was my gp nurse wrong?

[boysandcounting]

My gp nurse said you cant conceive when exclusively breastfeeding but my sil who is a nurse says this is nonsense. She advised me to go on the pill when my ds is 6 months. He is 5 at the mo. Im a bit concerned now

I breastfed my three and was advised to use contraception as soon as we started to dtd again.I was told that ,though unlikely, it is possible to get pregnant again almost straight away. I was advised that the progesterone only (mini) pill was the best option.
Having said that, my periods didn't actually resume until a few months after I stopped breast feeding each time. With DD2 I was still breastfeeding occasionally at night up to about 18 mths and still didn't have a period till 2 mths after I stopped!

Do people still believe that?

Why don't you ask her if you can get pregnant from toilet seats or if you have sex standing up?!

You can conceive whilst breastfeeding and while there are no guarantees in life, I would say if you don't want another pregnancy soon better to err on the side of caution! It is safe to breastfeed whilst taking the pill (or have a coil, or the depot etc etc).

There is a 2% chance of getting pregnant IF: you are exclusively BF (ie feeding at least every 4 hours in the day / 6 hours at night and no less) supplying 90% or more of baby's calories, AND you have not resumed your periods yet, AND if you are in the first 6 months postpartum. If you don't meet these criteria the chance of pregnancy goes up!
(just googled it - have a look on website called gpnotebook which gives more stats if you're interested)

Your practice nurse was very wrong. This is a popular myth that has lead to many closer-than-planned age gaps. Some people might not start ovulating until after stopping BF, others might resume ovulation fairly soon after birth.

The main thing to remember is that you'll resume ovulation before your periods return, so you won't necessarily get any warning at all that you're fertile again. So if you're not ready for another baby, don't risk unprotected sex!

gallicgirl, I know it does sound stupid & naive but she deals with contraception at my GPs. when I asked her about contraception that is what she said.

She seriously needs re educating! It is very concerning that she is giving out this information! I'd be tempted to have a word personally!

Tell her she's wrong. Back it up with a printout from gp notebook.
Seriously, other people will get pregnant unintentionally by believing her if she carries on spouting it.

It's not as simple as breast feeding means you can't get pregnant, certain criteria must be met, but the Lactational Amenorrhoea method is actually a recognised form of contraception and if used correctly is about as effective as other methods of contraception. You can google for more info, but the NHS do recognise this as a natural method of family planning.