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Breast Feeding as Birth Control
(06/28/2004) by Unknown
WHAT IS THE CONTRACEPTIVE EFFECT OF BREASTFEEDING MY BABY?
If you are feeding your baby only milk from your breasts, it is quite likely that your periods will not return for a number of months. If this is the case for you, then you probably won’t get pregnant during the first 6 months of breastfeeding. After your baby is 6 months old, the contraceptive effect of breastfeeding decreases, especially if you start bleeding. The contraceptive effect of breastfeeding decreases when your periods return or you start giving your baby formula or foods other than breast milk. At this point, you need to add additional methods to protect against pregnancy.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
• Breastfeeding doesn’t cost anything and can be convenient. It is about 98% effective as a contraceptive for 6 months.
• Breastfeeding helps the mother’s womb return to normal and helps her return to her normal weight.
• Breastfeeding is simply the best way to feed your baby. “BREAST IS BEST!” It encourages bonding between mother and baby and helps your baby have more immunity against infection.
• Monthly periods are suppressed.
• Breastfeeding generally does not interfere with sex, and breastfeeding may be pleasurable (physically and emotionally) for some women.
• Slight protective effect against ovarian and pre-menopausal breast cancer in the mother.
• Helps protect baby against asthma, diarrhea, and ear infections because mother's immunities are passed through breast milk, and the child is not exposed to bottle feeding until later in infancy.
WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES?
• Breastfeeding does not keep all women from having their periods, and is not an effective contraceptive after your periods return. It is difficult to tell when breastfeeding stops working as birth control. The effectiveness of breastfeeding after 6 months is greatly reduced.
• This method works best if you feed your baby only your breast milk. If feeding your baby more than breast milk, use a spoon rather than a bottle for the best contraception from breastfeeding. If you work, pumping milk from your breasts often helps improve the effectiveness of breastfeeding as a contraceptive.
• Some women are bothered by a dry vagina while breastfeeding. This is normal. Intercourse may be more comfortable if you use a lubricant for sex, such as Astroglide, Aqua Lube or KY jelly.
• Breastfeeding women must be willing and able to eat lots of healthy foods.
• If the mother is HIV-positive, there is a 14%-29% chance that HIV will be passed to her baby. Breastfeeding is not recommended for HIV-positive mothers who have other safe and healthy food available for their babies.
• Some women have an inadequate milk supply.
• Breastfeeding can cause sore nipples and breasts, as well as a risk of mastitis (breast infection).
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
Call La Leche League at 1-800-LA LECHE for free information. What if I am depending on breastfeeding, my period returns, and I have unprotected sex? Did you know that for 120 hours after sex, you can take emergency contraceptive pills to avoid becoming pregnant? AND for 5 to 7 days after sex, you can have an IUD put in? Not all clinicians know about this. If you want more information or would like the phone numbers of clinicians near you that prescribe emergency birth control, call the toll-free hotline (1-888) NOT-2-LATE. Some of these sources of help are free. PLAN B is the emergency contraceptive pill that causes the least nausea, the least vomiting, and has the lowest failure rate.
The above information is taken from http://www.managingcontraception.com/cmanager/publish/choices.shtml
This information is not copyrighted, and may be copied or adapted without asking permission. Lengthier descriptions may be found in the books Managing Contraception, Contraceptive Technology and LA Planification Familiar, which may be ordered from the above website or by calling (706) 265-7435.
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