What form of birth control are you using post-baby?

[umsami]

Argh, after looking forward to not having to deal with my period because I'm breastfeeding exclusively (and often), I just got my period only 10 weeks after giving birth. :( Hubby hates the pill... so doesn't want me to use the mini-one which is safe for BFing Moms. (Progesterone only, I think.) He also is uncomfortable with the IUD. We both suck at putting a diaphragm in... so I think we're looking at condoms. Pre-baby, I was using a funky ovulation monitor I bought from England (Persona)... but it's not designed to be used until my periods are regular... and I just don't know how things will go with BFing.

[Ravin]

I've been using the progesterone only pill. I haven't noticed any side effects. I'm a bit wary about relying on it, though, because I don't remember to take it at the exact same time every day.

I think I may go back to the doc and see about getting an IUD.

[mamapenelope]

I got my period back at 14 (?) months w/ ds and second ds is now 2 mos old. I'm hoping the previous history repeats itself. If not, I'm totally ready to have more babies. :D So I'm not actually "relying" on BF alone to provide me w/ bc.

The progesterone-IUD is supposed to be a wonderful thing. You can have it put in right after birth and it works by killing sperm, not just by making the uterine wall inhospitable.

How do YOU feel about the pill? Why does your hubby hate it? I'm curious. Hormones make me nervous all the way, but if I was looking for bc, I'd go for the IUD w/ progesterone. I would be terrible at sticking w/ condoms, for sure. :p

I hope you find a good solution. Where is that pill for men, anyway???? Having taken endocrinology classes,I know their systems are SO much simpler than ours, it should be so easy to design a pill for them. Ugh.

Love, Penelope:hippie

[Angie676]

I agree, why isn't there a pill for men? I admit to knowing nothing about this, but wouldn't it be smarter to bombard men's bodies with hormones for 2/3's of their lives, since their reproductive cells are manufactured on the spot? Instead, we bombard the woman (and her permanent supply of eggs, and her breastmilk) with hormones and chemicals.

I really wish there were better forms of male birth control. Right now, we're relying on natural methods (fertility awareness) and condoms.

[pageta]

Breastfeeding along only works until your cycles return or 6 months, whichever comes first. My cycle returned at 5 months and I was ebf, though I'd gone over 6 hours about a half dozen times since ds was born. The rules for ebf as birth control are that you must nurse every 4 hours during the day and have only one interval of up to 6 hours between feedings (nighttime). EBF can work much longer - they say the average is 14.5 months for cycles to return. I told dh when my cycle returned - "Just call me Fertile Myrtle."

Anyway, we were using NFP before ds was born so we will continue to use it now. It's quite tricky when breastfeeding, but I've done it before so it should be okay.

Actually the real birth control method we're using right now is pain-from-episiotomy, aka abstinence. Last time we tried it still hurt really bad so we're showing affection in other ways still.

[Soundhunter]

We used condoms for 5 yrs and they worked perfectly fine, and then when we where ready to TTC we didn't have to wait or deal with wacked cycles (thankfully, since it took 3 yrs and 3 m/cs to get our Emma) We're all for condoms, no risk to either person, and your odds of failure with them if you use a bit of lube as well are extremely miniscule. As for the poll, since it took so long to get our Emma we won't ever put up any "goalies" again :LOL

[Viola]

I'm using abstinence. So would that be does not apply or other? :D We haven't done the deed since before baby, but maybe one day. Then we will use condoms. I can't trust lactational amenorrhea as my baby goes for long periods without nursing. I swear I thought I was ovulating this month.

[aguacates]

I voted breastfeeding alone, but we are also using the 80% effective "withdrawl method". I am 4.5 mos pp, and I have thought a lot about various methods of bc, but anything hormonal is out, I am uncomfortable w/the idea of iuds, dp doesn't use condoms, and I am allergic to spermacide. I love the idea of charting, but feel like it is inaccurate while breastfeeding. Have I covered all the options? Other than abstinence?

[RidentMama]

So I'm not the only woman wondering where the male pill is? I've been wondering that for the last few years, especially since a male pill has been almost on the market for the last few years.

Anywho, we're using BF, condoms & spermicide. We're doing everything possible to not conceive again anytime soon (DD was planned though!)--but if we're supposed to have another baby soon, there's nothing physically possible (okay, abstinence being the only thing, but that just isn't going to happen in this marriage! :LOL ) that's going to keep us from conceiving.

I have a friend who solely relied on BF, but ended up pg again before her DS turned 1. My MIL's mom also relied on EBF, but upon her 6 week checkup PP, found out she was pg again already! Talk about a Fertile Myrtle! :LOL

[busybusymomma]

We are currently using condoms but when af returns and is regular I think we're going to switch to NFP. Since we haven't used NFP before (except I watched signs and sort of temped when we were ttc) I'd prefer to wait until after AF returns and I know what I'm doing.

I seem to be developing a latex sensitivity, so the condoms have gotta go. I refuse to use any hormonal or permanent. Since I am not insured, the diaphram is out too.

My ds is 8mo and still ebf (and no AF) but they say you can't use bf'ing as birth control after 6mo so we're not depending on that.

[Melinda77]

I am still experiencing LAM, but started charting (sporadically at first) at 6 months. Just had my first bit of fertile mucus, and we used withdrawl for now since my history with ds was to o before first af at 13 months old. We also invested in some non-latex condoms, and a vibrator :o :D Hey NFM doesn't have to mean no big O around o time, right :p

[lilmiss'mama]

Although I am single at the moment bc is something I think about. I was EBF when I got pg with dd #2 when dd#1 was 5.5 months old. I don't feel at all comfortable with hormones being put into my body. My plan was to get an IUD when the time came. They don't all have progesterone in them, do they? Does anyone use an IUD and is happy with it?

[Melinda77]

They don't all have progesterone in them, do they? Does anyone use an IUD and is happy with it? No, they don't all have progesterone, there are also copper IUDs (the copper is supposed to help slow down the sperm so that they cannot reach the egg). I did have a copper IUD between ds and dd, and was fairly happy with it. My mother and MIL also had copper IUDs for several years each, with few complaints.

PS my reason for not getting another IUD is that I have had 2 c-sections, and it is possible the IUD could cause complications at the scars.

[natashaccat]

I have a mirena IUD, unlike a copper iud, this works by releasing pergesterone (sp?). If i recall correctly, it prevents ovulation so you don't have same side effects of a copper iud. I have had absolutely no probs with it, milk supply was fine etc...

[lilmiss'mama]

What are the side effects of a copper IUD?

[mamapenelope]

OK, my CNM and I went through this a few weeks ago.

She said that the non-progesterone (copper) IUD is ok, but it has major side effects for some people. The most frequent one is extremely heavy bleeding. I already have pretty intense periods, so I don't need any extra help there, thanks very much. ;) Cramping, etc., have also been an issue for the women she's given this IUD to. She actually has had to take some IUDs out NOW because the Mamas were soooooo miserable w/ them. :(

The progesterone IUD apparently has the other effect, of making one's periods lighter. Wouldn't that be great? ;) So if I were to choose an IUD, I'd go for the progesterone, because of my history.

However, my insurance runs out on Dec. 31, and I haven't made a decision, an appointment....just nothing. I'm allergic to spermicides and possibly also to latex so the condom/spermicide thing is out. The pill isn't even in the question as for me, that's WAY too many hormones and I hate that thought...and the mini-pill has so many side effects. Ugh.

So, playing it by ear ;) here and hoping for more babies, anyway.

Love, PEnelope

[momileigh]

I've been on estrogen-based bc since dd was 6 months old. (I tried the patch, then switched to the nuvaring.) At first my Dr. would not prescribe it because she said it was incompatable with breastfeeding, but I did some research through LLL and took the info to my Dr., and she agreed I could try it. My supply has not suffered, which was the only concern. Dd is thriving; it has been 4 months on the estrogen bc.

So it IS an option! I was so glad because I use the estrogen methods to skip periods... I just stay on the active medicine continuously until I decide to have a period, usually every 3-6 months.

[memory maker]

I had an IUD put in at my 6 week checkup after dd was born. It was fine at first but then it became really uncomfortable, but not all the time. I could always feel the string so I knew it was still there. Finally it got to hurting so I went in to have my midwife take it out. Come to find out it had not stayed up in my uterus like it is supposed to. The bottom part of it was actually stuck into my cervix. Lucky for my I did not get pregnant again while using it. Now I am using the mini pill with no side effects. I tried Depo after ds was born and hated it!:angry

[Viola]

Originally posted by mamapenelope

She said that the non-progesterone (copper) IUD is ok, but it has major side effects for some people. The most frequent one is extremely heavy bleeding.

My sister had that and she did experience heavy periods because of it. She finally got tired of it and just took it out herself. :LOL

I have a question, though. Is there less progesterone in the IUD than in the mini-pill? I thought that the hormone based IUDs were just a more foolproof way to distribute the hormones than by taking a pill. I took the progesterone only pill for a year after my first daughter was born and I didn't notice any side effects other than lack of sex drive.

[umsami]

I just picked up my Micronor... and in large letters on the print-out from the pharmacist, it says that it is excreted in breast milk. That, has freaked me out...and there's no way that I'm taking these things.

I guess it's Mr. Trojan-time.

[mamapenelope]

oh. my. goodness. i threw up at dinner tonight. i had heartburn three times in the last few days. now, granted, my life is undergoing incredible stress right now, but i'm not a throw-up kind of person...

we've dtd 3x since ds's birth two months ago. i nurse whenever ds wants to. no supplements. we do use a paci. i have no idea what's up.

great goddess, i want more babies, but this would be pushing even my limits!!

love, p

[beccaroo]

We used condoms for the first 6 months (rare occasions!), then I got the copper IUD 4 months ago. I've been treated for depression before, so I didn't want to mess with anything with hormones. I wish I'd read "Women's Moods" years ago when I was on the pill.

So far, so good. AF returned about two months ago, and it hasn't been as bad as I'd expected. I've been spotting lately, but the cramps and flow have been cake compared to what I experienced in my teens and early twenties. (31 now) Knock wood!

[amyrobynne]

We're planning to use ecological breastfeeding as long as possible. We used NFP to prevent for 2 years pre-TTC, so I'll watch for signs that ovulation is coming back even if I haven't had AF yet. Once I'm ovulating (hopefully not for a year or more, but I realize it's not a guarantee by any means), we'll decide whether to go back to NFP or just leave it up to God to decide when we'll get pregnant again. Ideally, I'd like ovulation to stay away for 12-15 months or longer and then we could just let things happen. We conceived this baby on our first cycle trying.

[moma justice]

i have been exclusively bf and cosleeping no passie and yet i spotted last month on the full moon (my periods always follow the lunar cycle...which made using the FP method easy before TTC) and so the full moon is tonight, i have been crampy and my face broke out...i am a little shocked to get my cycle back already....but QUESTION: if i am just spotting, does that mean that i am already ovulating?
as for post preg bc, we are just NOT doin' it right now......
i was sore untill 3 mon post partem....and she is 4.5 months old now...i think we will try condoms and ky jelly when we actually ge tthe time and the energy to get passionate WHILE laina happens to be sleeping...we'll see when that is!
my sister got preg with ds #2 when her baby was only 4 mon SOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo i have been very very careful!
i know girls who have gotten preg using the pill, iud, condoms and the shot with preg #2
so, there is no sure fire way i guess.
but for all of you who have spermicide issues (i do to) i found an all natural formula you can make in your kitchen to use as spermicide!
i used it for a couple years with my cervical cap before ttc, here it is:
in a small cup mix a couple table spoons of corn starch with enough lemon juice to make a thick paste.
the corn startch greatly slows down the sperm and the lemon juices ph balance kills the slowed sperm! it worked great...no side effects, i just had to go the kitchen and concoct it before hand, kind of a pain!

[lilmiss'mama]

Thanks for the info on natural spermicide. I had never heard that before.:)

[julie128]

Just got a non-hormonal IUD last month. When I asked my ob about them, she said that everyone in her office either had one or was pregnant. I got it at Planned Parenthood, though, because it was much cheaper. So far so good.

[eilonwy]

After this baby is born I'll be nursing two kids, so I hope that will keep my periods away for 6 months. That's my goal... I got my first period 3.5 weeks after my son was born, and ovulated about a week after that even though we were exclusively and constantly nursing, and sleeping together, etc. I have a brother who is 10 months younger than I am; my mother was still nursing me very frequently when she got pregnant with him. I'd be happy if I got three months without :af :LOL.

We'll be using the "play with your mucous" method, as I so fondly call it. :LOL. I was on depo for years on and off, and while it's very effective it caused a lot of weight to creep up on me and I couldn't lose; it was very depressing for me. It also gave me regular migraines. I've never even tried the pill because a)I can't do *anything* every day, let alone at the same time; b)it made my mother horribly sick and I was told that it would probably do the same for me; and c)It would cause more frequent regular migraines.

I did use a diaphragm to great effect for a while, but then they stopped making the nonoxynol-9 free spermicide. Also, diaphragms don't work if they're sitting on the night table. :LOL That's why we have an Elibean in the first place! :rotflmao :LOL :rotflmao :LOL I need something that I don't have to think about when I'm starting to get interested. Right now, that's pregnancy, but when you're doing NFP, you know in advance whether or not you should be getting all hot and heavy in the first place. :thumb Simple, effective, and absolutely free. Just my speed! :LOL

[proudmama_2boys]

i voted using breastfeeding only. my ds is 8 mo old and i haven't gotten AF back yet. so in other words, we aren't preventing really and not trying either. my ds just started some solids when he turned 8 months old and he isn't sleeping through the night yet. so the bf only has worked for us. we nurse on demand and then nurse at night frequently. i actually posted a thread on the breastfeeding forum reg the chances of getting pregnant while breastfeeding. any advice is welcome. like others, i too do not like the idea of anything hormonal, or IUD, or condoms.... anyhow thanks for letting me ramble~


:fairy

[witchbaby]

i'm only 7 weeks pp, so we're still using lam. my midwife went ahead and prescribed me the mini-pill (so i could get them before my medicaid runs out) and told me i could start them any time, though i don't want to until dd is at least 12 weeks.

[Divina]

We used a diaphragm between our DS and TTC the one I'm carrying now. Probably go back to that, as neither of us has a problem with spermicide or latex ... my midwife offered to check if my old one still fit after I give birth, but DS bit a hole in it! Luckily, that was after we'd decided to go for this one ... but that's one danger of diaphragms no one told me about!

I have very regular cycles, so have been considering NFP, but an a bit nervous about it. I don't really want to have more kids, but I don't want to go for surgery, either (and abstinence is just not an option). Hormonal methods give me problems (particularly losing my interest in sex, which, to me, is a big thing).

[vegmom]

Just wondering if anybody has tried surgery? After this pregnancy I do not ever want to go though it ever again. I am considering having a tubal ligation (sp?) since my dh will not have a vasectomy. I have tried NFP and that is how we got pg. I hate the thought of charting everyday.

Is a tubal ligation invasive? How soon can I get it done after the baby is born? How many days will I have to stay in the hospital (if any)?

[eilonwy]

All I know about tubal ligation is that it's much less invasive than it once was. My mother had one right after my youngest sister was born, and I know someone else who had a cesearian and had a TL at the same time. I think that it's done laproscopically these days, and that it's day surgery. I, however, told my dh before we were even really serious that one day I would be finished having children and that at that time I'd want him to have a vasectomy because being a woman I have been responsible for birth control for my entire sexual life, and I think it'd be nice to leave that on the man for the end. :LOL He said "Well, my father had it done and it didn't kill him. From what I understand, it's safter and faster for a guy anyway. I don't have a problem with that." :love What a sweetie!

[busybusymomma]

When my mom had a tubal ligation after my youngest brother's birth in '88, it was a tiny incision through her belly button. I think it's less invasive now! I won't be doing anything, ever to lose my fertility; but it's a long, sad story as to why.

[Pridelandsmommy]

I am on the Patch. It's OK.......I get alittle nausea on it, but until I am 100% sure that my family is complete, I will not do anything permanent.

[Ms.Doula]

We refuse to use anything hormonal or permanent. I HAVE in the past been on bc for cycle regulation (before mariage) and I had problems, as well as the fact that all forms of 'chemical' bc can cause abortions... sooooo..... we occasionaly "withdrawl". :innocent
We are choosing to be "Quiverfull" & rely on trusting the Lord to determine our family size. So far we have been married for almost 7 years, have never used bc & we have 2 lil girlies. ages (almost) 3 & 18 mos. :love I am tandem nursing them both (though my oldest is weaning... :( )

[busybusymomma]

Originally posted by Ms.Doula
We refuse to use anything hormonal or permanent. I HAVE in the past been on bc for cycle regulation (before mariage) and I had problems, as well as the fact that all forms of 'chemical' bc can cause abortions... sooooo..... we occasionaly "withdrawl". :innocent
We are choosing to be "Quiverfull" & rely on trusting the Lord to determine our family size. So far we have been married for almost 7 years, have never used bc & we have 2 lil girlies. ages (almost) 3 & 18 mos. :love I am tandem nursing them both (though my oldest is weaning... :( )

I wish my dh would go for this! At the least, I'm hoping he'll go for NFP. He may not have a choice though, I seem to be developing latex sensitivity! :LOL

[Ms.Doula]

YEP. I hear ya! I have had the "Irritation Issues" with condems as well. :rolleyes: