contraception and breastfeeding

[Ngala]

Hey All

I started taking the mini pill about a week and a half ago now and a few days after starting DD started to get really fussy while breast feeding and thought that this may be because of the mini pill??

Has anyone else had this happen to them? What did you do about it?

I am going in to see my doc this week for DD's for shots (YAY - not) and am going to have a talk to him about this but first I wanted to know was there any other sort of contraception you can take while breastfeeding or is it only the mini pill??

TIA!!

[MantaRay]

There are options but there are pros and cons. The mini-pill is the most common form, but some women find it causes problems with bfing, others find it causes bleeding - like me! So I can't take it either. I then researched the options. There are condoms (PITA). There is the Billings Method (if you are not thorough with it you risk pg). There is Implanon (I didn't like this one for myself). There are IUDs, the most common is the Mirena. This has a very low dose of progesterone so is safer for bfing than the mini-pill and less likely to cause problems. For me, it is ideal and the option I have chosen. However, there is a very small risk of infection which can lead to infertility, so for someone who has not finished their family yet, it might not be the right choice (personal preference I guess, the risk is very small but is still there). GPs don't tend to know much about these things in detail, I recommend you speak to a gynae, or a family planning clinic for more info. They can discuss the pros and cons with you so you can choose the option that is right for you.

I hope you find something that works. After Jack we relied on bfing alone and that worked until we were ready to TTC. After Tom we relied on bfing alone for 5 months, then looked at options and I went with the Mirena. Good luck with your decision.

[Ngala]

Thanks Melanie for the information. I will see what my doctor says or I will go to a family planning clinic if my doctor doesnt have anything else to offer.

We are planning to have more kids so I wouldnt like to became infertile, it might be jsut a small risk but it is still a risk.

Even if we do go back to using condoms then thats alright (not like we are really DTD at the moment any ways! LOL) I would rather continue with my breastfeeding than having all this fussiness.

[castle]

Ngala, why not ask about a diaphragm?? Because it's a barrier method it would have no impact at all on your fertility or on breastfeeding. The new ones are supposed to be fantastic, can be put in well ahead of time, easy to use.... There was a thread on this earlier...maybe a few months ago now.

[Emma27]

Dh and I are currently using condoms as we were concerned about the mini pill and breastfeeding. He finds that the Durex Avanti Ultima brand is more comfortable. I know they are a bit of a pain but I know I can always go back on the pill once I finish breastfeeding.

[Liviam]

When my OB prescribed the mini-pill I was warned that Livvy may get very fussy at the breast so it very well could be what is causing Avaleigh to be fussy at the moment. I decided not to start taking it incase it caused problems especially with all the problems we had b/f so we use condoms.