Breastfeeding on the Pill

I am on Errin right now and I don't think it has dried up my milk but you have to be careful with it because it has a higher chance of pregnancy when you don't take it on time every day.

Don't do it if it's not absolutely necessary. I did with my 1st born and I practically dried up immediately. I did however manage to continue on for only another month with the help of Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. But having to take 18 pills a day to help produce milk that my body was doing all on its own prior to the pill wasn't worth the regret I felt. Hope this helps you make the right decision.

I tried the progesterone only pill- didn't go so well. I didn't really dry up, but I did have A LOT of break through bleeding. My doctor said it is a very hard pill to take. I have heard of other people drying up, and having to take hormones to produce enough milk. Talk to your doctor about your worries, and make sure you take the pill at exactly the same time everyday (easy enough with a newborn huh?).

I started taking Camilla when my son was six weeks old and had no problems. I breast fed until he was 11 months, but everyone is different. Choose whatever method gives you the most peace of mind, but remember that breast feeding alone is not birth control. Some women still have a period while nursing, and since every woman's body is different, yours could return at any time. Whatever you decide, I am sure it will be the best choice for your family. Good luck!

I too was put on the pill when I was breast feeding my son, (now 11) with the doctor telling me that it would not dry up my milk. But, IT DID! I tried several remedies including herbal tea's. The only thing that ended up working was I rented a breast pump from the hospital to get production to come back, but it never came back as it was. I would stay away from the pill until you are ready to give up breast feeding. Good Luck!

You can only be on certain birth control pills while breastfeeding. I was on the pill during the first part of nursing my son and my milk was fine. My doctor put me on a prescription that was lower in hormones and that would not effect the baby. In addition, my doctor wouldn't let me get on other birth controls, like the ring, because they may harm the baby. Good luck and talk to your doctor about which one is best.

Hi Christine,
I went on the progestin only pill and my milk supply greatly decreased. I was still able to breastfeed but we had to supplement with formula. My main issue was the bleeding. It wasn't just spotting for me, it was full blown period like bleeding. I would bleed for 5 days have a few days off, then start again. I finally made the decision when my daughter was 3 months to go back on my original birth control to regulate the bleeding. I wish I could have breastfed longer. I'm pregnant with my second and my husband and I already talked about not doing the low dosage birth control this time around so I can breastfeed longer. If you only have to be on the pill for a few months I would just wait. Good luck!

I used the depo-provera shot and had no problem with breastfeeding

If you are breastfeeding at night, that should be enough birth control there. Breastfeeding keeps you period away. If you haven't had your period already don't worry about it at all.

If you are exclusivly bf on demand the chances of your fertility returning before 6 months postpartum are very low. I'm not saying that it isn't possible but it is rare.
Blessings, K.

my doctor was not for me taking the pill when breastfeeding. perhaps if its just a few weeks you could use a condom? here is some info you find interesting though...

While breastfeeding itself can often suppress ovulation and work as a method of birth control, it is not completely reliable. For all methods of birth control that contain hormones, it is recommended that you wait until you have been nursing for six weeks or longer. This is to make sure that your milk supply is well established, since hormone-based methods can decrease your milk supply.
Birth control pills that use only progestin are often called "mini-pills." They can be very effective as long as you take the pills at the same time each day or night. These pills are considered safe to take while nursing. Some of the progestin does cross over into breast milk, but no harmful effects have been seen. Some mothers see an increase in their milk supply while using this method, while most see no difference, and a few will see a decrease. Other methods using only progestin include Depo-Provera and Norplant.

Pills that use a combination of hormone contain estrogen. Again, the estrogen does cross into breast milk, but harmful effects have not been seen in babies. The harm here lies in your milk supply. A large number of mothers taking combination type pills see a marked decrease in milk, which could sabotage your breastfeeding relationship. So it is not recommended that breastfeeding mothers use these or other similar forms such as the NuvaRing or patch.

Overall, the best birth control choice for breastfeeding mothers is not one of these hormonal methods, but if you must choose between the two types, you and your child would be better off if you choose a progestin-only course.

Micronor. It's a bc pill for breastfeeding. I've been on it since April and my milk supply is great!! My doctor recommended it and I've been taking it since my 6 week postpartum checkup. Good luck, and congratulations on your new baby!!

I don't have a personal anecdote to share, just some thoughts. I would think that the baby's exposure to increased levels of female hormones would affect his development, particularly the growth of his 'boy parts'. I once read that boys who consume a lot of soy (which contains phyto-estrogens) can suffer from underdeveloped genitals. I think I would probably ask the doctor for some long-term studies of the affects of birth control pills on babies, particularly boys. If there aren't any long term studies, that prove it's safety, I wouldn't take it.

just something to think about,
J.

Hi Christine! First and foremost, congratulations on the birth of your son! That's wonderful!
I, like you, breastfed my daughter. I started taking birthcontrol pills when I returned home from the hospital. I know everyone's situation is different, however for me my milk supply decreased by taking it. By ten months, it was all gone. I am now pregnant again with our second baby and won't be taking it while breastfeeding again. I am sure that women react differently by taking the pill so every situation is unique, but for me it just didn't work. With your husband's vasectomy scheduled in a few weeks, maybe it would be worth trying other methods for the short term to put you at ease.
Congratulations again on your new bundle of joy and good luck to you!

I have been on the mini-pill since 6 weeks after my baby was born and he is now 5 1/2 months. I have breastfed him the whole time and never saw a change in my milk supply. My doctor said the mini-pill is safe to take while breastfeeding.

I have been taking Micronor now for a year and am still breastfeeding my son who just turned 1 last week. I never had a problem with it. I also used it when i breastfeed my now 5 year old. And i did that for 13 months also with no problem. I think everyone is different. I think it is at least worth a try if u feel like your milk supply is lighting up quit taking it.

Christine,
Breastfeeding has more benifits than just providing nutritional substances for our children. It helps to expose our environment to our children and to help protect them by boosting thier immune system by providing our antibodies. This said, everything that we are exposed to while breastfeeding is passed on to our children. Birth control pills are designed to alter our hormone levels. Even the low dose or mini pills alter these levels. This means that your son will be exposed to hormone alternating substances and your lactation, which is triggered by hormones, will also be altered. It would benifit you and your son to find an alternate form of birth control that does not alter hormones, such as condoms or diaphram.
Yours is Health and Wellness
Dr. B.

If your husband is having a vasectomy in just a few weeks, can't you just abstain or use a condom? I wouldn't take pills unless I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO! Just a thought...

If you only need the pill for a few months... then just use a different form of protection, there are many other options. It's worth the extra hassle to make sure your milk does not dry up

I took the POP's while I breastfed both of my girls for 12 months. My milk never tapered off until the feedings also tapered off. Make sure your husband gets his recheck after his vasectomy before stopping whatever birth control you choose. Breastfeeding is not sufficient birth control for many people.

My milk supply went down when I was on the mini pill. It came back as soon as I stopped taking the pill, though. If you are paying attention, it's easy to spot the signs if it affects your milk supply, and you can find an alternative to the pill. For me, I noticed that my daughter was fussy after she nursed (like she didn't get enough to eat) and she wanted to eat more often. She also stopped gaining weight. I was working part time, and I found that the amount that I was able pump was going down. As I said, once I stopped the mini pill, my supply went right back up.

This would be a topic for your doctor. I can't imagine taking anything like that would be good for your baby.
Good job with the breastfeeding!! Why mess up the BEST thing for you and your baby. Since your husband is going as I say "to the vet" in a few weeks and if you are exclusively breastfeeding and use some other type of barrier protection you should be fine. It's just for a little while. Chances that you will start ovulating before 5 or 6 months are low, but don't forget breastfeeding is not a reliable birth control method. Your baby's well being and health is the most important thing right now, your sex life secondary,,,? Too bad your husband didn't go before the baby was born....oh well. I would stay away from the hormone thing. It's not good for either of you.

Hi Christine,

I was taking ortho tri cyclin and then went off of it so we could have a baby....have a beautiful baby girl now born 11/16/06...when she was 5 months old I decided to go back on the pill and I had no idea that it could dry my milk up...so I started taking it and yup within a few weeks Isobel our daughter stopped nursing.
I was confused and had no idea why (she was a GREAT nurser) anyway that is what happened. I am pregnant now due 12/26/08 and know that I will not start the pill until I am sure I am almost finished with nursing. I guess it made it easier with my daughter because I know sometimes it can be hard to stop nursing, feeling guilty etc. so it did work out well I guess. I nursed almost 6 months, and 6 months had been my goal so that was okay.

Good luck and just do what feels right for you! Are you sure you even want to do anything with your husband yet...haha...!!

S. :)

Christine ~
I'm not sure, but you can call the hospital where you delivered and ask if there is a lacatation consultant. She would know for sure. If your hospital doesn't have one, let me know and I can email you the number for the lc at Wyandotte Hospital. Or you can check with La Leche orgination.
D.

I would not start taking the pill while breastfeeding. A good friend of mine did the same thing you are talking about and her milk also dried up. If it is only for a few month I would consider a different methond. However, that being said if you are not considering another child anytime soon I would make sure you use protection. I was 100% breastfeeding my second child without using protection and became pregant when my baby was only 5 months old (now I was not preventing it and was happy to have another one so close so it was a good thing). Congratulations on your new baby.

I would say stay off the pill and just practice safe sex for a few months. I ws on that pill for a few weeks and it really screwed with my hormones and made me crazy, crying and angry. I don't think it is worth the risk for a few months.

I would really stay off of the pill. It does still pass through a small amount of hormones to the baby and it does slow your milk down. If it's just the matter of a few months, try a diaphram w/spermicide. To me, if I wanted to stick with breastfeeding it just wouldn't be worth the hassle of my milk lowering.

Well, I have used the progestin-only pill after all 3 of my children and am currently using it (my daughter is 9 months old). I certainly have had NO problem. I have always had a great milk supply, overabundant even. My lactation consultant at Bronson hospital recommended the progestin-only pill. My ob-gyn's only concern is it is maybe 1% less effective than the combination pill, and the spotting side effect can be annoying (which I haven't had- actually no periods for me since last November!)

Best wishes to you!

I took the progesterone only pill after the birth of my son, starting at six weeks, and had NO problems. He nursed for a year and a half, with my working part time so I was even pumping at times (and was not very good about doing it frequently because I had an odd schedule). You can always start, and if you begin to notice problems, stop! Good luck...

Feeding your child is of the up most importance. You will see a decrease in your milk. Probley not to the extent that your friend did, especially if only for a few weeks. I would try natural family planning for those weeks. I was successful with this method and you don't have to take something that could potentially stop you from feeding your baby. People are so cautious over what they eat and what it may contain because they don't want to harm the baby while they are pregnant and afterwards when they breastfeed, but do we know the long terms of taking a hormone and breatfeeding? I would try to hold off for the next couple of weeks. Good luck, I hope that my answer doesn't come of to forceful, just somethings to think about.

I nursed both my kids for 12 months...after my daughter, I got pregnant when she was 10 months old from not using birth control. so after my son, I took Camilla-the mini pill, no hormones. IT WORKED GREAT and I LOVED IT...

I would seek alternative birth control until the vasectomy.

good luck,

shelly