Breastfeeding / Birth Control / Ovulation

be careful on missing pills life was so hectic that I forgot as well and I'm feeding my 10month old. After he was born my dr recommended an IUD and it didn't effect breastfeeding. Good luck

I had trouble getting pregnant the first time, and never had a period while breastfeeding till 14.5 months. I had been taking the pill, but figured it wasn't really worth the expense if I had trouble before anyway. After I weaned, a month later, I was pregnant with #2. I don't know if I wasn't ovulating, or just lucked out timing wise, but that is my experience.

With my 1st, I got pregnant while on the pill. I did not realize I was pregnant until about 5 months along. I was young and not paying much attention and overtired. I had light periods but had always been irregular. I actually thought I had a medical condition when I finally went to the doctor.
When I was nursing I did not get periods back until about btw 22months and 28 months postpartum. It took me awhile to conceive #2- sometimes you can ovulate every other month especially with night nursing. It is rare but it happens. I took me a long while.
With pregnancy #3 it happened so fast as compared to #2, I had just gotten my period back on my daughters second birthday and the next month was pregnant. So when baby #3 turned two I got an IUD. Sometimes it depends on your body, your baby and how often the baby nurses. Another thing is whether the baby gets any food or water because if so that is part of the weaning process. All of these things influence your liklihood to get pregnant but there is no guarantee. So be careful and good luck

You have no way of knowing when your cycle will start back so you can ovulate without knowing it. If you don't want to become pregnant you need to use some form of birth control. Preferably one that doesn't pass any hormones thru your breastmilk like condoms.

Basically, breastfeeding is a good birth control IF you are breastfeeding every 3 hours round the clock every single day and of course when baby is 8 months old odds are you aren't doing that. So don't temp fate-use back up if you miss pills!

When my second son was 6 months old, I found I was pregnant with my youngest son. I was full time nursing and my period still had not returned. Obviously, I must have been ovulating to get pregnant.

Don't risk it unless you want another child. My third child was a surprise under similar circumstances. The pill you are able to take while breastfeeding is a different/lower dose of hormones so the baby won't be affected and it is critical to not miss one and to even take them at the same time each day. I learned this the hard way after becoming pregnant. Of course, I love my third baby but we weren't quite prepared to have another child so close to his brother.

Well boy are you hitting home with me right now. Ok, had my son in Sept. 08, last period I had was Nov. 07. I breastfed for 5.5 months. I still have not had a period! We are trying to get pregnant again, and I have been going to the doc. to see what the deal is. The meds they put me on did not jump start my period like they were intended to. The specialist thinks there is some disconnect between my brain telling my ovaries when to drop the egg for ovulation, have period, etc. I could still get pregnant eventhough I am not having a period, but not sure of the chances. I don't know if this helps or not, but this is what I know about it.

Well, the easy answer is that you just never know. :) But, my experience is similar to yours. I never ovulated or had a period while breastfeeding for at least a year. I weaned the first 4 at a year and got pregnant a few months later. The 5th one I nursed 2 years and got pregnant a couple months later. My 6th I nursed 2 years. She's now nearly 4 and I'm still not pregnant. We don't use any form of birth control. I did get my period back at 14 months with my 6th, but still no pregnancy. We would love more, so we definitely are not trying to prevent another pregnancy! It sounds like your body is very sensitive to the hormonal changes that happen during breastfeeding. You are probably (:)) not ovulating and won't until you wean your son.

Sorry to sound alarming, but my first concern would be what affect the birth control pills might have on the baby you are nursing. I would never have considered taking any medication that influences hormone production while I was nursing. We used other forms of birth control while I nursed. And, I would not be satisfied to only know what the FDA will 'allow' in this regard. They will allow a child to receive a vaccine following a severe head injury when it is likely to cross the blood/brain barrier and cause permanent neurological damage. I won't even buy milk from cows that are given hormonal supplements since I learned that it can actually cause teenage boys to develop breasts, among other problem.

But, to answer your specific question, it really is a no-brainer. Ovulation normally occurs a couple of weeks prior to the menses. So, you are always going to be fertile prior to the first period, not just after. So, unless you can know with certainty when you are about to ovulate, you have to assume that fertility can revive at any time. I nursed my son for 19 months, but my periods returned at about 8 months. That means I was fertile during the 7th month.