What are you doing about birth control after this baby?

[ihugtrees]

DH and I are trying to decide what to do about birth control after this baby. We are not very good at being consistent with condoms, and anything hormonal does CRAZY stuff to me! I nearly signed myself into a mental hospital once when I was on the pill, and soon after I stopped I was back to normal...I am very sensitive to any kind of medication, so I should've known better.

I have been looking into the natural family planning method, and there are even classes in our area. I would really love to do one, but not sure about spending the money.

So looking for ideas...what are you doing for birth control after this pregnancy?

[kamane18]

Not sure. Both of us hate condoms and I do really badly with hormonal BC as well. Considering an IUD and/or family planning method. We need to decide soon!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I had a great experience with the diaphragm.

And I really don't know what we're doing. I have PCOS and this baby took 2 years to conceive. Ideally I'd just never go on birth control again and we'd not try but not avoid, but if I get my period back way before we're ready to try again, the Pill would be a good idea because it could preserve my fertility. So it depends on when I start bleeding and what a doctor says.

[phrogger]

Tubal, and who knows if my c-section will result in a hystorectomy. But for sure a tubal.

If we were planning more in the future, I would do natural family planning, but since we are so beyond done, we are making sure it doesn't happen. Well, as sure as you can with a tubal.

[channelofpeace]

We do NFP and haven't had any problems with it- we knew that we were fertile when all our babies have been conceived. I also use breastfeeding as birth control with much success. I have had 8 months, 12 months and 15 months without ovulation with my three other kiddos respectively. I know this doesn't work as well for some women, I am glad it has worked for us. And I have always been able to identify my return to fertility before it happened, so there was no "Oops, we ovulated and conceived before my period returned".

I've learned the Creighton Method of NFP but this last time I wanted the cross checking of the Sympto- Thermal Method so we bought the CCL homestudy course. Worked like a charm

[Voltige]

Probably condoms. I am pretty sure, like 99% sure, we are done after this baby. DH is open to a third, but I don't think I can handle another pregnancy, honestly. Like many others, I can't handle anything hormonal. I might consider an IUD but it kind of freaks me out as well- I've heard so many people having problems with them.

When this baby is a few years old and we are 100% sure we are done, DH will likely opt for the big V. We'll see. I'm honestly not thrilled with any of the options out there. Infertility worked great for the year we were TTC : Too bad I can't just turn back the clocks now

[because]

We are definitely done. I will use LAM for at least 6 months (I don't cycle until after my babies are 2 years old so this is reliable for me). After that, I'm thinking the Mirena IUD or Essure but I need to look those options more carefully. Eventually I suppose DH will get a vasectomy if I don't do the Essure but I feel bad about that since his genitals have been through enough (related to an agressive infant circ ). He hasn't expressed any hesitation about the vas but then he hasn't really researched it yet, either, so we'll see.

If we were having more AND I had cycles before I wanted to conceive (which never happens for me), then I would consider an IUD or FAM depending on what my cycles were like.

[Erinz]

I was pretty sure we would do the V but I've decided to try the copper (NON hormonal) IUD first. I'm just trying to do the least invasive thing. I'm hoping I have no problems with it. I figure with my age (36 this year) I'll have one or two placed before menopause hits. We've tried (although I admit quite lazily) the NFP method and that is how we have two boys now So I know I'm not great at being consistent and I *KNOW* that I am all done and don't want any more kids.

[Carlin]

I'm not 100% sure, but probably NFP, and maybe condoms as a back up. It took us 13 months to conceive this baby, and for the first 11 of them I was either anovulatory or had super long, mixed up cycles. I'm almost completely certain that it was from being on the pill, so I plan to avoid hormonal birth control like the plague. I charted (using the sympto-thermal method) for the last 6 months or so that we were ttc, so I'm somewhat confident we can successfully avoid pregnancy too. We are planning at least one more (although at 36 weeks pregnant, I'm not sure I think it's such a good idea anymore ) so if we slipped up it wouldn't be the end of the world. I would like to nurse this baby for at least a year though, so I don't want to chance getting pregnant before then.

[HippieHugger]

I'd like to use the diaphragm. I've had one, but I never used it. :P I will also be NFP with charting, temping and CM. Worked with TTA and TTC 2X.
Unfortunetly I'm not one of the lucky ones that can use breastfeeding. I got my cycle back 28!!! days PP with DD1. (No pacis, bottles etc. and I was feeding on demand every hour.)

[Voltige]

Just wondering how those using NFP manage with all the night nursing/wakings and reliable temps? I charted for over a year (TTC), but didn't have a nursling in bed. Is it really reliable enough when you wake multiple times each night?

[groovynaturemama]

dh has graciously volunteered to get a vasectomy. we think that about 6-10 mos. pp is when it'll happen, and i will do nfp until then. we are both content with the idea of our family being where it is, and if that changes down the line we would likely adopt a child.

[channelofpeace]

Originally Posted by Voltige

Just wondering how those using NFP manage with all the night nursing/wakings and reliable temps? I charted for over a year (TTC), but didn't have a nursling in bed. Is it really reliable enough when you wake multiple times each night?

Since we co-sleep for the most part, even though there is waking, it isn't particularly active (roll over to nurse, go back to sleep). I didn't have a hard time at least seeing a pattern, although during periods were he was ill with ear infections and we were actually up at night, I relied more heavily on the mucus and cervix positioning signs than my temps.

[KJRSMR]

DH has also said that he would have a vasectomy. I am not rushing into anything. I am not going on the pill or having a tubal. I do know that much..

[sonuptosondown]

Good question

I do think that if I for some reason end up with a c section, I'd get a tubal at the same time. We're definitely done--if we ever want more kids, we'd look into adoption. But I think we'll have all we can handle with 4.

I don't want to do BCP. Dh has said he would get a vas, so that would be my first choice.
Nursing does work really well for me, too--it gives me at least 2 years before I have to worry too much about it, though I would definitely be on the lookout for an early return to fertility because an "oops" would be quite a bad thing.

Originally Posted by Voltige

Just wondering how those using NFP manage with all the night nursing/wakings and reliable temps? I charted for over a year (TTC), but didn't have a nursling in bed. Is it really reliable enough when you wake multiple times each night?

I was able to see a pattern without a problem even with a 2yo nursling in bed nursing on and off (mostly on!) all night.

[chely7425]

We aren't doing anything... we are planning on letting God give us what he will for the time being, we definitely want more than 2.

[erika978]

Another one whose DH is getting the snip!

I have PCOS and dd1 took 4.5 years to conceive. Due to a clotting disorder, I can't use hormonal birth control and my period returned when dd was 4 months old. I was not impressed at all. So we used condoms (which we both hate with a passion). And then stopped because I didn't think pregnancy would happen for a good while and we were accepting of it if it did. A year later it did....just as I was planning to return to work LOL

Due to clotting problems at the beginning of this pregnancy, we've decided that 2 is enough (and we can afford 2 children). So dh will get the snip a few months after this baby is born.

[midnightmommy]

Hubby is getting a vasectomy. Possibly in July. As long as we do it within this year it is covered 100% by insurance since having the baby will be over the family deductible. I've been on the pill twice in my life, and that was enough. Condoms and NFP have always worked for us.

[Jayray]

We're going to try NFP and hope that breastfeeding works for us. We were using NFP before this babe, but we broke the rules! It only takes one time!

[Ianthe]

We used NFP and FAM after DS1 and we had an oops baby (I ovulated a week and a half earlier than normal). Before kids DH agreed to the V after two kids, but now I think he is backing off from the idea.. but I can't do hormones, so it will be NFP again if he doesn't get the V.