Could it harm my DD to still bf/suckle once I have started back on the Pill?

[olivo]

DD is 8 1/2 mo, i have been mixed feeding for about 6weeks and am down to just bf a couple of times during the night and maybe once in the morning. i am intending to go back on the Pill next week, and am aware that the oestrogen will cause my milk to finally dry up. But will it harm DD to still suck on the breast even if ther is no milk there - having just gone back to work, i dont want to take it away from her if she wants it, if only for a couple more weeks till she is more settled at nursery.

Why don't you go on a progesterone only pill then?

POP didnt suit me.

Interesting. Well I can only tell you that the oestrogen won't stop your milk if you have the stimulation of nursing. I managed an entire pregnancy and birth while still breastfeeding and that's a hell of a lot more oestrogen that the dose you'd get from a pill.

I don't know about the bf issue but have you considered a coil ?

I love mine (copper) and ive never got on with the pill.

thanks for your thoughts; i'm not actually going back on the pill for contraceptive purposes and i'm going back onto the one i have been on forever (except the twice I've been pg!). i had finished feeding DD1 when iwent back on it last time.

interesting WMMC, it was my GP who said that the oestrogen would dry up my milk - had forgotten that people who bf while pg!
She has 3 bottles a day, which i cant avoid as i am back at work, so not a huge amount of nursing stimulation.

I wouldn't worry about it - I went back to work recently (have since left after four months) and DS got milk at breakfast and bedtime, and I still have a lot of milk. I got made redundant (am unusually happy about this for various reasons) and DS has taken the opportunity to test exactly how much milk I have left and the answer is plenty.

Some GPs have some very funny ideas!

thanks WMMC, in that case i think i'll let her carry on if she is getting something out. even of she's not but takes comfort from it, as long as the drugs wont hurt her, that suits me. i'll miss bf, and dd2 is our last

That's really nice - you do that Be happy because you are giving her such a great start, and even if you can't be there all the time, the times you are with her are very special!

It might stop the milk, it might not as breastfeeding is so established now.

I don't think that the drugs/hormones will harm her as they are mimicking the pregnancy hormones as wmmc said.