Birth Control Advice

Hi B.,

I have three sons, all of whom I have nursed. I took the brand name Micronor with my oldest and nursed for 13 1/2 months. I had NO side effects and no cycle until the month after I stopped nursing.

With my middle son, I took the brand name Micronor the entire 22 months he nursed plus stayed on it because the doctor said it didn't make sense to change if I was just going to go off them in another few months to try for baby #3. Again, no side effects and didn't get my cycle until the month after he stopped nursing.

Now with my third son, my insurance would only allow the generic of Micronor so I am taking Camila. I did seem to have some side effects for several months but looking back I don't really know if it was the Camila or just physical issues with me. I have no problems now though I do get a cycle and have since he was about 9 months old even though I exclusively breastfeed.

I would not trust anything else. Some doctors suggest regular BC when they get close to a year but I have read too many things about that that concern me. I will gladly stick with the Micronor.

Good luck,
L.

I did take Micronor while I was nursing for 7 months. I had no side effects. I did receive my period however it was after a few months of taking it. Never noticed a decrease in supply. I stopped nursing and pumping at 7 months however had enough of a supply for my daughter to have breast milk only unil almost 11 months old.

I took micronor for 3 months after my first child....it caused so much hair loss in me that my hairline receded drastically, and after I went off of them, it started to grow back. It also caused mood swings/depression symptoms. Everyone is different, though. Most b.c. pills are combination pills with estrogen/progesterone, but micronor is strictly progesterone. My o.b. told me after my second child that they are finding that the low dose combination pills are fine for nursing mothers, so you may want to research it.

Hey B. - I didn't use birth control, my husband and I NFP (natural family planned). It gets a little tricky when you are up at night, but it is effective once you learn how to do it. If you google it, you can learn more. Good luck!

Hi B., I do not know if I was taking the one you are using, but I did start a pill while breastfeeding. I only took it for 3 days b/c my milk started to dry up immediately. My doctor told me it was safe, I guess its different for everyone. I decided to get an IUD, The hormones stay in your uterus only, and do not effect breast feeding at all.

Micronor is a progesterone only pill and will not affect your supply. Its the estrogen in the regular BC pills that lowers supply.

Hi B.. I am exclusively breastfeeding my 5 month old son and I just began taking the mini pill called camila, a generic version of micronor. Its been 2 weeks now and I have had no decrease in my milk supply. I too was concerned about that as well as the possibility of it passing through my milk but it is safe.I haven't been on it that long to notice any other side effects and I haven't gotten my first period while being on it. I guess I will find out next month. Google camila and read more about it. There are many websites that explain it in detail. I hope I helped. Good luck with your decision.

I chose to get the Mirena (IUD) put in while nursing, rather than use a birth control pill. Although my doc said that particular pill was ok while nursing, there have been no long term studies on it! The Mirena still uses similar hormones, but way less of them. I have had no major bad side effects (way less than when I was on the pill before!), and one nice one- still no period! Apparently, that's pretty common as well. :)

i took it with my dd who is now 3 y.o. and successfully nursed her until she was 2 years old. i'm taking it now with 3 month old dd and am having no issues with supply/nursing.

hth

Hi B. I don't know about these pills but I am BFing and my doctor is giving me the depo shot and it has been great no pills to remember and 3 months of birth control!! I have had my second shot and my supply is very good! Good luck finding something that works for you.

I breastfed my boys exclusively and asked my OB for birth control at 7 months-- she also said that Micronor was safe for breastfeeding and wouldn't change my milk supply. I took the generic, Camila, and had serious problems with mood swings/depression. It was so bad I had to stop taking it after only 4 pills. I have not spoken to many women who had the same problems I did, so my advice to you is just to make sure your friends/family know you're starting the new drug and make sure the lines of communication are open so they can let you know if they notice any problems. Sometimes when we're under the influence of medication we can't see what's actually happening and need others to watch out for us. :-)

Hi B.. I'm sorry I don't have any advice on the BC, but I notice you tandem nurse. I have a 20-month old, and am pregnant (due in April). If you don't mind, I have a few questions...
Is tandem nursing working well for you? Do you feel that it has an effect on issues of sibling rivalry? (helped or hurt?) Did your toddler increase nursing when the baby arrived? Also, most importantly, would you do it again, or would you wean while pregnant? I'm having a tough time deciding on this issue. Nursing was so hard for me the first time in those early weeks, and I felt like one more tiny responsibility would have put me over the edge. I'm already concerned about taking care of a toddler and a newborn. But I want to do what's best for all of us. I don't know anyone who tandem nurses--that's why I messaged you. thanks!
--A.

Oh, so micronor is safe for breastfeeding mother? My doctor said that no birth control pills is safe for breastfeeding mothers. I use condoms instead.

I used it and did not have a decrease in milk supply either. But after about a month I started to spot almost weekly, when I went off it I stopped spotting and didn't get my period again until after I stopped nursing. I was also concerned that it wasn't effective enough and we used condoms as well, mind as well just not take the pill. Hope that helps!

I didnt have any side effects to it, but It made me nervous since it isnt so effective (only 87%)so we used a condom with it.