Question About Breastfeeding and Pregnacy

It is not a guarantee birthcontrol but it is pretty good at taking care of the problem. The doctor told me to use a secondary birth control method but breastfeeding does work for most

Pick up the book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" it is like an ownders manual for the woman's body. It will let you know everything you need to know.

Yes you can get pregnant while breastfeeding. I have done it twice. It is not a good form of birth control AT ALL.

Now there is some 'rules' that if you can check off of all of them then you "most likly will not get pregnant" but that is "most likly" not a "100% you won't"
Is the baby younger than 6 months
have you not gotten your period back
is the baby 100% breastfed
the baby has no bottles or pacies
baby is nursed throught the day AND night
etc.

So on the other side of the coin. How to GET pregnant while breastfeeding. Some women will find it harder than others. Getting that book and reading it will help you to see where you fit in. Do you actually ovulate each and every month? (I didn't, I only ovulated some months while my breastfeeding baby was under a year) Is your lutal phase long enough for a fertilised egg to implant? Really there is only so much advice I can give to you on a form like this. You need more advice in the form of a book. There is many books but the "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" Is the best!

Please don't wean your little one so you can get pregnant. Get the book fisrt, tract you cycles and see what your body is doing.

I can tell you that it definately doesnt matter if you are breastfeeding or not. When my daughter was 9 months old I got pregnant with my son while breastfeeding and was on the pill.

Good luck and be patient!

Breastfeeding can prevent your monthly period from returning (I did not get my period back until 2 months after I quit breastfeeding) BUT breastfeeding cannot be relied on for birth control. Many woman have gotten pregnant while breastfeeding. So if you are trying to get pregnant it is possible but then again it may not happen until you quit breastfeeding. Good luck! Wow, 7 kids.

Yes you can get pregnant while breastfeeding.

C.-

I can tell you with absolute certainty that breastfeeding does NOT prevent pregnancy. I was breastfeeding my second son when I got pregnant last year. If you are wanting to get pregnant, just give it time. Since your baby is only 7 months, you may have to just be patient with your body. You may want to think of taking a break from "procreation" and try to think of it as "recreation" instead. Every time I got pregnant was when I thought, "well... it's not going to happen, let's just wait on it." and then it happened. Good luck to you!

Usually you can't become pregnant unless you have gotten your period back. But you may be ovulating without bleeding. You can buy an ovulation kit that will tell you if you are ovulating. A lot of the time though if you are nursing it makes it more difficult to get pregnant. It usually delays your ovulation or makes it irregular. Contact your doctor.

from my expreance no it does not keep you from getiing preg i nursed my last son for 2 1/2 yrs and got preg with my lil girl at the same time.. good luck

My response to that, would be NO! I have an 8 month old (7 months at the time) who is still breastfed, and I surely surely got pregnant again. I had had one period, and that was it, and funny enough, when my second one was late, I chalked it up to my body trying to re-adjust itself from not mensturating for such a long time. HA! Now we're expecting again. My advice is.. if you're trying to get pregnant again, and you slow down on nursing (not in anyway stop all together) enough for your body to mensturate, your body will start working for you to help you along in this process. Good luck!!!

The only way bfing 'can' be used a birth control method is when you're doing ecological breastfeeding. That means that you nurse on demand, are your baby's pacifier, nurse through the night, and the baby is not eating anything else (solids, cereal etc). Once you're past that stage, which is normally about 6 mo. for most moms, it is not reliable, because the hormones in your body depend on just how much the baby's suckling lately, which varies.

You can still ovulate, and normally you ovulate before your first period, so you can get preggo and never even have a period. And you can have some periods where you didn't ovulate too.

If you wanted to learn how else to watch for fertility signs I recommend a visit to www.tcofy.com or the book (taking charge of your fertility).

If you started having periods after your last baby and missed one, i would take a pregnancy test..but breastfeeding tends to put off menstration. Good luck!!!

The first thing I want to say is "WOW!" Six kids! I always thought I wanted six children until I had my two boys, and then I thought that two was just perfect!
After I had my first son, he was only 6 months old and nursing like crazy, and I felt like I was pregnant, and sure enough...there is NO guarantee that you will not become pregnant just because you are nursing. You can begin ovulating within that first month after giving birth. I was hoping to nurse him for a lot longer, but could only do it for 9 months. My milk supply just dwindled to nothing as my body moved further into the second pregnancy.

Yes it "can" stop you from getting pregnancy, but it is not reliable. You CAN get pregnant while breast feeding, but since breast feeding does stop your "friend" from returning (sometimes, not always) it could be the reason you are not getting pregnant yet. HAHAHA does that make sense.
Yes it could be the cause your not getting preg yet. But NO it's not a effective for of birth control either. Every body's diffenrent.

H.

My friend got pregnant while breastfeeding. She was 6 months pregnant when her son weened himself due to her milk tasting different?
But every body's different.

In my experience I could not get pregnant while breastfeeding. I am under the impression that is is 98% effective as birth control, although there are NO guarantees. Some people are able to conceive while nursing. I nursed my daughter for a year straight and I nursed on demand. I got my period back when she was 6 months old but I still was not ovulating. I couldn't get pregnant until 4 months after I stopped nursing (when she turned one), that is just how long it took my body to regulate itself. Now I am just under 7 months preganant. So just keep trying, everyone is different but keep in mind it is harder to conceive while nursing. Good Luck!

C.,

From what I understand, breastfeeding MAY prevent pregnancy but it isn't a guarantee. Obviously the more you are nursing, the more likely it is to suppress ovulation. Since AF has come back for you, you are likely fertile at this point but your cycles are probably pretty irregular and you may not be ovulating consistently. Breastfeeding wreaks havoc for people who are trying to do natural family planning for that reason... You might want to invest in an ovulation predictor kit if you really want to get pregnant quickly. Otherwise you may just want to wait and see what happens. Most of the women I know who breastfeed and don't use any type of birth control tend to get pregnant when their babe is 8-10 months... Although there are exceptions to that with women who are 2 years or more postpartum and still not pregnant. But those women tend to not be having periods either. There is a huge range of normal in this.
T.

Worry can be quite a big birth control pill. First step is, stop worrying and enjoy breastfeeding your baby. As far as wither it prevents pregnancy or not depends on your body. I have heard both which tells me we are all unique. Your current baby needs all the immune boosting substance available in mommies milk. There are so many harmful things going around and our food is often tampered with so breastfeeding your baby at least a year will help you child get a head start on a healthful life. When and if number seven comes along you will be able to relax and give your new baby all the attention needed. Best to you!

If you are exclusively breastfeeding on the demand of your baby you will usually not begin having periods and are not likely to get pregnant - though it can still happen. Once you introduce any other food/drink or schedule into the mix you are likely to get your period back (which you have) and at that point you are fertile. I was actually still breastfeeding our third while I was expecting our fourth. Hope that helps.

I was able to get pregnant while still breastfeeding my son. If you start getting your period, you can get pregnant!