Birth Control after baby?

mamatowildones

If you will be using any type of birth control after baby, have you already thought about what it will be? I took the pill successfully (no side effects/it worked) from age 17 to 25. After having DS1 I decided against going on the pill again. This was because I was genuinely concerned about putting unnecessary hormones into my body for an extended period of time.(Very long story about how I got into this mindset but it was a traumatic health related issue, not my own, that led to excessive worry).
But at that point I knew that there were more babies in our future. This being baby 3, I'm not sure if we will have a 4th and if we do, it will not be for roughly 5 years or so. I hate to use condoms and I know my poor DH does too. I'm thinking about going back on the pill again after baby but I don't want it to trigger more worrying. However, I also want to prevent anymore babies for quite awhile. 
I'd love to hear everyone's perspective. 

starphish18

I was actually just wondering about this last night. Are there any concerns with being on birth control while breastfeeding and such? I've been considering the little bar they put in your arm as opposed to pills this time, but I honestly have no knowledge of potential risks for going back on birth control right after having a baby.

WombThereItIs

Our plan was to get an IUD at my 6 week post partum visit and then husband would get a vasectomy sometime around the kid's first birthday. 

But now the odds of me needing another c section are creeping up so he's trying to convince me to just get a tubal ligation when they're in there for the cesarean and then get an IUD later if I want hormonal period control. 

mamatowildones

starphish18 said:

I was actually just wondering about this last night. Are there any concerns with being on birth control while breastfeeding and such? I've been considering the little bar they put in your arm as opposed to pills this time, but I honestly have no knowledge of potential risks for going back on birth control right after having a baby.

Yes, while breastfeeding you can go on the low dose BC. I did that with DS2 and my supply plummeted. Doc was surprised, as that usually doesn't happen..But I had to go off of it to continue breastfeeding.
But with that dose BC you have to be careful because if you are over 180lb(according to me OB) which I was at the time they prescribed it 6 weeks postpartum it isn't 100% effective and you should use a backup. My sister got pregnant this way years ago when she was on the low dose and overweight. 

RainyDays86

@starphish18 you can't be on estrogen birth control while breastfeeding. You can take progesterone-only mini pills. My OB said that if you are exclusively breast feeding the mini-pill is just as accurate as regular BC, however once the baby starts eating solids it isn't quite as effective (I think around 90%). I was on the mini pill for a year with no problems, but I have heard many stories on here of people getting pregnant on the mini pill.

Since my cancer is hormone-receptive I can't take any hormonal birth control this time. Does anyone have any experience with the copper IUD?

Louise_Belcher

Did an iud at my 6 week post visit last time and will do that again this time. I liked that it could work for a long time, but if I had any issues it could just be removed.  Never had any issues. I had previously done the pill and once tried the shot. I had an unfavorable response to the shot that I just had to wait out and will never try that again. 

emilyalso

I didn't want to go on any kind of pill while breastfeeding - even though there are some that are considered safe. Condoms are NOT an option for us - glory be at the times we've tried... I honestly wondered if the diaphragm was still a thing. I was too embarrassed to ask last time, but I might get brave after this baby! 

bacorrea

When DD was born my DH deployed for over a year, so that was the best solution! Hahaha. I haven't thought about what I'm going to do this time around. As long as DH and I get back together I think the plan is for him to get a vasectomy.

I was offered the mini pill, I have heard about it dropping milk supply like @mamatowildones said. I think the best out there is the IUD. Just remember that you can still get pregnant while breastfeeding and ovulation is allllll over the place so don't plan on using breastfeeding as birth control! 

starphish18

I think the arm implant is progesterone only, but I'm not terribly familiar with it to know dosage and such. The thought of IUDs has always creeped me out. Anyone have issues with them?

WombThereItIs

I did the mini pill whilenirsing last time and it worked well it was just annoying because I was told you have to be super anal about taking at the same time. I would do it again if we weren't two and through. 

Deployment are great too @bacorrea! That was my BC from 9 months old to weaning. 100% effective! 

SKZW

After I had my son, I started taking the mini pill, while BF, then went to tricyclic BC pills afterward. I think I will be doing the same after this LO arrives. @mamatowildones It sounds like you're looking at a long-term BC strategy, and I think an implant would fit that best, especially if you're trying to avoid pills and hormones. WebMD says the subdermal arm implant is 3 years and estrogen free. There's a ton of other info there I just read. It's great that you're thinking about this now, so you can make informed decisions and not be in a post-delivery blur and have to think about such heavy stuff. Very smart  

pshaortao

At my 6 weeks check up after DD, we discussed the IUD versus the mini pill. I decided to go with the IUD (Mirena) since it wouldn't interfere with breastfeeding. She had me come back at 8 weeks to be safe, which was fine since I wasn't ready for sex yet. She gave me brochures at the 6 weeks appt, so whoever is interested, feel free to ask for them at yours!

I only had it in for less than a year then we decided to start trying again. I had it removed when DD was 13 months but my period didn't come back until 16 months.

Pros:

• No period although BFing may have contributed
• No having to remember to take a pill daily during the newborn haze
• No worrying about getting pregnant
• No drop in supply, at least not for me

Cons:

• DH could feel the strings during DTD (and they're not soft strings FYI!). Sometimes it would bother him and put a damper on our fun time, other times it didn't
• Withdrawal of some sort. I felt pretty depressed for a couple days but it passed quickly. It can last longer for others or not at all. 

I plan to get the IUD again because it was just easy, and we will eventually get DH snipped since we're done after this one for sure.

Jens_Hoes

I have no opinion regarding dealing with it post baby or with your supply. But I was diagnosed with endometriosis and my treatment was to do the hormonal birth control without the sugar pills. I've had no issues regarding being on it long term, and it helped with regulation of my period and all that jazz. 

heath313

Nope, I'm sending DH to get snipped!

starphish18

Is not having periods while breastfeeding common, even if you're not on birth control?

Also, @pshaortao He could feel the strings? Ahhh, this is part of why the IUD creeps me out so much. I'm not ruling it out, but it scares me that it could shift and travel and such.

heath313

@starphish18 I was on a progesterone only
mini pill while nursing.

mamatowildones

@starphish18 I feel like everyone is different. I get my period back right away. Many other mom friends of mine don't get it until they're done BF

SKZW

starphish18 said:

Is not having periods while breastfeeding common, even if you're not on birth control?

Yes, it's common to have a delayed return of periods while BFing. That's why some women choose to use the BF itself as "birth control" but it's a really bad idea, because (1) your period could come back at any point without warning/planning, and (2) you could be BFing, ovulate, have sex, and get KU, all without that first period actually happening yet.

starphish18

I learn so much from you all. I'm feeling all mushy today, but thanks for being so helpful and not (blatantly) laughing in my face when I ask so many stupid questions.

MrsFox2008

At my 6 week appointment I decided to go on the mini pill. I had no problems with my milk supply. It worked really well for me,  I plan to do the same after this LO arrives. 

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot

I'll likely get an IUD this time around. I did the mini pill last time and didn't like it. It's especially hard to remember to take it on time when you're in the newborn haze. I didn't get my first period until 6 months post partum. 

achays11

MH and I just stick to condoms. Mostly because neither of us like to deal with "the mess". Before we got married we discussed that we wouldn't use any type of hormonal birth control because of any possible side effects or delays in trying to get pregnant. Once we know that we are done having kids he will get snipped. 

BeachMommy2B

I was on the progesterone only... Aka mini pill because hormonal BC mess me up big time .....and that's how I ended up in this group 

i had mirena years ago before I ever had DD and I had seriously every one of the bad side effects after about 2-3 years....  hair loss, weight gain (ok this might have just been me but I'm blaming the IUD), it basiclly made me crazy, etc 

so apparently I don't have a good track record with BC so fiance will be getting snipped since we are done after number 2

bubsalicious

Fully plan on staying on the condom plan, especially after discovering how annoying the mess truly is. H says he eventually wants to be snipped, but I'm not currently ok with that.

pshaortao

@starphish18 Some people get their period back a lot sooner even while BF. It could have been a combination of BF and the Mirena, I really can't say. I was considered lucky among my last BMB since most of the mamas got theirs back within a year.

The strings were definitely unexpected. I mentioned it to my OB at a post IUD followup and she cut them shorter to see if it would help, but it was worse for him. So I will ask next time to have them longer, and maybe it will be easier for them to be "pushed aside" if that makes sense. I don't know how common it is for the guy to feel them though!

hp_momma

After both DD1 and DD2 I was on the mini-pill and had no issues with milk supply. 

Since this is our last baby, DH will get a vasectomy. It was a lot of back and forth as he wasn't too excited about it and wanted me to get my tubes tied or the Esure. I didn't feel like I should have to go in for another procedure after having a baby. He has finally come around to having a vasectomy after realizing the recovery for him is not bad at all. 

I'm a little nervous about being off birth control as it regulated my periods really well and I like the consistency of it. IUDs make me nervous for some reason but I need to do some more research on it. 

mspacman34

I think we will probably stick to barrier methods for a while and I will consider oral birth control pills as I have taken them in the past. With this being the first baby, we don't know how soon we may try for another and aren't incredibly concerned if we have kids close in age.

I have only ever taken the estrogen/progesterone pills before and I could never quite find the right kind for me. Until I tried the tri-phasic, I would bleed constantly and then with tri-phasic pills I could not get my mood stabilized. Being that I didn't want to take anything for mood, we decided to do NFP/barrier for a few months before we started TTC.   

Edit: Words

chickyclg

I did the progesterone only mini pill last time for 4 months.  I was incredibly lucky (sarcasm) and got my period immediately back while pumping for freaking twins.  Anyway, I called to ask the OB if the pill was going to be effective since I had AF like clockwork and then he highly recommended a backup method.  

This is time DH will be making plans to have a vasectomy and if I have another csection I will have my tubes tied.  For us IF was too big of a mind fuck and since this was a surprise spontaneous pregnancy we are deciding to do a permanent form.

mamatowildones

Thank you ladies! Never occurred to me to think of iud's. Haha not sure why! It's good to see what worked best for everyone!!! 

MrsFreeman2010

I had an IUD 6 weeks post partum with DD. It was fine in that it was easy, I had no bleeding the whole time, nothing to remember to take (because I am a HORRIBLE pill taker), and super effective.  However after almost a year of having it I just wasn't really feeling like myself. I was having waves of nausea weekly and actually throwing up at least every couple weeks. After doing some googling I came across many other people having those same symptoms with Mirena. I had it taken out and within about a week I felt like a fog had lifted and by a month later I was back to normal.

I have PCOS and super irregulars periods (like 2-3 a year) and tend to be anovulatory unless I'm on meds so I don't really need something for monthly birth control. The plan right now is to just use condoms (yay for no mess). We do want a third, though not for a few years, but I know that's a risk and I'm okay with it. 

Kipperoo

I'm one of those horror stories that you hear about as warning for the BCP--I was on the same pill for 10 years (ages 17-27) and then randomly had a pulmonary embolism. They ran a million tests and couldn't pin point the cause to anything specific, so it was attributed to the hormones in my BCP. I had to go off the pill and was basically scared away from any form of medical contraceptive (my body seems to have abnormal reactions to a lot of things, so I didn't want to risk it). We went to condoms after that, which took a lot of trial and error to find a good match, but it's been pretty easy since then.

That said, after this baby comes DH is snipping. No questions asked--it's always been a part of the deal and he's totally ready for it. 

ETA--the pulmonary embolism is what has caused me to have to go on injected blood thinners twice a day through my whole pregnancy, so it's an ongoing medical thing...

jdebaie

I used the Nexplanon after having DD and absolutely loved it, I only wish they had it years ago.  I'm getting my tubes tied this time around because we are done having children after this baby, but I highly recomend the Nexplanon.

psherman42wwsa

I didn't get my period until 13 months after my DS was born and I was slowly dropping feedings. I was on the mini pill and didn't notice any effect on my supply. Not sure what my plan will be this time. 

Jellybeanqueen13

@MrsFreeman2010 I'm basically in the same boat. PCOS and don't get periods. I get 0-1 period a year. I don't really need birth control, so i think we will just use condoms. My OBGYN usually prescribes me Provera to take every 3-4 months just to shed the uterine lining. I might consider birth control pills just to regulate my cycle, but I think we may want one more child at some point in the future and I feel like the pill screws up my already wonky hormones. 

kat81

WombThereItIs said:

Our plan was to get an IUD at my 6 week post partum visit and then husband would get a vasectomy sometime around the kid's first birthday. 

But now the odds of me needing another c section are creeping up so he's trying to convince me to just get a tubal ligation when they're in there for the cesarean and then get an IUD later if I want hormonal period control. 

If I get a c-section I will combine with tubal. I'd recommend that for you. My mom did it when they cut me out (also #3).

If we go vaginal as we have in the past, I'll try to get DH to get a vasectomy sooner rather than later and use condoms in the meantime.

As for the OP, given that you say you want something like a 5 yr gap I'd maybe get an IUD or something long-lasting along those lines.

lilbeautysxt

I used Nexplanon after my last pregnancy and the only side effect I had initially was itching at the incision site. It probably lasted for about a month and then I was symptom free. Didn't have periods until I stopped nursing. I was on it for about 2 years... took it out in July 2016 and had no trouble getting preggo once we started trying to conceive in August/September. I would totally use it again, but considering this will be our last child, the hubs may get the snip snip instead!

march2008

I'm a little torn about this. Before DD1, I was on birth control pills for 10 years and I easily got pregnant with her. After she was born, I decided not to go back on them (for various reasons) and so we just used condoms. Fast forward a few years when we started TTC again, we had a heck of a time getting pregnant. After 2 years of no luck and many failed cycles of medication + IUI, I had an exploratory lap done and we found out that I had mild endometriosis. They removed what was visible and I got pregnant twice (one super early chemical pregnancy just 2 cycles after my surgery and then now this current pregnancy which happened 5 cycles after surgery).

My reproductive endocrinologist thinks that possibly not going back on BCP was what contributed to my difficulties conceiving the second time around since the hormones in the pill keep endo at bay. Since I didn't go back on it after DD1 was born, the endo may have worsened and made it so hard for me to get pregnant. I had no idea before my surgery that I had endometriosis or I would've definitely gone back on the pill right after DD1 was born.

So, long story short, I think I have to go back on hormonal birth control this time due to the endometriosis.....even though we aren't planning on having more children after this one. I guess my option will be the progestin only mini pill or an IUD like Mirena since I plan to breastfeed again.

SKZW

@march2008: that's really interesting about the endometriosis and BCP.... I don't think I've heard of that connection before, but it really makes a lot of sense... best of luck, I'm sure you'll make the best choice!

CCNellans

Side track, sort of - those of you getting your tubes tied after this child - are you just simply asking doc to do that after baby, or are you only able because you're getting a c? Is it that easy to just ask for it, or do you need a medical reason? 

This is definitely our last child, and I would love to have a hysterectomy and just get rid of the whole kit n caboodle.

onebadmotha

I was on a low hormone pill from age 15(ish)-28, when we started trying for a baby, and never had any issues. Then, I was on the mini-pill after DS while I was nursing, and my supply was awful. (I'm not sure if the pill was a contributor or not).I also stressed over taking it at EXACTLY the same time every day, and I had breakthrough bleeding like crazy. I basically bled for the entire time I was on the mini pill. I stopped nursing at 3 months due to super low supply, and switched back to the pill I had been on previously- but continued bleeding randomly. When DS was 10 months old, I gave up and threw out the pill. We wanted a small age gap between kids and had agreed to start trying again on DS's first birthday. Since my cycle was all kinds of messed up, I figured it would take a while for things to regulate....well, it definitely didn't, and I got pregnant immediately (which we're thrilled about).

We're leaning towards being done after this, in which case DH would get a vasectomy...but we aren't 100% set on that. If we decide to have a third, it would be a few years down the road. I've always been creeped out by the idea of an IUD, but I'm considering going that route instead of the pill. Has anyone had experience with the copper IUD? If I can steer clear of hormones, that would be ideal. 

fbmandy55

I'm looking forward to being able to go back on the pill. I have PCOS and it helps so much with my symptoms (weight, acne, facial hair). I've been off it since 2014 while TTC and will probably stay off it until I'm done nursing. I plan on doing it for at least my 6 week maternity leave and hopefully a few months longer. Maybe 6 months post partum I will go back on the pill!