So tell me how efective is breast feeding as a contraceptive?

[GoodGollyMissMolly]

Title says it all really.

Don't want to go on the pill again (if I can help it), and DD is only 6 weeks old so don't want to get pg again this soon.

I ended up with a 14 month gap between my first two. A testimony to the non-effectiveness of bf as a contraceptive. dd1 was fully BF, periods hadn't restarted. Yet along came ds1.

Well wasn't terrible effective for me - am pregnant with second child and still bfing DD - she's 14 months though so she is having other food.

well that's the crucial point isn't it: 'periods not yet returned' - you will ovulate before your periods return - so you simply don't know when you will ovulate!

I will repeat what I posted earlier as I think it is very important that women realise this:

My periods returned when dd1 was eight weeks old and being bf two to three hourly day and night

I then had a 15 month gap between no' 2 and 3 but that was planned

I would like to echo what belgo said. I have not had a period for over two years now but conceived twice. First one miscarried, this one seems to be hanging in there.

Complacency is quite a good fertility aid though

The first period post-partum tends to be anovulatory though. The Lactational Amenorrhea Method has been widely studied and is as reliable as hormonal contraception if the 'rules' are followed. There will always be people who fall into the 0.5-2% 'failure' group, just as with any other contraception method.

GGMM - I'm not due til April! Didn't really suffer with morning sickness this time fortunately, the only problems I'm having are picking up ds2 from the floor. Fortunately he's quite independant and nowhere near as clingy as ds1 was!

Yeah - I'd believe that DaisyMoo - only there are only nine months and three weeks between me and my brother!

A friend of mine has a 12 month age gap between her children having followed those 'rules'.

She didn't even realise she was pregnant until more then half way through.

I got pregnant on the pill. There's another thread where somebody has just had a BFP after her dh had a vasectomy...

well yes, no contraceptive is 100% reliable, and there are always rules to follow.

I exclusively bf on demand, with dd3 my periods returned 6 weeks post partum and as regular as clockwork thereafter. With dd4 I got the mirena coil fitted about 5 weeks after she was born (or was it 4!), 2 years on I still have periods, although very light, on the mirena gp - I guess I'm fertile!

For me BF did work as a contraceptive. BF my first two for 16 and 18 months. Was TTC DC 2 when BF DC1 - no periods and nothing happened until I completely stopped, and then I got PG straight away (no period first). Exactly the same happened with DC 2 - didn't conceive DC3 (now 12 weeks PG) until I stopped feeding. Had cut down to one feed a day in the hope that this would help, but again it only happened when I stopped completely - again happened straight away. Would not have relied on this as a form of contraceptive had I not wanted any more children though, and before TTC DC2 I was on mini pill for a few months (obviously I didn't know at that point that the BF was stoppping my periods). I am not saying that BF is a good form of contraception! Just that it seemed to work for me, but I would never have relied on it 100% if another baby was not being planned. Also know lots of people who have got PG whilst BF, I am the only person I know that has not had a period whilst BF (when feeding for over a year). (BTW I know that not having a period doesn't mean you can't get PG!)

Belgo - I understand about ovulating before your periods return - I guess thats why its 99% effective.

For 99% of women their periods won't start in the first 6months while b/f on demand and using no other feeds for baby. The b/f will be enough to suppress ovulationa and periods. 1% of women will be "unlucky" and the b/f won't suppress ovulation. I guess it boils dow to how prepared you are to risk being that woman.

well Dh and I do want more DC, and I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing if I was to get PG again so soon after having DD, but I would like a few months to have my body back to myself for a bit I think.

Another one here who got pg while DS1 was bf'd, including night feeds. I conceived when he was five months old and my periods hadn't returned so it was the very first time I ovulated. Plus MIL was living with us and I was knackered with a small baby so we must only have done it a couple of times! I hasten to add we were delighted. We wanted two close together and were not relying on bfing as contraception.

It's not the case that you always ovulate before bleeding. Yes, you ovulate before a true period, but you can also experience cyclical anovulatory bleeding whilst breastfeeding (or at other times of course) and often, the first few cycles after birth can be like this, but unless you are checking CM every day, you are unlikely to know if your body is about to ovulate and could be caught out.

The idea that exclusively breastfeeding at least every x hours provides a contraceptive effect isn't a hard and fast rule either. In "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" the author talks about "Ecological breastfeeding" as opposed to exclusive breastfeeding, which basically involves breastfeeding the baby any time it squeaks as well as sleeping/feeding with baby all night and during a daytime nap too. Plenty people exclusively breastfeed, but I would guess that very few do the "ecological breastfeeding" hence the number of people who fall pregnant whilst they think they were protected by exclusive feeding.