Breastfeeding and Birth Control

The Depo Provera shot is safe to use while breastfeeding, and it's great not having to worry about remembering to take a pill every day. A small shot every 3 months and you're good to go. I've been using it since my son was born 11 years ago.

When my son was born my doctor gave me a prescription for progestrone birth control. I believe that is what it was. I think you want to stay away from birth control that has estrogen in it.

Hi
I think it depends on if you are nursing or not. If you are not nursing you can use any kind of birth control. If you are still nursing I think the mini pill is the best option. Check with you OB/GYN
Good luck

Hi A......congrad and you are doing the best for your baby boy breast feeding him .you can only take progestrone oral contraceptive pill.there are two type of progestrone :
1-norethindrone containing pills such as camila,errin,micronor or nor-qd.
2-norgestrel containing pill such as overret.
all of these pills are good and you have to see which one is covered by your medical insurance.you also have other BCM options such as IUD ,DMPA injection,Implanon or non hormonal.good luck and let me know if you need more info.

Have you considered an IUD? You sound like a good candidate for one. Thinking that I could not become pregnant again after my first child was born (due to age and medical condition), I became pregnant with my second at 41, when my first child was 6 months old. After the birth of my second child last October, I was not allowed to take oral contraceptives or similar types of contraceptives due to a blood-clotting disorder, so I opted for the Mirena IUD.

Lynne E

A., I have been on a pill called Errin (generic for something called Micronar or something like that) for 7 months. Still nursing my daughter about 50% of the time. I have been on it since my 6 week check up and used it after I had my son as well with no problems. Once I am done nursing 100% I will go back to my regular BC pills. Hope that helps.

I see some recommendations for Mirena IUD. Please do your homework on this. I have seen numerous comments from women on other sites who had horrible symptoms (weight gain, depression, etc.) while using Mirena, which went away when they took it out. I took the mini pill when I was breastfeeding because my doctor, whom I trusted (not just because she was a doctor...but because she had given me plenty of good advice up to this point and I tended to agree with her take on things) assured me that it was fine. I don't really have a justification for it other than the fact the baby is already getting hormones from the milk, and this is just the extra insurance you need to not get pregnant again before you're ready.

There are the normal birth control pills, shots (Depo-Provera), the skin patch, the implant, and the vaginal ring, an IUD costs a lot up front. (But it works for years, making it low-cost over time.) I took Depo-Provera which is a shot you take one every 3 months (and no period) which is great if you don't like taking pills or if your like me you forget to take them. I can't tell you how much it is because my medical covered it but it worked great for me the only draw back to it was I gained weight but every type of birth control has its draw backs (acne,mood swings,weight gain, irregular periods and such). I got on Depo-Vera in less than a week after having my son and it worked great for me. I did have irregular bleeding at first (and I do have spoting every now and then) but it was mostly due to the normal bleeding after child birth and the fact that they had to give me a little snip down there so they could suck my son out. I was breast feeding him the hole time and I didn't really have an issues with my son or if it affected him but if you want to make absolutely sure your baby is going to be ok then you just have to talk to your doctor about all your birth control options. Hope this helps!
Cat

I'm on Errin, too. Been working great for me. My son is 8 months old and I've been on it since my 6 week post pardum check up. Ask your doctor about it.

Mini pill, jovillete, is best, doesn't dry up your milk. I started taking it at 6 weeks.

Hi A.,

My personal feeling is that you should use another form of birth control until you stop nursing. I think we, as a society, are getting too many hormones in our food as it is and you don't want to increase that for your baby. Even if the "experts" say it's safe, there are so many times when they eventually have to come back and say maybe it wasn't so safe after all. Try an IUD, they have some really good ones now. It won't be forever.

V.

A.,

I took the minipill for a year with my second son and did well with it. You do have to make sure you take it at the same time every day for it to be as effective as it can be. Toward the end of nursing I started to have a lot of spotting and random bleeding (but didn't have an actual periods the entire time I was on it which was nice!) and my OB said that is really normal. I switched to a regular combo birth control pill and my milk supply basically dried up overnight (which was okay with me, my son was 18 months old at that point). I think there are different brands. My doctor prescribed Micronor and my perscription said "Errin" so I know there is at least a generic.

:-)T.

The most wonderful andnatural thing you could do for your family would be Natural Family Planning using the Billings Method. It's easy, reliable, and free to use! Just understanding your own body and not introducing chemicals with side effects into your body or breastmilk. Really, my husband and I have used this only for our entire marriage, postponed pregnancy as long as we wanted, and then got pregnant almost immediately when we wanted! My mother-in-law is a certified instructor and I would be delighted to get you more info. You can check out http://www.boma-usa.org/ for online research.

Best of luck!

A.,

There's a birth control pill that is safe for breastfeeding moms. I forget the name, but I believe it is hormone free. You may want to check w/ your OB/GYN to make sure of the name.

I *love* VCF - vaginal contraceptive film. Odorless, tasteless and NO MESS. Unlike other spermacides, this one doesn't cause me to get itchy. You can get a free sample...

http://www.vcf-contraceptive.com/sample.asp

I've never used the pill in my entire life - and being sexually active for the past 17 years, I have to say that VCF is amazing. No hormones and we get pregnant when we want to...and use VCF the rest of the time, since I get my period like clockwork even while BFing EXCLUSIVELY.

I was just at a LLL meeting the other night and another mom said that the mini pill seemed to have hurt her milk supply so she stopped taking it. I am going to look into the IUD because I believe it is non-hormonal and you can get it out earlier than 5 years if you want to have more kiddos.
Good luck

Should you choose to go with the mini pill please, please take it every 24 hours on the dot or use something else in addition. I've heard of too many occasions where it failed because of even an hour delay in taking a dose. I wish you luck in your seach for the right solution for you and your spouse.

Hi A.,
My sister and I both swear by the Mirena IUD. It was inserted at our 6 week check and will last for up to 5 years if you want to become pregnant just take it out. Word of caution there is a little discomfort when it comes out but other than that once it's out you can become pregnant soon after.