Birth Control While Nursing

I just had baby #2 in November and my oldest was only 17 months!!! I was on the mini pill while nursing (I am horrible at taking the pill consitantly)when I got pregnant, I'm very fertile too. I just had an IUD put in a month ago and so far so good. I have a sister-in-law that has had one for over a year and raves about it. For me it seemed like the most effective birth control without risking losing my milk. Good Luck!

I also had a good experience with the Mirena IUD. I had it inserted at a military facility by a midwife after baby girl number 3. I was done with the pill after taking it for years and years! Talk to your OB about your options!

Hello. I was on a birth control called Jolivette (Norethindrone) all the while I nursed and didn't find it to lessen the amount of milk I produced. My Dr. claimed this to be the only birth control I could take while nursing, and for me it worked.

Take Care, R.

You might read the book Natural Child Spacing. Natural family planning can be a very effective option and there are no side effects. If you decide to have another you will know your fertility signs so well that it will be easy.

I had an IUD between pregnancies. I loved it. Never had to think about it at all and my milk was fine. I'm planning on getting another one soon.

I would suggest asking your doctor about Mirena
http://www.mirena-us.com/index.html?WT.srch=1

Mirena site doesn't say if it's safe to use while nursing. I have 2 friends who swear by the Mirena (one a nursing mom.) Ask lots of questions.
Good luck!!
M.
Mom of 3...(ages 19, 17 and 2.5 years)

I'm nursing my second child, Eli 11 months. And Aiden I nursed until he was 14 months. And with both I used the mini pill. I know that there are many different mini pills you can take while nursing. Even if you start her on cereal she should still continue to nurse just as much. So really you shouldn't need to change your birth control but you could try a different brand then last time. There is no other birth control that is tested on breast feeding mothers even if your doctor recommends it, like the shot. But it if your that fertile you should suck it up and use condoms :( Sorry! I'm sure your doctor will have a pill that can be the solution. The most important thing is you should continue to nurse and try to not use formula. Its only a year in the scope of things.
Good luck!

Breastfeeding normally acts as a birth control. If woman nurses her baby exclusively she generally will not get pregnent for 1 year or more. If you don't trust this could you use the diaphram, condom, or IUD? Ask your doctor for alternatives to the pill. Af

You coud try the Mirena IUD or the mini pill again. Just if you do the mini pill set an alarm to take it. It's important to take it at the almost exact same time daily...as if you didn't know that. ;)

My husband and I actually had to use condoms for a while.

I had a Mirena IUD inserted after the birth of my 1st child as my husband and I weren't ready for another "oops!" baby right away. I did breastfeed for 9 months, but did supplement one bottle as I did lose some breast milk. Lucky I had plenty already frozen before I had the IUD inserted. It was a compromise I am happy with. My son is 6 and healthy and happy. And I didn't have to worry so much about any accidents.

I am not sure if you can have one while nursing but check into an IUD i have one and i love it!

Hi L.,

Can you go on the regular b/c pill while nursing? I don't know the question to this because it was never a problem for me. I have to take Clomid to conceive, so I never worried about birth control. How about staying on the mini pill and using condoms until you stop nursing? Is this an option? Hope you find a resolution.

I am also a military wife and mother of three....5 yrs. in March, 2.5 yrs., and 6 months. I live in Millersville and would love to meet another SAHM with children of the same age! Let me know if you'd like to do the same!

T.

I have an IUD and I love it. It was easy, painless, and I don't ever have to think about it. They are considered very safe now. You can have it removed anytime anf there are ones that last 5 and 10 years. Good luck!

L., I got the Mirena IUD and while it's been great... (no problems and no unplanned pregnancies) I am not a 1005 sure that it didn't interfere with my milk flow. I nursed my first for 9 months and my milk went away for this little guy at about 4 months... made no sense to me and I tried everything to keep it coming. Sharing this with you because Mirena advertizes that it DOES NOT affect milk production and I question that. so this is a red flag more than anything. Good luck!!

what about asking your doctor about "marena"? i just saw a commercial for it and it says it can be removed at anytime. i'm not sure if this type of contraceptive interferes at all with breast feeding but it's worth asking about.
good luck!

Talk to your doctor about alternatives - don't know if some of the other methods are less intrusive to your milk? What about combining the mini pill with a barrier method, gel, or something like that???

Besides - 3 kids - how do you find time?? ;)

I've found the Copper IUD to be very convenient. It's currently the most effective (99%) birth control out there with little or no side effects.

I've been nursing my now 15month old without issues.

Hope this helps.

~Liz

Hi L.,
My doctor recommended the NuvaRing when I was in the same situation and it did not dry up my milk supply.
I still use it now that I'm no longer nursing because it is easy to use and I don't have to worry about remembering a pill everyday.

Hope this helps!

J.

hey L.,
Theres a pill called nor b (i think) and it doesnt contain any estrogen just progestoren so it wont dry up your milk... it's made especially for breastfeeding mothers
Good luck!!
~C.