Placing an IUD after baby.... how long should I wait?

[amyhulen]

I am considering getting a copper IUD after this baby is born but I'm not really feeling like I need to rush. I will be EBF my baby and pumping full time for a second. Do doctors usually push BC at your 6 week PP check up? I would really like to let my body fully heal before I place a foreign object in it.

Also I have HORRIBLE reactions to most metals on my skin, does that increase my odds of having a bad reaction to coppper? I am at a loss as to what to do. I dealt with fertility issues for 20 years before figuring out it was all because of a dairy intolerance. So I don't really have any experience with birth control in general. Although I am absolutely 100% against any form or hormonal BC.

I know all the in's and out's of NFP, but I am not sure DH is completely sold on the idea of relying on that. Especially since I got pregnant in about 1 cycle after cutting dairy from my diet (granted we weren't preventing at that time, more like experimenting).

I'd like to know what others have done? How long did you wait to start BC again?  

[MsFortune]

I guess how long you should wait depends in part on how comfortable you are with risking getting pregnant.  Even if you are EBF, you can still get pregnant.  And NFP won't work yet, because you can ovulate and get pregnant before you even get your first period. 

If you do not want to get the IUD yet, and don't want to use hormonal, you can use barrier (condoms, diaphram, etc). 

Or you can decide that you are OK with the risk of getting pregnant.  EBF does offer some protection as it can delay ovulation, but we all know someone who has kids less than a year apart, to it obviously does not always work.

So yes, docs do push BC at your 6 week check up because this is typically when you are OKd to have sex again and can get pregnant again.  But if you don't want BC, you don't have to talk about it. 

As for the allergy to copper, that's a good question, and probably something your OB can talk about with you at your 6 week appointment!