Nursing Moms & Birth Control

Ok my kids are 4 & 5 so I'm thinking this mini pill came out since I had mine...My Dr. had put me on an Ortho pill that had NO ESTROGEN because I also suffer from severe migraines and they were afraid that the extra estrogen would trigger the migraines. You might ask about that. They looked the same to me as every other dial-a-pill I'd ever had and I started them the month after I gave birth. I will say, my husband was in an accident about 9 months after the birth of our first born and in the rush to get out the door (because I had to travel 3 hours to get to him) I forgot to grab my pills...whammo! One instantaeous oopsie daisy...so if you really don't want to get pregnant for awhile double up on the control or go for the abstinance...other than that...it's roulette. Good luck!

I know they say that while you're breastfeeding you shouldn't have a period, same w/ the mini pill but we've had 2 patiets in the past 3 months that are nursing and have had a cycle - myself being one of them!! As long as it's not an exceptionally long cycle it's probably ok. And as long as you're still nursing you probably don't want to switch from the mini pill to the regular pill due to the regular pill has estrogen in it which can cause your milk to dry up.

Hi, A.. I felt like I was reading my own question! I, too, am 32 with a 15 1/2 month old who I just weaned a few weeks ago. A few days after I weaned her I had my first period in over two years, as well. It was nice while it lasted :)

I still take the mini pill. I don't think you can take the "regular" pill if you are still nursing, but I don't know for sure. For some reason, I remember my doctor telling me that. We have been using condoms (bleh...I know!) also, just in case :)I anxiously await other responses to your question!! Take care...

I was told to stay on the mini pull until nursing is finished, whether I started my period or not.

Of course ask your doctor. When I was nursing and on the mini pill, I got my period (often). I stayed on the mini pill until I stopped nursing. Then switched to the regular one once I stopped.

Your doc will likely recommend that you stay on the minipill until you are done nursing...BUT make sure you are taking it faithfully at the SAME time each day! Now that your period has returned, there's proof that you're ovulating and can get preggers again. (My L&D nurse when I was laboring was due 1 week before me! I felt bad that she was the one helping me instead of the other way around!) After my daughter was born, I said, "Wow, that wasn't bad at all! I could do that again!" and I remember her saying, "Watch out what you say! I said the same thing and now I have a 14 month old at home and 1 due in a week!" She was an RN, on the minipill, breastfeeding exclusively, never got a period, and took her pill a little bit late one day (maybe an hour or 2?) and whammo...surprise!!!
Might want to consider condoms too if you have any trouble taking a pill each day on time and you're not ready for another munchkin yet.

I agree to check with your doctor (you can always call instead of going in ) but here is what mine told me. She said once I was no longer nursing full time and down to 1-2 nursings/day, then switch to the regular pill. She said the mini pill should keep working until then. You don't want to start the regular pill if still nursing fulltime because it can affect your milk supply. Good luck!

Obviously your OBGYN will know best. However, my OBGYN told me to only take the "mini pill" until I was completely done nursing due to the hormones in the regular pill.

Wow, 15 months and still nursing that much, all of my older 3 stopped nursing on their own by 13 months. Anyway, the mini pill is just a lower dose of estrogen more often, vs the regular pill. The question is how much longer you plan on nursing. They both work just fine. I wouldn't worry about making a special trip to the OB if this was your only question. Check WebMD to read more about each. They have axcellent resources.