Birth Control and Breastfeeding

a pogesteron only pill the "minipill" I use micrno/nora-be, or an iud is the only think you can use I think.

Try the mini-pill. It only has progesterone in it, so it shouldn't reduce your milk supply!

I used a low-dose birth control pill called Ortho Micro-Nor. It worked just fine for me and I never got a period on it.

I breastfeed also. My son is 7 months now and my OB gave me a progesterone pill for BC. I have been using the pill since my 6 week check-up and haven't had any breastfeeding issues. I've also found that I have more of a libido than I did when I was using nothing after my daughter was born. The generic version I get from the pharmacy is Jolivette. You may want to talk to your OB about this option if you are not opposed to taking a pill each day. My babies are 17 months apart and condoms were not a good strategy for us either. Good luck!

i am taking micronor, or the mini-pill. its been working for me. iits just like the pill but its safe when breastfeeding and did not lower my milk supply.

I got an IUD implanted, but that might not help you. They last for 5-10 years; we are planning on having another child in a few years, but this was the most effective form of birth control that we could use while breastfeeding. They are kind of expensive, though, especially if your insurance won't cover them. Mine was ParaGuard (Mirena is similar, but not covered by my insurance), and after looking at the pros and cons, I decided it was definitely my best option, but in your case I would look at when you want you want to have children next, whether your insurance would cover it and if not would you want to pay out of pocket, how heavy your periods are and how much cramping you already have (there's a chance with ParaGuard that your periods will be heavier with more cramping, and with Mirena that you'll have spotting/breakthrough bleeding the first year). They are 99% effective, though, so if you're in a monogamous relationship, they are definitely the most effective (more effective than condoms, which are a hassle anyways), and it's something you don't have to worry about taking every day, week, or even month--you just get it implanted, and then taken out when you're ready to try for more kids. Anyways, sorry I couldn't be more help.

I have a Mirena IUD and was able to breastfeed until my daughter weaned at 20-months.

Here's a helpful link: http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/birthcontrol.html

I wanted to add that you CAN most certainly breastfeed AND take birth control.

I was recommended to use the micropill. I have friends on it, including one who just had a child in November, and who love it.
I too was skeptical of using anything while nursing. I weaned my son at 6 months with the expectation to start the pack of pills I have in my drawer and this month found out we're expecting another (my son is 7 months old)
Good luck!

I have a copper IUD since my daughter was 3 months old. I tried the pill again, and it just isn't for me. I get bad side effects from it. So I got the copper inserted and I am good for 10 years, not that we will be waiting 10 years to have another, but I didn't want any type of extra hormones in my body and with the copper, there isn't. You can talk to your doctor about the Copper IUD and the Mirena (with hormones, I hear you can't even tell it has hormones they are released so gradually) Good luck with your choice!! (My hubby and I love the IUD, no pill to worry about, as long as your insurance covers it, it's great nothing to worry about really it's EXTREMLY unlikely to get pregnant on unlike the pill =p it has a success rate compared to sterilization, yet as soon as you have your doctor remove it, you can try for another baby =) Good luck!!! (and if you do decide to get one, take a few advil or something before you go it is a tad painful to get in so take it about an hour or so before your appt. =) Definatly worth a few seconds of pain to not have to worry about BC =) And by the way, I never heard anything about them puncturing your uterus, my doctor wasn't worried she knows I am young and we may want more children, I don't think that is very likely, but with everything there are risks. Just make your decision carefully =)

Hi S., I have an 8 month old daughter and breastfed her until she was 5 months old. I took Nor-QD its .35 mg birth control. That worked fine but I also took Reglan. So if you like your birth control you are on, ask the doctor if Reglan is ok for you to take. It is normally used for stomach problems, but it has an effect on breastfeeding mothers. It makes you have an abundance of milk. I had so much that I could have tons stored in my freezer. You take that 4 times a day and with me, within a half hour I could pump out 8oz on each breast. Good Luck!! Congrats on your baby!! They grow up very fast, so take lots of pictures!!

I have been on the NuvaRing for 4months now and I am still going strong on only nursing. My daughter refuses a bottel of any sort. I drink 16oz of water about every 1.5-2hr the size of a propel bottel. My daughter nurses every 2.5-3hr max and night times varies but she always has enough. As long as I drink lots of water and get some sort of rest, I am good to go. good luck.

My midwife gave me the progeterin only pill Camila, and milk supply and baby are doing just fine (libido is fine too).

I used Depo-Provera shots every 12 weeks. It was ok to use after your milk was established...2 weeks I waited. I nursed for quite a while with no problem

Are you familiar with Fertiilty Awareness? Sometimes it is also referred to as Natural Family Planning. Many people who find that hormonal b/c doesn't work for them (for whatever reason - for me, I tend to get a little psycho on b/c so I've been doing NFP for a couple of years now) have great success with NFP. It gets a bad rap because it is greatly misunderstood by people who don't do it ;-)

It involves knowing your cycle, which is done by monitoring the signs your body gives off. Some people take their temperature (which for me, I find a bit unreliable because my temp is inconsistant), some people monitor their cervical mucus, which changes as your body prepares to ovulate, some people monitor their moods and chart them on a calendar... and some do a combination of these.

It's not a big pain like it might seem, but the responsibility becomes 100% yours, and not placed in the hands of some little pill or device. When used correctly, it is actually MORE EFFECTIVE than any other method of birth control, with a success rate of warding off unplanned pregnancies of about 99.5%. (The pill is 98% effective, and has more factors that can interfere).

Plus, you're not messing with your hormones in a way that can have long term effects (such as the risks of blood clots and breast cancer that are common in hormonal b/c). And it won't hamper your breastfeeding even a little bit.

It's not for everyone, and it's likely that your OB won't know enough about it to help guide you through the how-to's (most docs are just trained to prescribe stuff), but it might be worth your while to investigate. Some great articles can be found at www.mothering.com if you're interested :)

For the first year after my son was born, I used the mini pill micronor, which is safe for breastfeeding. My period returned soon after I stopped using the pill. I dowloaded a free program which helps me keep track of my cylce. It's nothing fancy, but has worked so far.
It's available here:

http://www.download.com/Cycle-Calculator-for-Women/3000-2...

As far as I knew, no kind of birth control is safe to use, if you are breast feeding. Sometimes they tell you somethings safe and then the drug companies are getting sued all the time. It makes sense to me, that this would not be a good idea. When I had my son, they told me I couldnt breast feed and be on birthcontrol, I had to choose one. I bottle fed him instead.

There is a low estrogen pill that you can take. I think it is ortho - low but am not positive. I tried to take this as it doesn't alter your milk supply but I didn't like what it did to me body. If you have regular periods I suggest the family planning method which is where you track your period on a straind of beads to figure out which days you are able to conceive. This method has worked for many of my friends. I tried this as well but still have not had regular periods since my son (who will be 3 in May). I hope that this helps. Good luck.