hormone free bc/does bf'ing really keep you pg free?

[suddenlyamama]

Hi, can't be on any hormones due to some breast scares. I am not comfortable with an IUD so I/ we are deciding to NFP.
However, I tried that for 10 months and got PG. Which was a blessing, but I don't want to get PG again for a while. Baby is bf'ing...can I rely on this?
I have TCYF by Toni Weschler, but I find it really overwhelming.
Do you have any links to share or other good books? How did this work for your after first child?

[Maine Mama Doula]

It's called the Lactation Amennorhea Method or LAM. It's good for 6 months provided the baby receives no supplements (food, bottles) and your menses have not returned. http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading...lam_page2.html

[*MamaJen*]

I got my period back 8 weeks after the birth. I don't personally trust LAM, at least not if I truly needed to prevent pregnancy. I would use a backup method if I wasn't okay with an oops baby. Even withdrawal would help.

[Nicole730]

I get my period back really early, 7 weeks PP this time. My mom had my brother and sister are less than a year apart. I am definitely fertile even though I exclusively breastfeed on demand (with maybe 3-4 bottles total by 6 months). B/W DS and DD we just did pull-out and paid attention to my cycle. This time, now that I know what being pregnant while have a child is like, there is no way I want to get pregnant before I am ready. So we are using condoms and/or pull out and paying real close attention to my cycle and ovulation. Fortunately I am very regular, so I think pull-out works pretty well for us.

[MeepyCat]

With my (EBF) DD, I had my first PP AF so early that I had to call and reschedule my six week appointment. I have at least one friend who got pregnant within a few months of giving birth, before even having a period, despite extended, intense breast feeding.

If it's really important that you not get pregnant, and you can't take hormones, there's a lot to be said for condoms.

[HulaJenn]

LAM isn't 100% even when all the "rules" are followed to a Tee - there are a rare few that get Af back no matter what. So if you are really not wanting another baby, use back up birth control (condoms?).
NFP/charting is very effective if you follow the rules but without your fertility back yet, it could be easy to misread the signs of it returning and of course temping doesn't tell you until after the fact. So if you used back up birth control until your cycle returned, you could start chartuing to avoid after that.
Come over to the fertility awareness thread - there are a great group of ladies CTA and lots of resources listed:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1249096

[CherryBomb]

LAM is something like 98% effective if it's used properly. I'm one of the unlucky few who's fertility returns even with using it exactly as instructed. You really do have to follow it exactly, or it's not reliable. I know a lot of people who say the use it, but when I talk to them (I'm an LLL Leader) it turns out they aren't follow every rule 100% of the time. It's similar to NFP in general, I often have people tell me they tried and it didn't work, but then I start to talk to them, and often it turns out they were having sex during times they KNEW they were fertile!

So, follow the LAM rules to the letter, but if you're very sure you don't want to chance pregnancy (and it's not against your moral or religious beliefs), you may want to consider a back up method.