Pumping / Birth Control Pills

Updated on June 29, 2010
N.L. asks from Asheville, NC
8 answers

Next month I will start taking regular birth control pills and I know I won't be able to pump anymore and will get dry (and that's my idea after 6 months - i pumped since my baby is 2 weeks.... he was not getting enough from the breast) My question is.... Is it going to stop from one day to another or it will be gradually? Is it going to hurt (engorgement)? The more info you can give me the better... thanks!

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W.T.

answers from Jacksonville on

I would do it gradually. I think you'll be much more comfortable if you decrease the pumping sessions slowly.

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L.S.

answers from Grand Forks on

For me I didnt know my milk would be so low so fast. I wasnt ready to stop nursing. I took the pill for only a couple of days and my milk was almost gone so I stopped taking it and started pumping like crazy but it never came back. I had no engorgement or anything it was just...gone.

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D.M.

answers from Denver on

It shoudl be gradual. I took the "mini pill" while still nursing (once my baby started solids) and kept nursing for two months.... To wean you'll want to do it slowly. Either continue feeding her, but cut a feeding at a time or pump when really engorged - just to relieve the pain. The less you use from your body, the less it will produce....

ALSO - I was unaware of the "risk" of the minipill - which has less hormones, and we became pregnant w/ number two when my daughter was less than 8 mos old... a blessing in the end, but be sure you are aware if you need to take extra precautions!!!!

Last note - I weaned both the way I described above with virtually no pain. Just take it slow.

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N.O.

answers from Dallas on

It might hurt. I know I would still get engorged if my baby didn't nurse for a few hours around 10 months. I can't personally tell you "how long" it will hurt because I've always nursed mine for over a year and was pretty much empty when they stopped. : ) From what I've heard, it will take about 2 weeks for your flows to stop coming through. Good luck.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Different birth control pills will have different half lives (how long they stay in your body) and are likely metabolized differently.

My best advice is to speak with the pharmacist when you pick-up the prescription (or before if you're receiving samples) to make sure there are no issues.

I'm sure there are people on here who have used Birth Control Pills while nursing, but it appears the hormones are excreted through breast milk and can have some serious side effects on the unborn child (I looked up the full prescribing information on yaz-us.com as it's one of the more commonly prescribed products).

So, good luck.

You can go to drugs.com or FDA.gov and research the product you're going to take and then Google the product itself. I'd highly recommend going directly to the product's website and reading the prescribing information (both patient and prescriber). The prescriber information is the official FDA document for which the product has been approved and is very clinical. A pharmacist will easily be able to help you understand if you're not familiar with clinical/scientific information of this nature.

Good luck.

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M.K.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

I was on the mini-pill while nursing and it was great! But if you don't wean gradually you will most likely get engorged and it will become painful. I nursed for almost 17 months and when I did wean after getting down to one nursing session a day I was engorged for two weeks and it was sooooo painful. Within a week of starting the regular BC pill I dried up and it all went away. Now I'm back to normal, well as normal as can be after being pregnant and nursing. But now I hate the regular pill it's really reaking havoc on my hormones and I hate, hate, hate it. Will be talking with my doctor about alternatives.

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J.G.

answers from Cleveland on

If you don't wean your body off nursing - it will hurt. It took me about 2 months to wean my son & my body... I cut out the mid day feedings first, waiting about 5 days before stopping the next, then the night, and last the morning. But which ones you stop when is up to you.

Talk to your doctor a little more about the effects of the pill you will be taking on nursing & the baby if you have to wean the nursing.

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L.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

You will be surprised how quickly your breasts adjust. As soon as they realize there is no need for the milk, they stop producing as much. I stopped nursing at 7 or 8 months when I went back to work and it seemed like they just naturally stopped producing. I say they were only a little swollen the first couple of days and then they deflate!

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