Fertile or Not Fertile, That Is the Question....

I am amazed that people still think that you can't get pg while breastfeeding. I've got two kids as proof that you can!
Have him wear a condom!

Use a condom. I have sisters who are 10 months a part. My best friend is 11 months from her brother. My friend has a one year old and a 1 year 11 month old. All were exclusively breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding IS NOT BIRTH CONTROL. You don't have to be getting a period to ovulate.

Not sure where you heard that breastfeeding is a form of birth control but thats not true. It is more likely that you are NOT ovulating for the first 6 months of exclusively bfing your baby BUT it is def. not a guarantee and everyone is different. I bf my first for 13 months and didnt get my period back until 2 months after completely stopping but I started back on the pill right at my 6 week because you never know. I am now 10 weeks post partum with my second and last baby and again I started on the pill at 6 weeks because I dont want to have any more kids. Why dont you just use a condom? I know its 'not as fun' and spontaneous but if you are not on any form of birth control and you dont want to get pregnant again then I suggest that you protect yourself because you def. could get pregnant - period or not
Good Luck

YES you are fertile. What you know is that you have not had a bleeding period. You do not know that you have not or will not be ovulating. It is a MYTH that you can't get pregnant while breastfeeding. You can talk to your dr. about a limited birth control safe for while breastfeeding, or use a condom for sure.

I would definitely use a back up plan. My mom believed as you did. She was breastfeeding and had no period has sex ONCE. Went in for a checkup at few weeks later and was told she couldn't have her birth control prescription because she was pregnant. So our family of five, quickly became a family of six. Better to be safe than sorry!

Lots of babies are 9, 10, and 11 months apart because some old woman a couple hundred years ago thought that while breastfeeding a woman couldn't get pregnant.

Those are truly old wives tales. You will need to use birth control in some form each and every time you have intercourse if you do not want to risk becoming pregnant that moment. Even birth control is not 100% but it is the best way.

Do you want another child 11 months from now? If not then use something for sure.

I find myself getting a little frustrated at all the women claiming "that's an old wives' tale", because truly, it isn't. Breastfeeding--particularly exclusive breastfeeding--does reduce fertility. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, published by the leading breastfeeding organization LLL, says the same. However. If you go more than four hours without nursing, your fertility can bounce back. If you get a period, your body might just override the breastfeeding. If, if, if. There are enough things we don't know about the body--and, in my opinion, women's childbearing bodies--that we can't say for certain all the things that might jeopardize breastfeeding-as-birth-control. I personally got my period within two weeks of stopping lochia. I breastfed my son until he was 2 1/2, and could not get pregnant for 8 months until I had stopped breastfeeding for one full month. And, at 2 1/2, we obviously weren't nursing every 4 hours or being incredibly attached. However, my period *should* have indicated returned fertility, but 8 months is a long time in our experience; all three other pregnancies happened within two months. So, while I don't necessarily agree with what a lot of women are writing, I do agree with their conclusions--while breastfeeding quite possibly is reducing your fertility, even to the point of being unable to get pregnant, it's not a sure thing, so I'd recommend birth control of some sort.

Consider yourself fertile ... unless you want "Irish twins". Lol!

If you aren't ready to be pregnant again you should behave as though you could get pregnant every time you have sex.

Women get pregnant while nursing all the time, and since your period comes AFTER ovulation you could have ovulated already.

Even though you are breastfeeding you could still be fertile as you could ovulate before you would ever menstruate post-partum and become pregnant .

Yes, it is possible to space babies through breastfeeding ( I did it successfully myself - 2-3 years between all of my kids doing this and nfp -- NO surprises--all were planned), but unfortunately most women in the US or western countries do not and can not breastfeed the proper way to prevent ovulation or stave off fertility. Read up on something called "Ecological Breastfeeding" if this is what you are trying to achieve. There is a definite method and rules to follow for this to be done successfully...primarily consisting of feeding the baby on demand, wearing the baby 24/7 and co-sleeping. Westerners are so active, it is very difficult to do this well enough to prevent fertility. So I say it is very likely you could become pregnant though you haven't had menstruation just yet.

For those who are seriously spacing their children through breastfeeding, the only reliable way to know if you are about to ovulate and are fertile is through daily monitoring and charting of your body's basal temperature, using a method like NFP (natural family planning).

You can chart ovulation by reading actual physical signs or changes in your body, and most importantly charting your daily temperature shifts first thing in the morning. When you are about to ovulate, your basal temperature has a significant shift that coincides with very distinct physical changes in your body that are easy to monitor. The days prior to your shift are most fertile and usually 3 days after the peak ovulation day. So for about 6 days you are fertile. Over time, if you chart daily, you will get accustomed to your body's patterns and signs and will have no problems knowing "exactly" what times you are fertile.

For most, it takes at least two cycles to feel comfortable and knowledgeable with this method, which is 99 percent effective IF done properly. You can plan and avoid pregnancy with accuracy. The only variable is your will power and desire to faithfully stick to the plan. :) But it does work!

You can take classes through the Couple to Couple League or through the following clinic located inside St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown St. Paul: http://www.tcnfp.org/

For resources:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/fert...
http://www.nfpandmore.org/nfphowto.shtml
http://www.breastfeeding-magazine.com/ecological-breastfe...

You absolutely CAN get pregnant while breast feeding! My best friend, who has 2 boys 11 months apart, can attest to that one! Also, just because you haven't had a period doesn't mean you haven't released an egg. Who knows, maybe your body will release an egg this weekend, and then you'll get your period in 2 weeks? The egg comes before the period.

If I were you, I'd be on the safe side and use a condom. I know, gross. But if you really don't want another baby so soon? It's worth it, in my opinion. Good luck. I was always scared of that "first time" after baby!!

Use protection just to be safe. I know several families who have "Irish twins"--kids that are less than a year apart. Three of my close friends have gotten pregnant while nursing. One of those friends has girls that are just barely 10 months apart. Yes, breast feeding does reduce your fertility, but it doesn't stop it. And you can get pregnant without having had a period. Play it safe.

your body CAN release an egg prior to a period, so technically, you COULD be fertile, although it is unlikely. I would use some sort of protection. And you CAN get pregnant while nursing -

I am wiht Meredith those are myths. I have known many people that have gotten preganant while breast feeding. First of all has your dr released you to full activitiy? If not I don't know if its a good idea. If you do decide to I would have him use something. No it's not ideal but it's better to be safe than sorry if you are not ready for another little one right away.

Good luck and God Bless!!

I started my period at 5 weeks post delivery. And I was exclusively breastfeeding. Don'y believe everything you hear. In the least, I would definitely have him cover it up. But honestly, I would just wait until your doctor gives you some birth control. What's a couple more days?

I wouldn't risk it, you could get pregnant again; use a condom or some other type of proteccion (unless you don't mind to add another little one to the family :o)

if your not looking to add to your family so soon, then use protection. I just bought Vaginal spermicide paperettes. Its been working for a year no problems but then again I track my cycles as well. If you were to use something to prevent it the chances reduce.

Although it's unlikely you will get pregnant, it definetely could happen. Lots of women have gotten pregnant right after having their baby. That is what happened to Tori and Dean. So, either use a condom or get on the mini-pill. That is what I took while I breastfed my son.

You sure can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I have a baby that proved that. It's more difficult but does happen and quite alot. I read about it all the time on baby center actually. But anyways that's an old wives tale.

And you can release an egg before you get a period or bleed. You sure did before the first time you got your period in the first place when you were a little girl. So that isn't true either.

You can release an egg they have proven literally a FEW days after giving birth! There have been cases of this. Is this rare yes, extremely, but it does happen. The reason they tell you to wait for the 6 weeks is because at that point the doctor can make sure you are all closed back up proper and aren't introducing bacteria to your uterus and getting yourself pelvic inflammatory disease or an infection in general if you do have intercourse. Usually when you stop bleeding you are fine though but doctors still like to give the go ahead and make sure any tears are healed as well.

So basically you could get pregnant. If you don't want to and you are done bleeding you could choose to use a condom. If you want to get on birth control you could see if your OB could get you in sooner so you get on proper BC. Or you could roll the dice and hope for the best but you aren't out of the water even in your situation. Sure it's less likely but it does happen. For that matter that celebrity from 90210 Tori Spellings I think her name is got pregnant before her 6 week appointment after her baby she just had. She went in for her 6 week appointment to find out she was pregnant already again because her husband and her had a hot steamy night and doctors don't even recommend having babies less than 12 months apart so our bodies have time to heal.

But use BC if you don't want to add to your family.

The top two myths about BF and fertility:

Myth #1 – Breastfeeding cannot be relied upon to prevent pregnancy.

Myth #2 – Any amount of breastfeeding will prevent pregnancy, regardless of the frequency of breastfeeding or whether mom’s period has returned.

If you follow the rules, LAM is a pretty effective method of birth control for the first six months after baby.

More info:

http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility/

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-cont...

It depends. (Don't you hate that answer?)

Use birth control if you're not ready to get pregnant yet.

Umm..as far as I know you can be fertile. I know that you can get pregnant while breast feeding. I know people who have. I know people who have had babies 10 months a part. Your body could have released an egg, because your period comes after that. If you don't want a baby this soon I would err on the side of caution and use protection.