Birth Control One Year Later and Still Breastfeeding - Mini-pill or Nuva Ring?

I just wanted to tell you that the Nuva Ring is not all its cracked up to be. I used it for several months after having my daughter and absolutely detested it. The ring kept shifting, was uncomfortable, was unpleasant all around. I would suggest the mini pill over the nuva ring anyday. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

My friend and I had heard great things about the ring so we both tried it. After about 3 months I felt like I was going crazy. My friend also had alot more mood swings. It was the biggest emotional roller coaster ride I have been on. I definately would not recommend it. I have changed over to the pill.

Personally, If you are breastfeeding, I would recommend a non-Rx form of birth control. Condoms work great and don't flood your system w/foreign unnatural activity. Whatever goes into your system is going into the baby's. do you really wnat your infant on birthcontrol? Go back to a pill when you are done breastfeeding or start the transition to bottle feeding. I am not trying to soappbox, but I am a product of doctors giving my mother hormone therapy while she was pregnant(DES)- come to find out YEARS later that it caused reproductive issues(malformations) in males and females. I was 38 when I finally successfully(&unexpectedly) conceived and it was viewed as nothing short of miraculous. I endured many years of corrective therapies beginning at age 12. You never know what todays 'science' will do to the future generations.

First of all congrats on the nursing!! So, I never tried the mini-pill, but I have known several people that have and 3 of 5 of them were pregnant again within a year, while breastfeeding the first. My doctor wouldn't give me a nuva-ring while I was nursing, but my son had other medical problems, so that maybe the reason for the extra caution. I got a meirerna IUD instead and loved it, you could look into that. There also is a non-hormonal one, but even the mirerna only has local estrogen, so it won't effect your breastmilk. Best of luck!

Good morning!
I was on the mini-pill for a year after my daughter was born. She is 21 months old now and is still nursing. I switched from the mini-pill to a regular birth control pill when she was about 15 months old and it did not impact my milk supply, even though the warnings said it might. If you are having problems with the mini-pill I'd go with what your doctor recommends. If it does affect your supply you could always try something else.
Good luck!

I have no experience with either, but I have had great luck with the Mirena. I got it when my son was 6 weeks and he breastfed until 18 months. And you can get it put in or removed in one quick office visit. I have had no cycle but occ. spotting after sex. And when/if you want to have another baby you can get it removed and try right away. Good luck with your decision.

Is changing pharmacies an option? Your body is used to your current meds and I'd be afraid to change.

I used the mini pill along with breastfeeding for 15 months with great success. No period, no spotting.

I'd try my very best to stick with what you've been using.

Hello,

First off, WAY TO GO on still nursing your little one, you are doing a great thing for her!!!

I used the mini pill after ds was born about 7 years ago with no problems. You can always take brewer's yeast tablets to increase milk production if need be. Right now I am using the nuva ring and it seems to be fine, been less than a month, and still nursing a 2 year old with no problems.
Good luck, S.

My birth control, too was just switched from Errin to Jolievette, but am not experiencing any problems. I began getting my period once a month about two months after my son was born. I have decided to stay on the Jolievette because it doesn't make me sick. I should mention, however, that many birth control pills are too strong for me to take and cause dizziness and vomiting.
My main reason for responding is to tell you to stay clear of the Nuva- Ring. While I cannot say that it may be harmful for breastfeeding, I can say that I would not have my son had I chosen another method of birth control. I always followed the directions (Lord knows they're simple)but after using it for three months, I found out I was pregnant. My doctor laughed and said I was 6th person that told her they became pregnant on the Nuva- Ring. (Plus my husband says he could "feel" the ring during intercourse, not that he minded much!)

I just had this conversation with my own midwife yesterday. I asked her about using NuvaRing as a stop-ap until my husband has his vasectomy-- we just went through a fourth pregnancy loss (we have five healthy kids and don't plan to have more--want to make sure we don't get pregnant again before the vasectomy 'takes.') and don't want to ever go through one again, so I'm feeling desperate to avoid pregnancy at this point. My midwife pointed out to me that I'm still breastfeeding my 18 month old, and that any form of hormonal birth control will put horomones into my breastmilk. While my baby does nurse much less than he used to, of course, he still is nursing and still gets maybe 1/3 of his nutrients from breastmilk. She asked me if I would ever go into a grocery store and purchase milk for my baby that had a warning on it that it contained human hormones like estrogen in it. I said 'of course not,' and that, in fact, I only feed my kids organic milk because I don't want them to have Bovine Growth hormones in their bodies. So she made her point well-- I'd not ever purchase foods for my baby that delivered estrogen or other hormones into his body, so why would I consider offering breastmilk with hormones in it to him? It answered it for me immediately-- I opt out of hormonal birth control until my baby is weaned. She said that most OBs will prescribe hormonal birth control to their patients even if they are breastfeeding, but that the bottom line is that we don't know what these hormones are doing and will do to our babies long-term. It made me sad for all the babies out there exposed to the hormones in birth control via breastmilk. And I opt to not wean my baby in order to use hormonal birth control, either: his breastmilk is so incredibly good for him that I will not pull it from his diet before he's ready to say goodbye to it. Instead, my husband and I will look for other ways to prevent pregnancy until he is in the all-clear zone for his pending vasectomy. I won't take chances with my baby. He deserves a hormone-free breastfeeding experience.

So. For what it's worth, this was my own thought process. I hope all mamas will consider this through these lenses, and consider coming off hormonal birth control if breastfeeding. Doctors will tell you there doesn't seem to be risk involved, but I would challenge you to ask them if they'd feed their own children milk bought at a store that contained estrogen or other hormones added to it, and see what their answer is.

You are such a kind and thoughtful mother to consider what this is doing to your baby. Every baby should be so lucky, R..

The best of luck!
Warmly,
JennyC.

I used the mini-pill while breastfeeding and tried to continue on it after weaning. I had no spotting as long as I was breastfeeding but my cycle got a little crazy once I stopped nursing (multiple cycles in one month). It returned to normal as soon as I stopped taking the pill. I planned to stay on something for at least 2 years after the birth of my first child to help with spacing...so I did go on period patrol after stopping it since my son was only about 14 months. By the grace of God, our children are 3.5 years apart. I suspect the issue is the pill (regardless of the brand) since its main mechanism of action is thickening your cervical mucous and not prevention of ovulation (hence the 48 hour missed pill rule).