Getting Pregnant While Nursing...

Updated on August 09, 2010
R.S. asks from Chicago, IL
14 answers

Has anyone gotten pregnant while nursing and without having your period back? If so, how many times a week were you having sex?

Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone! so much! We are actually trying for number 2, but since I'm still nursing our one-year-old about 6 times in a 24 hour period, I haven't gotten my period back. I know getting pregnant will be more difficult this time because it's almost impossible for me to know when I'm ovulating.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

my mom had 5 pregnancies in 6 years trying to use BF as her birth control. As long as you're having unprotected sex, there is a chance for getting pregnant.

2 moms found this helpful

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Let me just say that breast feeding is definitely NOT a birth control method.
I, personally, had trouble getting pregnant, so I'm not speaking for myself, but I know so many women who were so upset when they realized they were going to have 2 babies less than a year apart. My own grandmother was one of them. My uncle and my dad are so close together, they were raised as twins basically.
You know, after having a baby, they say not to have sex for 6 weeks. It just goes to show that many people vodey-oh-doh well before that and yes, you can get pregnant.
As far as how many times a week? All it takes is one time.
If you're not ready to have another baby whether you're nursing or have had a period or not, you should be taking every precaution to make sure that doesn't happen. Because it can.
In this day and age, I don't know why it comes as such a shock to people that you can get pregnant so soon after having a baby.
Look at some of our ancestors before birth control was available.
Some had 4, 5, 6, 9 kids. Bing bang boom.
Sex equals babies.
Sometimes even if you're being careful.

3 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

I did not get pregnant while BF, but boy I know a whole lot of families that have.. They have children 9 and 10 and 11 months apart..Everyone of them said, but "I had not had my period and was breast feeding!"

I am always surprised they did not realize they could get pregnant during this time..

2 moms found this helpful
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D.W.

answers from Gainesville on

My girlfriend got pregnant while nursing when her little one was around 5 months old. They initially had to guess on all the due dates and such because she got pregnant before she ever got a period so she didn't know she was even pregnant for a while!

Getting pregnant while nursing happens all the time so if you are looking to avoid getting pregnant you need to use a form of birth control. And if you are looking to get pregnant you can look into natural family planning and learn the signs of ovulation. Everyone gets their cycle back at different times. I exclusively breastfed and got my period back at the 4 month or so mark with my daughter.

And it doesn't really matter how many times per week you are having sex. It only takes once ;)

2 moms found this helpful
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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

It's totally possible because you don't get your period until AFTER you ovulate and the egg doesn't implant. So you're going to ovulate without knowing you're fertile again at least once before your periods start again. I think that's why it's such a surprise, cause women forget the egg comes first.

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H.H.

answers from Dallas on

Got pregnant with my 3rd while nursing my 2nd....but am so glad we did :) She's such a sweet addition!!!

There is a mini pill you can take while nursing. It serves as birth control, but nothing is 100% safe.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.O.

answers from Atlanta on

It's usually more difficult to get pregnant if you are exclusively nursing (i.e. no formula, table food, baby food, etc) and baby is not yet sleeping through the night (not going longer than 4 hours between feedings). However, this is not an absolute rule that works 100% of the time, and even in that situation you can still get pregnant. Once you start adding in formula or solids and baby starts going longer stretches at night, exclusive breastfeeding no longer works as a birth control and you can definitely get pregnant.

I did get pregnant while breastfeeding, but my child was sleeping through the night, eating table food, and nursing sessions were cut to 3 times a day (plus we were trying) and I had already gotten my first post partum period (got pregnant that next cycle).

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Dallas on

Breastfeeding does not work as birth control! I have so many friends, that got pregnant during breastfeeding! It really doesn't matter how many times a week you have sex, you just need one time. You can absolutely get pregnant without a period. I have 2 friends expecting right now, that got pregnant with their babies at 6 weeks and 10 weeks. Both didn't have their period yet and were exclusively breastfeeding. It happens all the time! If you don't want to get pregnant, other precautions must be taken.

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J.F.

answers from Toledo on

For those who claim that you're not ovulating while nursing just because you've not gotten your period...WRONG!!!

My 3rd child was 8 months old and I was nursing EXCLUSIVELY, and I was on Micronor (mini-pill). TMI, but we were also careful and "pulled out." My 4th child was born 9 months later :) I am still nursing my son (now 9 months old), and have not had a period since the fall of 2007.

I'm not sure why you're asking about how many times per week the sex was occuring, but that really has no bearing on your chance of becoming pregnant. You don't get pregnant easier by having more sex...remember basic sex ed? It only takes once :)

1 mom found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I haven't done this but if you really want to know if you're ovulating, check out Toni Weschler's book - Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Start charting your basal body temperatures and if you're ovulating or having estrogen and progesterone surges, you'll know.

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R.Y.

answers from New York on

As all the other posts have said it is possible and often happens by accident. I am not sure what you can do if you are trying to get pregnant because most fertility programs use the period as a marker to figure out when you are ovulating. Then again if your first baby is under a year and your period has not returned maybe your body needs a longer before it is ready for another pregnancy.

A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

k so here is some info. If you are breastfeeding and not having periods it's because you are not ovulating yet. So no matter how much sex you have you won't get pregnant because your body is not releasing any eggs. Now once your body starts to ovulate you will release an egg and then can get pregnant. So if you are having unprotected sex and then ovulate and become pregnant then yes you would become pregnant again without every having a period. With that said all woman are different, some woman get their periods while they are still nursing or once they start to wean while others don't get their periods back until a month or so after they are completely done breastfeeding. I was one that had unprotected sex while nursing and never got pregnant because I wasn't ovulating and didn't ovulate until my daughter had been done nursing for a month she was14 months old. Only then did I finally get a period. So if i were you and you want to get pregnant you should start to wean your baby to see if that gets you to ovulate....if not you probably won't ovulate until you are completely done nursing.

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T.S.

answers from Eugene on

Those below who have said you are not ovulating until you have had your period are wrong, I'm afraid. Very wrong, and there are plenty of second children around who came very close after the first one to prove it. I spent 17 years studying midwifery and interning, though my third child prevented me from having the time to develop a practice. One thing that is very well known medically is that we ovulate BEFORE we have a period. In cases of interrupted menstruation, such as pregnancy/nursing, you will not have your period first. When it comes back, it means that you have ovulated at least once--about 14-15 days prior to bleeding.

It has nothing to do with how many times a week you have sex, either, though I applaud you if you are nursing a relatively new baby and managing a good enough sex life to be doing it multiple times a week! You go, mama!

But use protection. Condoms are the best way at the moment, since you won't have many other clues until you start regular cycles again and you don't want to be taking hormone based birth control. If you feel like it's an option for you, you could also try an IUD.

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C.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

My grandmom got pregnant while my uncle was only 3 months old. She became pregnant with my dad.

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