Choosing a BC option
Number 2??
Not so fast…
One of the questions that every single medical professional has asked since we had the baby:
“Have you thought about birth control options?”
Even my homeopathic doc, whom I spoke with yesterday about milk production tips and the like said, “don’t let your husband look at you the wrong way- you’re Fertile Mrytle right now.”
I’ve got the newest love of my life
(she LOVES the Moby wrap!)
but I think we’d like to wait at least a couple of years until a sibling makes an appearance.
Birth control isn’t prevalent at this second since I haven’t been cleared to resume physical activity, but I’m not quite sure what we’re going to do. I took birth control pills for 12 years, and while it’s a fantastic option for many, I didn’t like how it affected my hormones. I switched over to the Fertility Awareness Method two years before we got pregnant, and was hoping to be able to continue to use that method after the baby was born. Here’s the thing, though: you need to take your temperature every morning, at the same time, after a full night’s sleep. Since sleep and I haven’t seen each other for a while, it’s not going to work right now.
Breastfeeding is supposed to protect you from getting pregnant, but it’s not foolproof because you can ovulate before starting an actual cycle without knowing. Tom nor myself are fans of condoms (TMI but they put a damper on things), IUDs freak me out a little bit, and I’d really like to avoid taking birth control pills again. I think that’s smashing all of the possible options?
Did anyone out there have success with natural family planning while breastfeeding?
Of course, we’ll do whatever we need to do, and if I were to get pregnant again as a surprise, it wouldn’t be any less of a blessing <3
And honestly, a full night’s sleep would be pretty close competition to mattress mambo right now…
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Sidenote, her eyelashes look SO long!! Gorgeous! 🙂
I decided to go with the Mirena after our first son. I had it for about 2 1/2 years and took it out when we planned on having another kid. I got pregnant without any complications and now I have a new one…
Yes, TMI, I’m sure but I think its important for women to share their experiences and not be afraid of saying what they are going through or gone through. BC pills made me crazy – I literally tried to jump out of a moving car when I was on pills after our first son – WAAAAAyyy too many hormones. Mirena is easy and even though it freaked me out at first, I never feel it and it has never caused me any of the other pill problems. Nothing to remember either.
Anyway, that’s my experience. You just have to find what is best and most comfortable for you and your little family 🙂
implanon?
I use a Lady Comp (terrible name), which is basically a very expensive device that takes your temp and does the rest of the math for you. According to the info there is about a six hour window for temp taking. So for example if you got up at 4:30am one morning you could take your next reading as 1:30am the following morning or as late as 7:30am. Also, it resets the time frame everyday, so if you do get to sleep til 7:30, the window becomes 4:30am to 10:30. We invested in the thing because i was worried I would somehow mess up the tracking, and it also ” pays for itself” after about year of not paying for the pill. It been almost a year and so far so good. We either pull and pray on “fertile” days or use a condom. No biggie. Good luck on the decision, I have found most doctors are less than helpfull about it.
I tried all types of birth control before getting pregnant with my first. They were all terrible for me. After my first son was born I knew that if I didn’t use birth control of some sort I would def get pregnant again right away. For me that just wasn’t an option. Financially it wouldn’t be fair to my son or husband. I decided to try the Mirena until we were better prepared for another child. I used it with no problems at all for 3 years. At this point we were ready for another baby and I had it removed. The whole process was easy and wonderful for us and our family. I got pregnant within 3 weeks of my Mirena being removed and am due in 3 weeks. I am thinking of trying the Paragaurd this time around just because it has zero hormones, which for me sounds like an even better option. Hope this helps!!! You and baby Olivia look so happy and beautiful! Can’t wait to meet my second little man and get him all snuggly in his Moby 🙂
I have a IUD. I swear by it. It’s not the most comfortable to have placed. But no worries, no extra stuff in my system = all me!
My gyn is old school. She likes the diaphragm. She also believes you should not use deodorant and should go al natural. LOL I used a diaphragm for years with great success. It was much better than BCP.
Hahaha, cute post. 😉 Sorry I have no light to shed on this issue! I know you’ll figure it out though!
I actually use Contragel (a natural sperm-blocker) with a diaphragm. I use the Contragel because I find the regular spermicide irritating. For me and my husband, it’s the best option because condoms don’t fit and pills mess with my hormones too much.
I used the NuvaRing for years, and recently switched to the depo shot. IT’S AMAZING!!! I’ve had NO side effects, and NO period for months! I loved the NuvaRing, but I’ve always struggled with tough periods (bad cramps, migraines, vomiting). I’ve also disliked being out of commission for a week (TMI!). The shot is awesome. I go once every 3 months to the nurse’s clinic at my medical center and get the shot (it’s free with my insurance too, which is awesome!) and that’s it. I highly recommend the ring and the shot 🙂
My doctor has advised me against using the depo shot, I know it has negative side affects on how your body absorbs calcium? Or something to do with your bone density? You might want to look into that if you get a chance 🙂
I’ve been on Depo for 5 years with no adverse side effects. I am a runner so my doctor has advised me that the bone-building positive effects of weight bearing outweighs the potential loss of bone density from Depo. I also take D and Calcium regularly. It is recommended that if you are concerned about loss of bone density while on Depo that you take a bone density scan. And if you do experience bone loss, those effects are reversible after you go off the shot.
For me, Depo has been amazing and I always recommend it to others who may be struggling with finding BC that works for them.
I’m sure it’s been stated multiple times, but some of my friends swear by the Nuva ring! The thought of it kind of weirds me out since I heard it can *ahem* be felt, but you can take it out for up to 2 hours or something like that.
The nuva ring still has hormonal side effects and it caused me to have frequent yeast infections which was never an issue before. I would either go with an IUD, even though they freak me out they don’t mess with your cycle/ovulation or the good ol’ diaphragm. I’m pregnant now but already have been thinking about this just because I know we won’t be ready for a few years for another one. We were also using FAM and SURPRISE 🙂 we got caught up in a moment and are expecting our first baby this August 🙂
I’m on Nuva ring & I second the recommendation, although if you aren’t down for any hormones, then this obviously isn’t an option. Apparently though, because it stays in there, it releases a more steady (& thus less concentrated) amount of hormones vs. getting them all at once every day with the pill. and FYI, this is probably TMI but apparently it can only be felt if they try (with hands, not something else). :/ haha
I have friends on the Paraguard & it seems like a great non-hormonal option.
Also a nuvaring user and have had no problems with it! It *can* be felt by not just hands (haha), but it’s safe to remove and put back in immediately… after 😉
Just jumping on the NuvaRing chain – I had it for about a year. Pros are that you put it in and forget it (ideally, anyway) for 28 days. It is really nice not to have to remember a pill every day and though I know that they’re safe and it’s an unlikely problem, IUDs have always scared me a little bit because I’ve heard stories of perforated uteruses (eeek!) – no worry about that with the NuvaRing. Maybe TMI from here on out…con that I experienced, though, that prevented me from using it long-term was that it was constantly slipping. I’m not squeamish at all, so I wasn’t bothered by the process of inserting it, but I did have trouble pushing it up to sit comfortably – since it’s flexible, I could never really get it up to where it needed to be and it felt a bit too large for me. Also, I understand that yes, it can be felt…which must be weird for your partner, needless to say!
Again, might be TMI but that’s a user’s experience, if you’re interested in hearing it. 🙂 It’s obviously a less permanent option than an IUD or an injectable, and has hormones, which may not be your thing, as you mentioned. A plus is that you can always test it out and go with another plan if it’s not your thing.
I had an IUD after my second child and it was amazing. No periods, at all! I loved it but as with everything there are pro’s and con’s. I don’t have the IUD anymore, no pill either. We are having to use condoms. No fun but gets the job done 😉
I had an IUD for a while and it was great. Getting it put sucked, but after that it was no problem. The weirdest part was how it completely changed my period. I had it taken out because I was having stomach issues and they thought it might have been the IUD, but it wasn’t. Now I’m back on the pill and it annoys me.
I have also been looking for a BC option that was not the pill- did that for 10 years and the hormonal IUDS scare me too. However, I had seen a non-hormonal implant made of copper that I was going to look into (I want to avoid hormones if possible) I think it is called Paragard? Anyways, apparently the copper is toxic to sperm, hence the birth control : ) Maybe an option for you?
Uh… I guess I’m the only one that likes condoms? I’m not married though, so that could be part of it. 😉 I love the visual reassurance that I will not (hopefully!) be getting pregnant, lol. I’ve been on the pill but I always worry I’ll be one of that .01%.
Good luck! Livi looks so precious in that photo, hard to believe she’s not a great sleeper.
You aren’t alone. I don’t love them, but I refuse to artificially alter my hormones. Hubby and I have been using them for 10 years, no accidents. I know the FAM, so we are extra careful (pull out + condom) when I’m ovulating. If I still don’t want to have kids after 2 more years, he’ll get a vasectomy 🙂
I used a Mirena IUD for almost 4 years and LOVED it!! I cannot rave about them enough, after it was inserted I never even felt it or knew it was there, plus it made my periods almost none existent. Having it removed was easy, my doc just did it during an exam. I definitely think it’s an option to look into. Another one of my friends uses the nuvo ring and raves about that. I’m not sure though but it might be the same hormones that comes from taking the pill so that may not be an option for you….
I had my daughters back to back, with doc’s permission. The evil nurse in the hospital with baby 2 said to me, “Did you think breast feeding was going to be your birth control?”
I’m sorry, did you think my family planning was your business, lady who measured my water breaking who I never met???
No advice, just my memories on the topic…
But we still recommend having them back to back. Then again, my husband is home a LOT.
We’ll see what I say in 2 years when they are both learning to drive…
I’d love to know more about this- since I’ve considered it & see the appeal. For you, were you just trying to get it all out of the way? Did the pros outweigh the cons for you?
I’m kind of in the same boat as you…I did birth control for years before getting pregnant and hated what it did to my body, my emotions, and my wallet. Love the natrual side of the Fertility Awareness method…but with charting temps and such right after a baby doesn’t quite fit the normal cycles from pre-pregnancy. Hubs and I have been doing it old school- condom style- sorry for TMI, but it’s the least invasive (in a medical since of not meds or other items in your body) and very effective (it’s worked so far….knock on wood)!
I’m 9 months post partum and my period just came back. I look forward to tracking it again with the support of condoms. Interested to hear if anyone else has some natural suggestions for birth control.
By the way, is it bad to want a monthly period? Maybe I’m just weird but I don’t mind it so much because it’s feels natural that way. That’s probably easy for me to say since I haven’t had a period for a year and a half, but I’ve just always seen periods as a sign that my body is doing “it’s thang”! Not as something that needs to be stopped or elimanted completly. ( :
YES, it is GREAT to want to have your period!! You just made my day by saying that. Our cycles exist for a reason, and are a wonderful barometer for understanding your health better. And I’m not saying this as a woman who has had easy periods- I can cramp with the best of them!
I’m with you on wanting a period, and this is coming from someone who hasn’t missed one since they started 15 years ago. It’s not like I look forward to it with great joy, but I’d rather not choose a birth control method that totally did away with them.
Glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t mind a monthly visit from Aunt Flo ( ;
Did anyone out there have success with natural family planning while breastfeeding? = yes, tons.
It’s not for everyone but it’s worked for us for the last 5 years since I gave birth
And while nursing, especially the first year, I honestly don’t think I was fertile for a very long time after the birth. It was nature’s way of saying hey lady, you have a colicky baby, a husband that travels a lot, no family to help, the universe does not want you having another baby right now and I don’t think I was fertile. Or that’s the story I tell myself.
Good luck finding something that works for YOU and Tom and your life…such a highly personal decision!
I’m 3 months pregnant right now and already have thought “So what do we do AFTER?” I was on the pill for a long time and once I came off I swore I wouldn’t take it again. That period of time where we were trying was so great not having to worry and just hoping instead! I think charting is good and I wish I was better at it. I’m not really sure how I pulled it off this time! (Well I KNOW, but I don’t have a total handle on charting for sure :). I’ve thought about doing the IUD but will have plenty of time to do some research and see what kind of info you dig up also!
Oh and my mom just told me not to count on the breastfeeding as a plan, that was how my sister who is 16 months younger then me come to be 🙂
Check out Nuva ring, for sure!
I don’t really have any helpful suggestions but just wanted to share a funny story of a friend who had her first little one (who was a suprise) then went off to the Dr only a few months after she was born to get birth control pills. He insisted she take a pregnancy test before he gave them to her, even though she argued that there was no way she could possibly be pregnant, pointing out to him that the new baby was right next to her …. eventually she gave in and took the test … she was pregnant!
I know IUDs have gotten had a bad rap in the U.S (the first IUD on the market in the 70s caused a lot of issues), but it is the main form of birth control used in a lot of other countries. In my research, they are the most effective form of birth control. Although they’re expensive, it’s a one-time payment (tri-care may even cover it?). If you’re interested in something that doesn’t mess with your hormones and is effortless, I’d suggest looking into Mirena or another well-researched IUD.
Livi is so beautiful – her eyelashes are crazy long!
Didn’t read through all of the comments so someone could have mentioned this, but it’s been proven you only need 3-4 hours of sleep to get an accurate basal body temp. I know you’re not even getting that right now, but long term I’d keep going with natural family planning. I’ve had great success with it- I don’t have kids, but all the women in my family (and there are many) used this method and they were all able to get pregnant when they wanted, and prevent pregnancy when they didn’t…
Pull and pray all the way!
I was going to say the same thing. As long as you’re careful, the withdrawal method has as high a success rate as condoms. 🙂
We had 15 months of success with withdrawal, but alas, I am now 8 weeks pregnant with number 2! Don’t get me wrong, we are super happy and were planning to start trying again this spring anyways, but I dont think its 99% effective no matter how careful you are!
Good lord, what a beautiful baby!
Anyway, what about continuing with FAM, but instead of temp, primarily monitoring cervical fluid and position? Along with some good ol’ coitus interruptus? (LoL, I can just see my sex ed teacher clutching their chest about to have a heart attack.) Honestly, I think it’s your best option if you don’t want hormones or anything stopping the flow.
Non hormone iud. No hormones!! It doesmake periods a bit more maintenance tho
I’ve never commented, but since I have four children, breastfed all of them for 12-15 months and used natural family planning, I thought I could give some insight. We had 2 miscarriages before our first daughter was born, so we didn’t use any birth control after she was born since we weren’t sure how long it would take us to have another and I got pregnant when she was 11 months old. But I LOVE having my girls close togther. (They are currently 9, 7, 5 and almost 3-but he’s the king of the castle:) ) I did use the spermicide-plunger-thingys (I have no idea what they are called…a friend gave me her leftover but basically they are like a tampon with spermicide in them) and the spermicide film. I never had trouble with either, but quit using them and went totally NFP at about 4-6 months, once I felt like it would be okay if we got pregnant unexpectedly. However, my period never resumed with any of them until 11 months at the earliest and not until I quit breastfeeding completely with the last 2.
I’m not sure what your ethical or religious positions are, but IUD might be something to research if you have concern for not allowing a conceived egg implant.
As a side note, I’m not sure if anyone has said this yet, but since you are breastfeeding, you may have discomfort once you resume business in the bedroom 🙂 Due to low estrogen levels while I breastfed, I had a lot of trouble . To the point where I would have to sit in the bath after the deed was done. I know this is probably TMI, but don’t feel like something is wrong with you if this happens. Just talk to your dr. and use lots of KY!
Your TMI’s are amazing haha. I think my husband would kill me for saying those type of things – so I read them to him off your blog – basically a subtle message that I wouldn’t be the only sharing ‘riskay’ info (ie: risky to him haha). I definitely would be anti-birth control, too, so other than temp, can’t you map each cycle length and get an idea of when you’re fertile that way? I know it’s not as accurate, but at least it’s natural?? Hope everything works out 🙂
We used no protection while breastfeeding, but mostly tried to “pull out quick” lol! I weaned at 10 months (just 2 months ago) and got my period shortly after. We are still trying natural family planning…once I get one more period I’ll have a better idea of my new cycle and we can plan accordingly.
I was on the pill forever and have no desire to pump my body full of artificial hormones.
My OB told me that the 1st 3 months BFing you’re totally safe.
Side note: my little man turns 1 in a few weeks and I love reading your baby posts…it brings me back and while it was a tough time, it was the most beautiful time and I still long for it. Enjoy it!
You can DEFINITELY get pregnant while breastfeeding. It happens all the time. It definitely happened to my aunt.
I have an IUD and absolutely love it. It hurts a lot to get it put in, but that lasts for like five minutes. Then you’ll have some pretty bad cramping for a day or two after that, and more cramps on your period, but it really is an amazing option. It cost me $25 (as a co pay) and will last for ten years. I have had it for about 16 months now, but could get it out if I wanted to at any point. I have not had a single problem with it, and the cramping isn’t even that bad anymore. Basically, it is a life saver.
I highly recommend it. Obviously, there are possible complications, like tearing through your utersu
(ewwwww), but I think it’s pretty unlikely.
My IUD experience was a nightmare. I was in debilitating pain for nearly a month, but I stuck it out. I also have endometriosis, so that likely contributed. But now it’s been in since August and I never even think about it!! I’m so glad I stuck it out. SO. GLAD. I just wanted to add another honest experience with IUD. I would still recommend it, just realize that it’s possible to experience crazy pain during and after insertion.
The idea of the IUD freaked me out at first, but it is now one of the best things ever. Most low maintenance BC ever!
Awww Gina, she looks so precious in the moby! I actually went to an informative introductory meeting for the Creighton method just last week. From just getting a basic summary of it, it really seems almost identical to FAM but without taking your temperature…….so I’m not sure if that would really be what you are looking for…seems like it would be hard to tell if you were truly ovulating with that method. I had such a hard time staying serious at the meeting too. It was terrible because my husband and I happened to be the only 2 people there. The instructor was using a laser pointer and powerpoint presentation to give us a BASIC lesson on anatomy, and would only refer to sex as “The Marital Embrace.” 🙂
HI! So I have an IUD, which i LOVE LOVE LOVE. I have the Mirena, with hormones. I know you said they freak you out, and they are pretty freaky. Now, I would never give up my IUD, but there is a definite settling in period to IUD’s where your body has to adjust. But once I settled in, I haven’t even thought about pregnancy since December 2009. Just the other day, I realized that I didnt know when I last had a period and was like, ummmm what? So I just felt my strings, and all was well.
Anyway, my sister has the Implanon, and she loves it. It’s right in her arm, and appears to be working fantastically for her. She seemed quite pleased with it when we chatted over Christmas! Although the idea of the Implanon freaks me out, I couldn’t bear to have something in my arm. My other sister is on the pill, although I dont think for bc reasons. So really, it all comes down to whatever floats your boat–you just need to decide what the priorities are for you in your life, and what you can put up with.
Just out of curiosity, why would your doc refer to you as fertile myrtle right now? I am not a mom, but I didn’t think you were particularly fertile (if at all) while breastfeeding???
Condoms. No hormones. No mess.
I did get pregnant breastfeeding but at 21months. It is normal for your period to come back close to 2yrs, now some people get there’s back sooner, it depends on your baby’s eating and your hormones. Once your baby starts sleeping through the night or going long stretches not nursing people typically get their period back because the levels aren’t high enough anymore to keep it away. You probably have a pretty good idea when you ovulate, so I’d say avoid those days (for most day 9-15of cycle, day 1 being first day of period) or use a condom those days for the first few months, if you don’t get your period back you are probably fine until she starts going long stretches (which you’d notice) and can go over methods then.
I’m currently pregnant with my 4th and all my kids are 18 months apart. We planned it that way and love having kids close together! I breastfeed til a little after a year and breastfeeding will get you pregnant. You know your body the best, so you should know what to look for. We do everything naturally, I don’t take my temp, but I can tell when I’m ovulating by how thick my mucus is (way tmi, but its so true) I mark it on a calendar and I can pretty much figure out that in 35 or so days I will be fertile. It has worked all 4 times with us, with us wanting to get pregnant when each kid was about 10 months old.
Even though people swear by all these bc options I feel like it can’t be good for your body if something is tricking it into not having a period or changing your hormones around. There are lots of things out there on the internet about natural planning and how to do it. Even dr’s…..good luck!
your daughter is absolutely gorgeous
I breastfed with both my kids and had my period while I was breastfeeding. I tried Mirena after my first was born and took it out one month before we got pregnant with my second. The only downside to the mirena was that I got Ovarian cysts (but I’ve had them off an on since i was 12) I know have the paraguard and at first my periods were crazy heavy, but now they’ve even out. I did use the patch and it worked really well for me, but I’m not a fan of pumping hormones into my body, so that’s why I’ve always just used an IUD.
P.S. TRICARE covers both mirena and the paraguard IUD. I didn’t have a co-pay or anything.
We had great LUCK not getting pregnant while I was breast feeding. However, I am majorly looking forward to getting my Mirena IUD next week now that we’re done nursing. Mirena is a progesterone-only option, but Paraguard is completely hormone-free. I ultimately decided that lighter periods was better than the potential for much worse periods (and mine were horrible already) which is possibility with Paraguard. And TMI or not, how AWESOME will it be to be completely carefree and spontaneous? Pretty damn is what I’m thinking.
I haven’t had kids yet, but I have had the ParaGard (the copper IUD) since 2007. I LOVE it! I feel quite passionate about IUDs and feel like they are grossly under-utilized and misrepresented! It’s more effective than birth control pills and can be cheaper, depending on insurance (though it sounds like you’ll be covered with the military plan). IUDs get a bad rap from some problems in the 60s / 70s, but that was 40ish years ago and like most things, they are much different now. It’s pretty amazing how that has stayed in our collective consciousness, meanwhile BC pills also had crazy side effects originally and had to have the kinks worked out. Here’s an article from Wired this summer that I liked: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_iud/
I didn’t find them putting it in to be all that painful, I did have cramping for about a day and half following. Totally worth it, though given the long-term nature of the device.
I love my Paragard, though I understand if they freak you out. It wasn’t bad AT ALL though, and it’s good for 10 years.
I’m not sure you’ll even read my comment but, I had Mirena. And while it worked wonderfully for a year…about 9 months in I had begun to notice, I couldn’t lose my baby pooch. I was having fainting spells. I was depressed (which is soemthing I would NEVER describe myself as, typically). I was extremely moody and anxious. I started loosing a ton of hair. It freaked me out. When I put all of my symptoms in google – surprisingly it came back to MIRENA…which I had. After taking it out, I haven’t looked back. My life changed drastically within literally weeks. Pretty crazy.
I tried paragard because it had no hormones (with no previous pregnancy). However with anything there’s side effects. I had hair loss and oily hair. I had blood tests done to make sure i wasn’t deficient in anything and with that coming back negative I took the paragard out after 7 months on it. Only a week after removal and my hair was noticeably stronger and less oily
My cousin gave birth to 2 babies in 2011 (January & December). She was exclusively breastfeeding baby #1 and had not gotten her period back yet, but… she was apparently still ovulating!
I’ve been considering this too – I’m due at the end of March. I had a friend who got pregnant 3 months postpartum while she was breastfeeding. I don’t know what I’ll do – I *hated* birth control pills – they made me cranky, depressed, tired, and nauseated. I find the idea of an IUD icky, and I know of someone who got pregnant after her NuvaRing fell out. Condoms are ok, but not the most pleasant thing to me. We stopped using BC after we got married, and I only started temping when we decided to get pregnant, just before starting fertility meds. I’ll probably give NFP a shot and then resort to condoms and/or pulling out if necessary. I don’t want kids too close together – I shutter to think about the cost of daycare for two. :/
We did Fertility Awareness Method to get pregnant with #2 and not get pregnant until we were ready with #3. From what I’ve read in the book or maybe it was online, you only need a minimum of 3 hours sleep for the temps. After #3 was born I had a tubal ligation, #4 won’t join our family for 8 years when we have our student loans paid off and cash saved to pay for an adoption.
I also have the paraguard IUD and honestly after the placement I never think about it. It’s absolutely fantastic!
What about the NuvaRing or a diaphragm?