b. c. pill that you can take while nursing?

[Wildflower]

on other threads I've heard it mentioned that a certain kind of birth control pill can be taken while nursing...anyone know about this? DD is 7 months, we're going to bf for a loooong time I hope but I really don't want #2 til she's at least 3 so she can have plenty of milk and attention, so I want to start using somthing even tho no periods yet...and I tried a diaphram and it hurt, and dh hates condoms, and the stress of worrying about pregnany is starting to really effect our lovin'...I've been considering an IUD, but it sounds painful. Would the pills hurt my milk supply? I wouldn't take them if they did. how are they dif from regular pills? thanks sooo much for any info!

[glh]

I took the progesterone only (mini-pill) pill when dd5 was bf. It never affected my supply.

[Wildflower]

was it effective? like, the same 98% protection as the other pill? and does any one know if it contains any chemical or anything that could contaminate my milk at all? thanks!

[glh]

Yes it was effective, but I did get pregnant shortly after discontinuing it and that was after a verrry long history of infertility. My ob said it was safe and studies have shown it to be safe, but I suppose you could check it out further. (correction should be ds5).

[rubelin]

Just another opinion on the mini-pill. It made me bleed constantly so I went off it after a week, the Dr said that was normal, I went back on it, & started bleeding again. So I stopped completely and went on Depo. I've had wonderful results with the Depo =)

It might take some trial & error to find the right method for you and everything is different for every body. HTHS!!

[Firemom]

Depo and micronor are approved by LLL. Some women do have problems with milk supply on these bc methods. but most are fine. I did the depo shot with baby #1. its worked fine a little break thru bleeding.

#2 I used micronor for 3 years. No bleeding until I got my period back at 17 months. I had irregular periods and a little bread thru bleeding.

A lot of women cease to have a period with these 2 methods. You'd have to try it to see how it works for you.

[jaylind]

the minipill is called micronor and it's how i got my ds (12-30-01). i should have known, though because i was taking ortho tricylclen (religiously, no antibiotics, no missed pills, same time every day) and that was how i got dd (11-06-99)!

i'm not relying on pills any more!!! in fact, for now, it's abstinence...but that's another thread altogether...

jaylind

[Ravenmoon]

I took Micronor after my second pregnancy.It didn't do a thing to my milk supply but i did find out that once you are no longer exclusivley breastfeeding(which i did for the first year)you need to switch to a different kind.Micronor is only fully effective if you are only breastfeeding.So once the babe starts solids you will have to switch or you may get pregnant again.BTW i didn't bleed until after i switched off the micronor which was about 14 months postpartem and at 16 months post i got pregnant again.

[PB's Mom]

I have been breastfeeding for 2 years now. I just got my cycles back at 23 months. There is a wonderful book called "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing". I just read it recently and now I know why I successfully avoided getting my periods back. I had been doing everything that the book said you need to do to continue amenorrhea (non-ovulatory cycles). It talks about 7 steps: including no pacifiers, nursing on demand, sleeping with baby and nursing at night. I also believe no pumping is important.

I also read a wonderful book called "Taking Charge of your fertility" you can use natural techniques to know when you are fertile, and simply abstain for the few days when you do ovulate.

I have heard that these 2 methods combined are about 99% accurate for birth control. Even the pill doesn't have that kind of statistics!! And using these techniques will take about as much time as popping a pill in your mouth!!

I used the birth control pill for 15 years and recently heard that it can cause an abortion, because it does not always prevent you from ovulating. It is possible to ovulate and to have the egg fertilized. The pill does thin the lining of your uterus, so that the fertilized egg is not able to implant, but at that point, conception has occured, and the fertilized egg is then "aborted".

So, I have been looking for alternatives to the pill. I think I have found it in these books!!!! I have 2 extra copies of the "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" if you want one, I'll throw it in today's mail. Just send me an email: [e-mail] I think I paid $8 for it.

Let me know if any of this sounds interesting to you. I have tons more info.

Mary

[ebethmom]

I have been taking micronor for several months now and have had lots of bleeding. I'm giving it one more month to see I can manage to take it at the same time every day. If I do, and there's still bleeding, I'll stop taking it.

I would much rather chance another baby than bleed every other week!

[naturalmom2]

Depo !!

I went on depo as well and I have had a great exp. so far. I would have not went on depo if I did not have an allergy to latex and all of the spermacides. But we have decided to do it until hubby and I get money for a vasectomy,, But I love it,,

[sahm]

Just a note -- not sure if this affects your decision at all but it was one of the deciding factors for me. The mini-pill does not suppress ovulation but only prevents implantation. So you still conceive, but the egg is not allowed to implant on the uterine lining. That was a moral problem for me since I believe life begins at conception.

[Firemom]

I always here people say this about the pill in general. The pill suppresses ovulation, I need some back up to beleive that it does otherwise.

[PB's Mom]

Here is some information about the birth control pill causing abortions: Does the BCP cause abortions?

Is does say that many times it prevents ovulation, but not always.

[Natashka]

KareninCT, these are the hormones that are aplenty in your body anyway. Dr Newman's side has good information on it as well as other things related to bf.

As the baby gets older, you may try a combination pill, which is mroe effective, it does not necessarily affect milk supply. For exclusive bf though Depo and Micronor are best among hormonal methods. Again, Dr Newman's site.

This would be a very rare occurence for a combination pill to prevent implantation, like if you missed one day and took two pills next day. Still, the pill creates unfavorable environment for sperm so even then, not necessarily.

[Natashka]

KareninCT, I was thinking of you all day but could not get to the computer to explain my post. I am sorry if it sounded harsh, basically your midwives asked a leading question and I believe health professionals should offer information and advice rather than make our decisions, esp when sexual matters are concerned and especially when they see a woman postpartum who is trying to decide what's best for her AND for her baby.

Here is one paragraph from Dr Newman's site:
13. Breastfeeding women cannot take the birth control pill. (he is debunking common myths and here is one of them)
Not true! The question is not exposure to female hormones, to which the baby is exposed anyway through breastfeeding. The baby gets only a tiny bit more from the pill. However, some women who take the pill, even the mini-pill, find that their milk supply decreases. Estrogen in the pill may decrease the milk supply. Because so many women produce more than enough, this often does not matter, but sometimes it does and the baby becomes fussy and is not satisfied by nursing. Babies respond to rate of flow of milk, not what's "in the breast", so that even a very good milk supply may seem to cause the baby who is used to faster flow to be fussy. Stopping the pill often brings things back to normal. If possible, women who are breastfeeding should avoid the pill, or at least wait until the baby is taking other foods (usually 4-6 months of age). Even if the baby is older, the milk supply may decrease significantly. If the pill must be used, it is preferable to use the progestin only pill (without estrogen).

As you see he's not PRO-pill but he takes pains to explain WHY.

The site can be accessed at http://users.erols.com/cindyrn/13.htm

[Firemom]

The mini pill (micronor, nor Q D) is progestin only. Some women do have supply problems with this pill too, but many many have success using it.