn't trust that advice. Got an IUD once I could.

Amy - posted on 07/26/2010

Breastfeeding is NOT a form of birth control. There have been many women who get there period right away even when breastfeeding a lot (if they pump they express between 40-80 oz). Other women on the other hand could breastfeed a little bit and still not "ovulate". It's not a chance anyone should take if they aren't ready for another baby.

If your breastfeeding and need a form of birth control the MIni pill or hormone free (Condomes or some IUD's) are a good option.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 07/26/2010

It can be used, but it has to be used the right way. You cannot supplement at all with anything. You must feed on demand day and night. Ecological breastfeeding works best to prevent the return of fertility. Moms that practice ecological breastfeeding cosleep, feed on demand day and night, wear baby (they don't use strollers), no pacifiers or bottles and usually delay the introduction of solids. I know moms who have delayed the return of the fertility for well over a year (after the birth of the baby) using this method. Every woman is different and some get their periods back right away even though they feed on demand. Usually you get a warning period first (you have a period, but didn't ovulate), but not always.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertil...

Morgan - posted on 07/26/2010

My best friend got pregnant while breastfeeding, so I would not risk it :)

Casandra - posted on 07/26/2010

it slows down the process of releasing the eggs....true. but i wouldn't try it as my only birth control option.....

Kaylie - posted on 07/26/2010

breast feeding isnt a form of birthcontrol. there are stuff you can use. just as your dr. but you Can still get pregnant while breastfeeding.

Lorna - posted on 07/26/2010

dont beleive that this work. Some people think that breast feeding your baby delays the releas of an egg but to be honest i dont think this is true. I cant under stand how people can think that feeding you child is proper birth control