Birth Control - Killeen,TX

Hi Chris,
How long after your first was born did you get your cycles back? When I am bfing, I don't ovulate. The earliest I ever got a period was at 14 months postpartum, as long as I was nursing at least a little bit. I know that some people get their cycles back right away, even when bfing. That's why I ask. I think you are wise to stay away from bc. BCPs can cause abortions, as one of the ways they work is to make the uterine lining inhabitable to implantation of a fertilized egg. This is abortion. I believe that women have the right to make informed decisions about medications they take. Most doctors will never tell you this, even though the information is found in the package inserts. Many doctors don't even believe it is true, even though all the drug companies admit that it is true. When we found this out, we sought another alternative. We tried NFP, which works, but the big drawback is that you have to abstain in the time of month that a woman is most interested. It is defrauding you of such a beautiful gift, and your husband of you. So, we didn't try that for too long. In the end, we realized that children are a blessing and a gift. Why would we want to limit them from entering our family? If we were offered money, we'd be quick to accept, but why not children, which are way more valuable than any amount of money? It was a process for us, but that is where we are now. In the 8 years since coming to that decision, we have only been blessed with 2 more children (we have 6 altogether). So, it didn't mean we were going to have 20 more. Don't let fear drive your decisions. Congrats on the impending birth! Enjoy your sweet little bundle!

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I won't use b/c after I saw what happened to my husband's aunt due to fertility drugs and her terminal breast cancer and my own mom due to an unknown reason for terminal uterine cancer. I would personally just stick with the condoms.

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I agree with Tonya's answer. I do use NFP but always with the understanding that pregnancy can happen and I would welcome it. Of course, you can get pregnant with any type of birth control so you have to be ready no matter what. I ovulate within 3 months of giving birth even with strict breastfeeding (I always breastfeed a year) so NFP is a healthy, natural form of birth control that does not harm my body or hurt my baby. It is fairly simple to do; you do not have to be "regular" no matter what anyone tells you. You just have to know when you ovulate (there are definite signs to look for) and abstain from sex accordingly. With a new baby and a sensitive, generous husband, you can make it work with very little disruption to your sex life. There are lots of books on the subject and tons of information on the internet. I am living proof it works...I have an 11 year old, a nine year and an almost 4 year old. The 2 year gap between the first two children and the almost 6 year gap with the youngest were intentional.

Good luck and no matter what you choose, just make sure it is healthy and good for both you and your new baby!

Congratulations and God bless.

1 mom found this helpful

I use the Nuva Ring. It has low dosage of hormones, yet effective. It is not a pill, it is a plastic ring that you insert into your u-know-what for 3 weeks. On the 4th week you just take it out and get your period.

How about a vasectomy? If you are ready for it, nothing beats it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Mirena IUD. Can't praise it enough. And I got pregnant with my 2nd only 2 weeks after having it removed!! It can be placed at your 6 week post-partum checkup with very minimal discomfort...and then it's done! LOVE it!

We also use NFP, but I think it should be clear, that you have a much better chance of getting pregnant with this method. When practicing NFP is 90% to 98% when done perfectly. I think it is more difficult to do NFP, perfectly, then people lead you to believe. The simple truth is, a woman can become pregnant just about ANYTIME in her cycle. Yes, there are times, when the chance is the highest. However, if you absolutely can't/don't want to (financially, emotionally, physically, relationally) get pregnant again, it might not be the best option for you. Medical birth control is more effective when used correctly. In my opinion, it is easier to use more correctly. I won't tell you my personal/religion beliefs about birth control, because it might not be helpful to you. I went on hormonal birth control, when my husband and I knew we couldn't afford a child, because we always lived in fear I would be pregnant.

I cannot take BC pills , I have tried many different types and none agree with me (that's not to say it won't for you though) , not sure if you can take the pill if you are nursing so you would need to speak to your OB about that. For birth control we rely on my me knowing my cycle like the back of my hand , and being careful around that time , not the safest option but we have been using this method since my second child was born 4 1/2 yrs ago and no surprises for us , we have since had a 3rd child but we planned to get pregnant.

Okay, first off you can absolutely get pregnant while breastfeeding, even if you are not having a traditional period...so if you absolutely don't want to get pregnant you are going to need BC. While nursing you really only have two options (to my knowledge) an IUD or the "mini-pill". I do believe the mini pill can cause weight gain, but I'm not sure. I have had Mirena two times now and I like it. I did not have any of the adverse affects, but I know people that did, so ask around. There have been a few posts about it on Mamapedia, so maybe you can do a search for them and see what others said about it.

I personally have used 2 bc's the ring (which I got prego on) and currently I have a IUD. I love my IUD. I have heard people say "you won't have a cycle" but I have always had a cycle and I've had it for almost 5 years. The only bad thing for me is my doctor did not offer the procedure in her office I had to go to Planned Parenthood to have it done. It did not hurt but I did spot for a day or so.

Birthcontrol pills will help keep your cycle regular and lessen crams. If it is safe when breastfeeding? You will have to ask the doctor. Breastfeeding will help with losing the baby weight though.

I use Jolivette, which is a brand of the progesterone-only birth control pill. It doesn't mess with your hormones, which is why it is safe for nursing. It also doesn't regulate your periods or help with acne like progesterone-estrogen bc. You have to take this pill at the same time every day (within a two-hour window). I take mine between 9 and 11 pm every night. If you miss a day, you have to be on the pill consistently for 2 days before having intercourse. Then you're fine. It's much simpler to miss this pill than to miss an estrogen-progesterone pill.

My friends use IUDs, which are safe for nursing. I chose not to use an IUD because if you do get pregnant with an IUD, there is an increased chance of miscarriage once it is removed. I asked my doctor about this and she backed it up.

I used the mirena before I got prego. It hurt like heck to put in but the doc said if you put it in a few weeks after birth it doesn't hurt as bad. I took that one out after 6 months cause of side effects and we wanted another baby. I wanted to get the paragard copper iud because there are no hormones and I am also breastfeeding. I chickened out because I didn't want to go through the pain I did with the mirena. I wanted the nuva ring cause that's the only BC that worked well for me but the doc said no with nursing. He put me on a pill and when I am done nursing I will go back to the ring. There are few birth control methods to take while nursing. I know lots of ppl that have had lots of problems with IUD's and some that have loved their iud. I would look up on the Internet other ppl's story about whatever BC you choose.

Progestin-only birth control pills are safe while breastfeeding. After your done nursing, I would recommend implanon. I use it, it's really easy because they insert it in your under arm and you keep it in for 3 years.
Body reactions do depend on the person, but most likely there won't be much side effects... I didn't have any side effects. The only real way to know is to try it :) If it gives you lasting side effects you could stop taking them. When I got implanon I had my period the first 2 months as normal but a less flow then spotting then none at all :)

If you're breastfeeding they'll put you on the "mini pill" which is progesterone only. The mini pill caused my depression after my first child was born. I stayed away from any hormones after my second and third and didn't have troubles. Progesterone is a depressant. It can cause a drop in your milk supply (though not always..it didn't effect mine at all). I used the Nuvaring at one time after my second was older and bleed almost the entire time I was on it which was several months. There are 2 IUDs on the market, one has hormones, progesterone to be exact. The other is copper which you do not want to use if you are allergic to copper. If you're prone to infections you shouldn't use the diaphragm.
We use Natural Family Planning due to my reactions to a ton of things available. It is not 100% and can be easily "forgotten" when half asleep but "in the mood". "Humm...is this a good time? Let me check my calendar" isn't always the first thought in those circumstances LOL But it did keep me from not getting pregnant for many a long spells when we absolutely positively didn't want any more and the couple times I did get pregnant I was getting lax anyway because the thought of another was in the back of our minds anyway.

I used the mini pill after my first bc it was safe for bfing, BUT it killed my sex drive. So if you do go that route and feel that way, don't ignore it. Once I got off about a year and 1/2 later, I was so much happier and into it again! I am going to go the old diaphragm route now bc condoms do get old. So you might want to consider that, it is non invasive, and doesn't get between you and your man;) Good luck!

I was on the pill for almost 15 years before I had my daughter and didn't want to go back on afterwards. My doctor highly recommended Nuva-Ring, as it was convenient, safe and approved for breastfeeding, but I HATED it! It was okay, until we tried to have sex, then it felt like I had something in my vagina getting in the way (which technically, I did). I ended up having to take it out, put it somewhere clean, then rinse it off and re-insert it after sex, which is SO not what you're supposed to do with it. I also felt like there was quite a good chance of me not remembering to put a new one in after my period, since I had proven myself not-so-great at remembering to start taking a new pill pack either. I went back on the pill after just 2 months and took Ortho-Lo for about 10 months with no side-effects, but I never had any complaints on the pill previously. I also nursed my daughter for her first 11 months and Ortho-Lo is completely safe.