has anyone become pregnant whilst bf-ing...........

[mum2samandalex]

im 7 wks postnantal and still cant decide on a birth control method and so both my midwife and doctor have said that im pretty much covered by breastfeeding anyway so not to worry too much unless i decide to wean baby off and which case i need to sort out an alternaltive method.is this true? The doctor did say that with any method though it isnt 100% but didnt say what the percentage was for this method.Has anyone used this as a birth control method ?

[ara]

i'll be watching this with interset- dd is 13 wks and i am on my third period which i think means i am fertile again, no? I am also breastfeeding.

[ara]

interest

[CarGirl]

The big issue is that you are fertile before you have a period when bf! I had a period about 6 weeks postpartum which means I was fertile pretty much straight after birth. Do not rely on bf as a method of birth control unless you'd like a small age gap

Ara yes you are fertile again!

[purpleflower]

My Nan used this method and my uncles are 14 months apart

[CarGirl]

My MIL and her sister are 11 months apart..........

[S1ur]

Completely depends on individual woman. And if this is your first there's very little way of knowing what you are like so use protection if you don't want to get pregnant.

FWIW I didn't restart periods until a year after with first and more like 15-16 m after with second.

But you could be like ara and popping out another egg as you sit there.

[pedilia]

I stopped BF one month ago and I am 6 months pregnant

[MyMummiesAScummyMummy]

WARNING WARNING!
I became pregnant with DD2 when DS1 was 5 months old, he was still being exclusively breastfed and i had'nt even resumed my menstrual cycle. My midwife also informed me that you are apparently more fertile! I think its because your bodies been primed for pregnancy.

[CarGirl]

I have a friend who has 4 dc each with a 2.5 year gap the age at which she completely stopped bf - how unfair is that, my periods always returned straight away!

[policywonk]

I got pregnant while bf-ing, but DS1 was about 16 months at the time and wasn't feeding much at night.

As I understand it:
a) BF is NOT a really reliable contraceptive, and
b) the extent to which it does work is affected by a number of things, such as how often the baby is feeding, how much the baby feeds at night, and so on. In general terms, the older your baby, the less effective BF will be as contraception. However, even with a really young baby, it's not particularly reliable.

I'm really surprised that your doctor would advise you to rely on it! If you definitely don't want to get pregnant, I'd look into other forms of contraception.

[auntyspan]

Yes. I got pregnant whilst exclusively bf DD when she was 3 months old. Had had no period and thought I wasn't ovulating yet. Was the first time we'd had sex too.

I miscarried at 9 weeks though.

[Jackstini]

Yep - twice.
I was told that while you are exclusively bfing it is about 80% contraceptive on average - but it really varies by person so wouldn't rely!

[bogie]

I did

[mum2samandalex]

oh my god that is really naughty of them both. I did say i wasnt in mood for sex yet anyhow and the both came out with bfing does protect you but but is not 100% reliable. my doctor evensaid it was unlikely id get a period. So if my period doesnt return then that means im not fertile yes? Im really confused now why would they say this so flippantly-i didnt even think of using bfing as a method until they said.

[policywonk]

'So if my period doesnt return then that means im not fertile yes?'

Sorry, no! You can be fertile without having a period - or you can ovulate BEFORE your period, and thus be fertile without knowing it.

I think it's rather out-of-order of them to have suggested it. Maybe go back and have another chat - perhaps with a different GP?

[moodywren]

Yes twice. First time ds1 was 7 months and this time ds2 was 12 still bf 5 times a day.

Nurse at surgery has told me when baby's born I had better sort out contraception or I'll end up with a football team!!

[S1ur]

I'm surprised they said it. My gp started trying to give the coil almost as soon as I'd given birth. (I sadi no thanks)

Of course you don't know when your first period will be so you don't know when your first fertile ovulation will be.

My advice - sort out your contraception.

BF doesn't cut it. No periods - no guarentee

[mum2samandalex]

well im shocked now that they have suggested it. Id love a third child but definitel not now!!! they only reason ive decide to ask you guys was because my hv said bf-ing isnt a relaible method but you'd think a midwife and doctor would be more knowledgeable. Like i said i dint even ask them about it they suggested it to me and said it isnt 1005 but neither is any method didnt realise it was only 80% reliable. Well dh will be waiting a while then before he gets lucky then.

[Quadrophenia]

when my twins were 6 months old I fell pregnant despite feeding both of them. The result was three children under 15 months

[WanderingTrolley]

Ha.

Am I here?

Then yes, you can get pregnant whilst bfing and have 2 babies within 12 months.

[policywonk]

You can always use condoms - I know they're annoying, but better than nowt.

Of course there's also the 'I just pushed a baby out of my vagina, you won't be getting any for MONTHS' form of contraception. Worked well for me for about six months both times...

[whomovedmychocolate]

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding DD between three and five times a day. It's a shockingly bad method of contraception. Before I got pregnant I had sex twice since her birth - both times I conceived (thought I miscarried first time).

There are nine months three weeks between myself and my brother too - you do the maths!

[ara]

eek...........

[NorthernLurker]

It's not a method - it's an obstacle and one sperm and egg can perfectly get round so I would think again were I in your shoes

[ara]

.....