Breast feeding as a contraceptive "Vent"

[Roudysmum]

I dont know if this is in the right place, if not please move.

I would like to ask how many of you have been told not to rely on breastfeeding as a contraceptive as it is not reliable, probibly most of you right?

Well I had my baby 6 months ago and while in hospital a midwhife came around to talk to us about contraception, among the different methods she was explaining about was one stating that if you breast feed exclusivly at least every 4 hrs during the day and every 6 at night you will be fully covered, now i have always been told other wise but because it was coming from a midwife i thought this must be correct. I fed my Ds every 2-3 hr for the first 10 weeks and 2 days after my 6wk check AF arrived, i realy think it is wrong that they can give out this sort of information when it is not right, I wonder how many women have got pregnant following this advice.


Barb, If you get you period doesnt that mean you have ovulated? and if so then you have run the risk of becoming pregnant?

[Cricket]

Breast feeding is fairly reliable, but certainly not foolproof. However, just because AF has arrived does not NECESSARILY mean that you are ovulating.

[~Raven~]

She probably shouldn't have said that because while it's true that breastfeeding can delay O it's not advised to just rely on it, especially if you DON'T want to conceive straight away. Every time I was told not to rely on it.

You will usually O before you get your first AF so you may not be looking out for the signs you are fertile.

I've fully b/f all 3 of my bubs and the earliest AF returned was 10 months. I still used condoms if I wasn't sure ie had some suspect CM or had a twinge that could be O pain.

[jane_carter]

I know someone who is currently relying on breast feeding as contraception and doesn't want to have another kid any time soon either - I wonder who told her the same thing...

Doctors and nurses should be VERY careful to let people know that it isn't fool proof and that without testing to see if you are ovulating, you just won't know.

[Phteven]

I know someone who got pregnant before AF returned. She must have caught the first egg.

[suse]

My hospital was borderline militant about advocating use of contraceptives whilst breastfeeding - and making sure that we knew that it is possible to ovulate before AF returns, and that breastfeeding can offer some 'protection' but is not a reliable form of contraceptive.

[Rachel]

I was told not to rely on it. My midwife stated that for some women, by BFing 4 hourly 24/7 it may prevent ovulation but she wouldn't recommend that you relied on that as it isn't fullproof and doesn't work for everyone.

[Lulu]

DS feed every 90min to 2 hours, 24/7 and I fell pg when he was 5 months old.

I did think I was covered and it was unexpected, especially so soon.

[MantaRay]

According to a recent issue of the ABA magazine, bfing is considered around 98% effective IF all of the following conditions are met:

- bfing only, ie no formula or solids
- bfing during the night as well as the day
- AF hasn't returned yet

So I guess that is saying that it is not a 98% chance that AF won't return, only that as long as she hasn't, you are very unlikely to fall pg if you are bfing exclusively and giving night feeds.

I think mws and other medical professionals should err on the side of caution with their advice. But sadly I often hear of mws and MCHNs giving incorrect advice. I think we all need to verify what we are told, do our own research and make up our own minds, rather than relying on just one source of information.

[Liz]

I'm part of the 2% where it would NOT be effective, even tho I met all three of those conditions! Mine came back last time at 3 months, and we were exclusively breastfeeding, 3-4hrly or less around the clock, and of course AF hadn't returned before then.

Thankfully I was told by the midwives not to rely on it as contraception.

[Artechim]

My DH grandmother had 7 kids in 7 years. Her advice to me was "don't let anyone tell you that breastfeeding is a good contraceptive"

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

Lactational Amenhorrea is a very effective method of contraception - and it has worked for you Roudy's mum, even though you have gotten the short end of the stick so to speak. It sounds like the midwife perhaps didn't explain it fully/maybe didn't understand it herself.
The conditions are
*Fully breastfeeding
* no solids or comp feeds
* no period
* Baby is under 6mnths old
The World Health Organisation has and other organisations have do very thorrough studies on this - it is effective.
But, if any of those criteria is not met, then all bets are off. You got your period, so you can no longer rely on this method.
You will probably notice that when babies are very close together the older baby was not breastfed
Regards
Barb

[Matryoshka]

I think i'd be part of the 2% too because my AF came back at 4 months and i was still feeding DS every 1-2 hours at that point with nothing else.

[paradise lost]

LOL, there's always one Barb and i think it must have been my mum. She didn't have a period for nearly 4 years but she had 3 kids in that time, all breastfed until the colostrum for the next one came in. She was pregnant at her postpartum check twice, though they must have been at 8 or 9 weeks PP, not 6 (bubs were born July 20th, June 20th, May 20th in 3 consecutive years). She also told me not to rely on BF as contraception.

My AF came back at 6weeks PP but i did have a few days of what looked like EWCM at 4 weeks PP even though i was still losing lochia. I dismissed it until AF arrived but luckily XP and i were on the rocks big time by then so there was no chance of falling PG.

Bx

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I had my doctor (the chap for whom I worked, not my GP) tell DH that BFing was a contraceptive. Luckily he didn't believe him! But this is a man who sees many women who cannot conceive because of high prolactin (milk-making hormone) levels in the blood, and also runs an obstetric clinic for medical problems in pregnancy (such as Gestational Diabetes). And he tells all these women the same!

There's about a year and a week between my mum and her big brother, I'm guessing my grandma was told about this too!

[bellelass]

Gah. But it is safe to be on the pill while bfing?

[paradise lost]

It is safe to be on the MiniPill while BFing. Condoms, the cap (diaphragm), copper IUD's and IUS's are also licensed as safe. The Mirena IUS is the lowest dose of the hormonal ones and the condoms/cap are the least invasive (i.e. you can just dispense with them rather than having to have them takes out or wear off). Some women find the hormonal methods slow let-down.

Bx