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Original poster

Breastfeeding as a contraception????

54 replies

RgnAmb · 02/10/2018 16:26

My little girl is 4 weeks today and Ive been thinking about contraception... Im soley breastfeeding my little one and Ive read up all about breastfeeding and a lot of things I've read say your less likely to fall pregnant whilst breastfeeding and less likely to have periods until you stop breastfeeding. I wanted to know has anyone found out there pregnant whilst breastfeeding? How soon? When did your periods return whilst breastfeeding?

OP posts:
eyestotheskies · 02/10/2018 18:14

Ha, I was told by the very new GP that breastfeeding would be adequate contraceptive for first 6 months. To be fair, the lactational amenorrhea (sp) method is recognised but strict criteria must be met including no return of periods, no longer than 3 hours between feeds 24 hours a day, that the baby is having solids or any thing else including no water, no dummies either.
Anyway I was shocked he recommended it. Though for me the baby and 2 other children in my bed/ waking up in the night are acting as very effective contraception..

eyestotheskies · 02/10/2018 18:17

Oh and the baby must be under 6 months. But I would only use if having another baby wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

ISaySteadyOn · 02/10/2018 18:19

No, bfing is not a contraceptive. Looks at DS.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

1st trimester Breast & bottle feeding Families General pregnancy
TheEverywhereBear · 02/10/2018 18:20

One of my friends relied on bf for contraception. She has children 13 months apart.

I exclusively breastfed and my period returned when Dd was 3 months old.

Nousernameforme · 02/10/2018 18:21

14 months between my first two don't do it

florenceheadache · 02/10/2018 18:24

Maybe in undeveloped countries where access to food for the mother is haphazard....

Armchairanarchist · 02/10/2018 18:32

DD3, although planned, was conceived while BF.

DrWhy · 02/10/2018 18:35

Was ebf, no formula, no gaps of more than 3 hours between feeds and I went straight from lochia to period at 6 weeks.

MrsPear · 02/10/2018 19:12

Tbf my sil was informed by a doctor - fully qualified working in the NHS GP - that she didn’t require any contraception as she was breastfeeding. And that it was all far too dangerous anyway. She had an idea it was wrong and rung me for my opinion - I took her to family planning.

PiperPublickOccurrences · 02/10/2018 19:14

Everyone's different but I wouldn't trust it. 3 babies. All exclusively breastfed. First in particular was a limpet who fed almost constantly.

Periods back at 12 weeks each time.

So no, not to be relied on.

Verbena87 · 02/10/2018 19:17

It will slightly reduce the chance of conceiving but it isn’t contraception. I’m on the minipill since my 8 week which hasn’t affected my milk supply at all and seems to have kept periods at bay (baby is 13 months and eating 3 meals a day as well as boob, so imagine they’d be back by now if I wasn’t on cerazette) - win win!

PiperPublickOccurrences · 02/10/2018 19:18

I trained as a breastfeeding counsellor and was encouraged to tell mothers the 6 month thing too.

But given my own personal experience of a period each time at 12 weeks - so obviously ovulating at 10 weeks post partum - I just didn't feel confident in that advice. A fertile woman could easily be breastfeeding, ovulate at 10/11/12 weeks post partum, and be pregnant without ever having a period.

I'd always advise mums to use condoms unless they were prepared to accept the risk.

clueless101101 · 02/10/2018 19:23

3 out of my 4 were c9nce8ved whilst breastfeeding. First 2 18 months apart between 3 and 4 2 years apart. However I was not using it as contraception. I went on the pill before 6 weeks as I fall pregnant very quickly. I came off the pill and fell pregnant the following month. If you include my miscarriage then I fell pregnant 4 times out if 5 pregnancies whilst breastfeeding. And I breastfed all of them for 15 months to 3 years each. I breastfed while pregnant until the last month of pregnancy. Get some contraception please

IronicUserName001 · 02/10/2018 19:58

@DrWhy, me too. I was so cross, I was looking forward to no periods for ages! Angry

hoppipopla · 02/10/2018 20:25

I did this after my first, though i had said if I fell pregnant I wouldn't be sad. I now have a bouncing 6 month old too...didn't even have a first period or anything just came home from holiday knocked up with no2 when no1 was only a few months old.
Please get some additional contraception unless like me you are knocking on a bit and feel its best to bash them out in quick succession you wouldn't mind a happy accident.

Upslidedown · 02/10/2018 20:27

My periods returned after two months and a friend had two kids within thirteen months.

It might be a contraceptive but I've never liked "might" as a statistic for family planning.

RoseAndRose · 02/10/2018 20:29

"I can't believe this old wive's tale still exists"

You'd better tell the World Health Organisation that their guidelines are wrong then

GummyGoddess · 02/10/2018 20:31

No! Dc2 was conceived while breastfeeding and the MAP failed! Don't rely on it, it's a load of crap. Even nct counsellor said it was only possibly effective if you feed every 2-3 hours, carry baby in a sling and co sleep. Even then she said she wouldn't trust it.

randomsabreuse · 02/10/2018 20:32

BFing not effective contraception. Baby in room, feeling like a zombie from sleep deprivation, baby waking up as soon as you and dp shift in bed very effective contraception... because no way was sex going to happen if she had anything to do with it!

PlinkPlink · 02/10/2018 20:37

Haha Roseandrose

Indeed. And the NHS website.

OP here is a link to NHS website. Scroll down to Lactional Amenorrhea Method:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/sex-contraception-after-birth/

It's the same as any other contraception method, in that it's not 100%.

I was looking forward to doing this myself. My period came in the 6/7th week post partum despite EBF. I was NOT happy.

KindergartenKop · 02/10/2018 20:41

My midwife, 3 years ago, gave me a leaflet which featured bf as a contraceptive method (as long as you feed every 4 hours round the clock or something). I wasn't going to pay any attention to that!

Maryann1975 · 02/10/2018 20:41

My periods returned when dc2 was about 3-4 months old. He fed at least every two hours for 9 months and then every 3 hours for a good many months after that. I planned dc3 but was still feeding dc2 through the night and he would have been about 16 months when I fell pg with his sister.

It was no surprise my periods returned after about 5 months with dc1 as she slept solidly for 12 hours a night, but I was still bring her through the day.
Whatever the WHO say, I think is irrelevant, there are enough of us on this thread saying unless you want a very small age gap, take extra precautions while bfing.

UpstartCrow · 02/10/2018 20:43

Breastfeeding is not a form of contraception; you can't tell when the protection wears off as you ovulate before you have your period.

HopeGarden · 02/10/2018 20:49

I know several women who accidentally conceived a younger child while breastfeeding an older child, after mistakenly assuming breastfeeding was a reliable contraception.

I was therefore very Hmm Hmm Hmm when I had my 6 week check after DS3 was born, and the GP merrily informed me that as I was exclusively breastfeeding, I didn’t need to worry about contraception.

LaPufalina · 02/10/2018 20:52

I was told it by my GP, too! It worked ok for me; my periods came back at maybe 9/10 months post-partum and I breastfed until then (but she weaned onto solids so i only relied on it as contraception for six months). Eek!