Lactation and Birth Control Advice

Hi S.,

I suggest you contact one of our local La Leche League leaders or attend a meeting. The have medical journals about which drugs or devices are safe to use while breastfeeding and will be offer you the support and encouragement you need to nurse as long as you want to. Use this link to join the local LLL yahoo group to get phone numbers and meeting dates and locations.

Best wishes,
E.
mother of a 4 year old whom I nursed for 27 months
mother of a 26 month old whom I am still nursing

good morning,
my name is S..i do not know to much about birth control other than are we suppose to take it?we as women of god have kinda fallen away from biblical principals.you sound like a very sound women of god and you love him very much then i know you will see more clearer following his principals rather than man.there are so many birth control out there and the majority of them are not safe.i work for a hospital on the mother and baby unit.the best thing to do is to seek god for advice he does know best.it is good to communicate with fellow sisters in the lord.let me know what you decide to do.continue to be blessed.

I don't have personal experience with the Mirena IUD but you've gotten great responses on both pros and cons. I agree that googling Mirena IUD side effects and researching more would be in your best interest. I do know of women who had the IUD & found out they were pregnant. They were considered high risk because of the location of IUD in reference to placenta & baby. Some of these women experienced early pregnancy losses due to the IUD as well. Research both sides and make the choice that is best for you.

Good luck,
J.

I usede the paragaurd IUD when I wasnursing its non-hormonal and very effective. You bleed a little heavier the first few months till your body get used to it then you go back to normal. Itsgood for 10 years but I had it removed after 2 and was able to try right away. My friend used mirena and her milk dried up in just acouple months and she had to stop nursing at 9 months. Think hard but I wouldnt suggest it

I am currently breastfeeding my 18mo old. I got the Mirena IUD when he was about 5 or 6 mos old. Havent had any issues with it at all, and am glad I got it. I didn't notice any milk decrease at all. The only thing that bothered me was when my periods first starting going away with it, I got a little nervous even though I knew this was likely to happen. The hormone levels are very very low, and I havent noticed any hormone-related side effects. My sister also got the mirena at a couple months post-partum and breastfed for a couple months after that until she had to stop for other reasons.

You should definitely research the side effects, but keep in mind there are side effects with everything, and the percentages of people with issues are pretty accurate with what they say.

I didn't experience any decrease in milk production personally. I had my second child 11 months ago, had Mirena inserted 2 months after her birth, and I and am still nursing/pumping for her exclusively today. And I must say, I do love the freedom of no pills to remember and then hide from the kids for safety too. It's one less thing for me to worry about and I'm very thankful for that! And as a side benefit, my husband loves that I'm not worried anymore about having another kid and having to remember if I took the pill that morning or not. It's made our spontaneity and life much better :-) Good luck!

I have a 6 month old who is exclusively breastfeed and have the Mirena IUD. I was very nervous about any hormonal aspect of birth control with nursing for the same reason so I asked my midwife and she told me that she has never had anyone have a problem with that IUD and nursing because the hormone levels are so very low. I had the IUD placed at about 6 weeks and haven't had any problems with my milk supply from it. Check around a bit because every woman's body reacts to things a bit differently, but I did have issues with the pill and lactation with my first child (before the mini pill was out), and have been really pleased to not have problems this time.

I got the Mirena when my son was 6 weeks and continued to breastfeed afterwards. However, like the other moms here, I would definitely think long and hard about the pros and cons of the Mirena. At first I loved it. However, after having it for about 1 year, I started having strange body aches, horrible acne, irregular and painful periods, and many, many problems with ovarian cysts. Make sure you go out and google the side effects from other women- don't listen completely to the doctors on this one. I feel like I wasn't given the whole story at the time I had it put in.

read up on ALL complications associated with IUD. I had major problems.

Congrats on your second daughter! I had my third son almost 10 months ago and, like you, used the mini-pill after my second son. This time the Mirena was recommended to me, as well, since it doesn't interfere with breastfeeding. I hadn't even heard of it but then I wasn't really looking for a birth control method. After baby boy #3, I was looking for something reliable that I wouldn't have to take on such a rigid schedule (mini-pill). I had it placed when my son was 3 months old and haven't had any problems with it so far. It was a bit uncomfortable to have it placed and it did cause some spotting for about a month but so far so good. I have been exclusively breastfeeding without any decrease in milk production and my son is a very healthy 21lbs! I would recommend the Mirena for someone with a busy lifestyle & a desire for a more long-term but not permanent method of birth control. I did my research online and asked my doctor lots of questions beforehand. Good luck!

Hi S.. I had the Mirena IUD inserted after the birth of my son and I breastfed with no problems what so ever. It has been really great not having to worry about birth control. I have had it for about 2 1/2 yrs now. I am actually now considering going back on the pill (going to discuss with doctor) due to my whacky hormones. I don't think it's at all related to Mirena. I had issues as a teenager with acne, and PMS, etc and the pill helped keep all that under control. I just thought at 31 I might have outgrown all of that mess. Overall, I have been very pleased with Mirena and would definitely recommend it. Good luck with your decision.