bc after baby

SanHawaii08 · November 2010

how'd you decide what to do? i'm debating between mirena and the mini-pill...any other options I should seriously consider?

i had thought i could just track my CM and avoid those days, but my midwife said it might not show up consistently. but if it's not there, the odds of getting pg are low, right? Confused

redshoegirl · November 2010

I went with Mirena, just because I wanted the most effective option I could find and didn't want to have to worry about taking a daily pill (especially something like the mini pill, which has very little forgiveness and has to be taken at the exact same time every day - or at least that's my understanding). I had the implant - Implanon - before and liked it for the convenience, but I also strongly believe that it contributed to my weight gain during those 3 years, and to my inability to lose that weight no matter what I did.

CM is tricky. You could have EWCM without it being visible since there might not be enough to see when you wipe, and some people don't get it at all - or even if you do, you might not get a regular amount (TMI: I usually got a fair amount when I wiped during TTC, but on the cycle that I got knocked up, there was only the tiniest possible amount - so you can certainly get pregnant even if you don't see EWCM that cycle). So unless you want to do a lot of internal checks I wouldn't rely on it unless you're OK with possibly getting pregnant again soon. That's just me though. Smile

MrsZiz · November 2010

I didn't do anything so I'm no help. I did TRY to track CM but with a newborn and nursing full time it was REALLY hard to keep up with.

My plan after this one is the same thing, nothing! Bad plan if you REALLY don't want any more but we know we want at least one more so time will tell. I figure part of it will be natural spacing and part of it will be when we really decide to start trying again (meaning having sex more than once a week!)

Good luck. I'm curious to see what everyone else will say.

lelekay · November 2010

I'm going to do Mirena, because I just don't want to think about it anymore! I was on the pill for 16 years, and I'm sick of it! My doctor said she can't put it in until I get my period, though (?) which confuses me, since I wonder what people do who bf for much longer and don't get it for a long, long time. Anyway, she said they prefer to put it in on the fifth day of your cycle. So, I'm currently waiting patiently to actually get my period! I stopped pumping a few weeks ago, and I'm still waiting. I'd be concerned about being pg, except for the fact that we've only had fun times once since H was born, and we were very careful. So I wait......

redshoegirl · November 2010

lelekay:
My doctor said she can't put it in until I get my period, though (?) which confuses me, since I wonder what people do who bf for much longer and don't get it for a long, long time. Anyway, she said they prefer to put it in on the fifth day of your cycle. So, I'm currently waiting patiently to actually get my period! I stopped pumping a few weeks ago, and I'm still waiting.

Yeah, apparently it's easier to insert then because the cervix is nice and squishy and more open. My doctor did say that it can be put in at other times but most docs prefer to do it either when you're actually having your period or right after it finishes because otherwise it's more painful for the patient and more difficult for the doctor.

When did your post partum bleeding stop? I got my first period when the boys were about 10 weeks old, which was 4 weeks after my pp bleeding finished (and nearly 4 weeks after I stopped BFing since I quit at 6.5 weeks). Hopefully it will come soon for you!

Oh, I forgot to mention before but the other thing I liked about Mirena - next to convenience - is that from what I read and from what my doc said, it uses a lower dose of hormones compared to Implanon or the injection (not sure about the pill - it depends on which one you're on) because it's right there in your baby making business - the dosage can be lower since it's so targeted.

SanHawaii08 · November 2010

hrm...but if they only put in the mirena after you get your first period - yet you can be bf'ing, not get a period, and still get pregnant...(i mean - the odds are really low, but it's possible, right? or am i totally mistaken?) Huh?

my midwife didn't mention anything about the insertion after first period thing though...and she automatically assumes we'll be breastfeeding. so maybe they don't wait and just do it anyway? i will ask next week...

SanHawaii08 · November 2010

MrsZiz:
I didn't do anything so I'm no help. I did TRY to track CM but with a newborn and nursing full time it was REALLY hard to keep up with.

My plan after this one is the same thing, nothing! Bad plan if you REALLY don't want any more but we know we want at least one more so time will tell. I figure part of it will be natural spacing and part of it will be when we really decide to start trying again (meaning having sex more than once a week!)

Good luck. I'm curious to see what everyone else will say.

if i don't actively make a decision, this will be what we do too! not necessarily a bad option, but we do want our kids to be 2-3 years apart Smile

mrspresley · November 2010

haven't done anything yet but will go back to nuvaring. i don't like the idea of an IUD and the nuvaring has the convenience of not having to worry about a pill every day, and low hormone levels too. not sure which has lower levels between nuvaring and mirena?

redshoegirl · November 2010

SanHawaii08:
hrm...but if they only put in the mirena after you get your first period - yet you can be bf'ing, not get a period, and still get pregnant...(i mean - the odds are really low, but it's possible, right? or am i totally mistaken?)

Oh it's definitely possible if you ovulate, which you still can after your pp bleeding but before you get a period (I'm 99% sure that I did), but yeah, I think the odds are relatively low.

MrsIH · November 2010

I was thinking of going with an IUD but apparently I was conceived while my Mom had an IUD... maybe they weren't as effective back then? :P My Dr. also suggested not going that route if we want to have another one in a year or two. I'm thinking of going back to plain ol' BCP but with low hormone levels and one that is safe with BF'ing. I'm interested in others responses as well

redshoegirl · November 2010

MrsIH:
I was thinking of going with an IUD but apparently I was conceived while my Mom had an IUD... maybe they weren't as effective back then? :P My Dr. also suggested not going that route if we want to have another one in a year or two. I'm thinking of going back to plain ol' BCP but with low hormone levels and one that is safe with BF'ing. I'm interested in others responses as well

Yup, totally different. Smile

IUDs have come a long way since our mothers used them - these days although they still have the old copper kind (which your mom probably had), Mirena is way more popular and recommended. It's thin plastic tubing that releases tiny amounts of hormones into your system (if you've heard of Implanon, it's basically the same as that but in your cervix instead of your arm, so the hormone dosage is lower).

It's extremely effective, but if you want to try again in as short a time as a year, then it might not be your best option - it wouldn't hurt your odds of conceiving (fertility usually returns within a month - I think the pill can be up to 3 months?) but since you have to visit your doctor to have it inserted and removed it's not as simple or easy as stopping and starting pills. It's really more for long term contraception.

Oh, one downside to an IUD is that you can't use anything like a Diva Cup/Instead/etc - you have to only use tampons and pads during your period. I have no idea if that would affect your decision, but I was originally thinking of switching to the Diva Cup and had to change my mind after I decided to go with Mirena.

expatjen · November 2010

I haven't made a decision yet!

I got a low-dose BCP from my doc at my 6-week-pp appointment. Got the pills. Never took them. I guess I'm kinda scared they'll have an effect on K while I'm exclusively BFing him. Not sure why I feel like that, since my doc said the pills are not going to harm him in any way... I guess I'm just a weenie. So, we're just SUPER careful. We're planning on trying for baby #2 when K is about 2 years, so I suppose I need to find some sort of BC in the meantime.

SanHawaii08 · November 2010

mrspresley:
haven't done anything yet but will go back to nuvaring. i don't like the idea of an IUD and the nuvaring has the convenience of not having to worry about a pill every day, and low hormone levels too. not sure which has lower levels between nuvaring and mirena?

my understanding is that nuvaring is only an option if you're not BF'ing, as it contains estrogen, which you want to avoid if BF'ing

MrsIH:
I was thinking of going with an IUD but apparently I was conceived while my Mom had an IUD... maybe they weren't as effective back then? :P My Dr. also suggested not going that route if we want to have another one in a year or two. I'm thinking of going back to plain ol' BCP but with low hormone levels and one that is safe with BF'ing. I'm interested in others responses as well

i think the "mini-pill" is the only BCP without estrogen? But like Lisa said, it requires you to take it at *exactly* the same time, every 24 hours. and there are no placebo pills - you have to take is every. single. day. at the exact same time!

redshoegirl:
Oh, one downside to an IUD is that you can't use anything like a Diva Cup/Instead/etc - you have to only use tampons and pads during your period. I have no idea if that would affect your decision, but I was originally thinking of switching to the Diva Cup and had to change my mind after I decided to go with Mirena.

ooh, good to know! i'm considering switching to the diva cup. hrm...

inamra · November 2010

SanHawaii08:
hrm...but if they only put in the mirena after you get your first period - yet you can be bf'ing, not get a period, and still get pregnant...(i mean - the odds are really low, but it's possible, right? or am i totally mistaken?)

Yup, you can still get pg while bfing. My dr says that she'll consistently always have one patient a year that gets pg while bfing. Odds are low but it happens.

MrsNJSwimmer · November 2010

I went back on my regular pill - they didn't even mention the mini pill to me - I wonder if it's b/c I'm older?

rwright5 · November 2010

I'm on the mini pill b/c that was the only option they gave me since i was BF but once that is done I will probably get tied up or use the nuvaring. I guess I am the only BF momma that has had a regular period since my bleeding stopped...lucky me Stick out tongue

i guess I shouldn't say regular b/c for 6 weeks I had AF every other week and then it got straightned out where its on schedule

MrsIH · November 2010

redshoegirl:
MrsIH:
I was thinking of going with an IUD but apparently I was conceived while my Mom had an IUD... maybe they weren't as effective back then? :P My Dr. also suggested not going that route if we want to have another one in a year or two. I'm thinking of going back to plain ol' BCP but with low hormone levels and one that is safe with BF'ing. I'm interested in others responses as well
Yup, totally different.
IUDs have come a long way since our mothers used them - these days although they still have the old copper kind (which your mom probably had), Mirena is way more popular and recommended. It's thin plastic tubing that releases tiny amounts of hormones into your system (if you've heard of Implanon, it's basically the same as that but in your cervix instead of your arm, so the hormone dosage is lower).
It's extremely effective, but if you want to try again in as short a time as a year, then it might not be your best option - it wouldn't hurt your odds of conceiving (fertility usually returns within a month - I think the pill can be up to 3 months?) but since you have to visit your doctor to have it inserted and removed it's not as simple or easy as stopping and starting pills. It's really more for long term contraception.
Oh, one downside to an IUD is that you can't use anything like a Diva Cup/Instead/etc - you have to only use tampons and pads during your period. I have no idea if that would affect your decision, but I was originally thinking of switching to the Diva Cup and had to change my mind after I decided to go with Mirena.

I'm sure they have come leaps and bounds since then MH seems to remember my Mom telling the story but I've never heard it, hrmm... I'm thinking I was planned but was sooner rather than later, LOL.

Married2MrWright · November 2010

If/when we have some sexy time (which in all honesty is WAY less than either of us is completely happy with right now) we're using condoms. Because I am still nursing and we plan to TTC2 around this time next year I didn't want to start BCP again.

sanae78 · November 2010

I'm not on anything because I just kept forgetting to take my pill (mini-pill) and decided to just let what happens happen. I kind of want the Mirena but I just heard that my doctor's office no longer carries it and I'd have to change doctors to get it. Hmm...I wonder if my primary doc could insert it since she's a family practitioner? I guess I should probably start back on the pill, if not now, definitely when I stop nursing. I still haven't had AF.

mrspresley · November 2010

SanHawaii08:
mrspresley:
haven't done anything yet but will go back to nuvaring. i don't like the idea of an IUD and the nuvaring has the convenience of not having to worry about a pill every day, and low hormone levels too. not sure which has lower levels between nuvaring and mirena?

my understanding is that nuvaring is only an option if you're not BF'ing, as it contains estrogen, which you want to avoid if BF'ing

whoops, i did not realize that - good to know. i obviously haven't really looked into it yet... and honestly i am not sure whether i will bother with anything. as much as i wish things were different, it happens so rarely that i think the odds of me getting PG are so slim and probably not worth the effort of doing anything (not to mention the fact that i had to be on meds last time to get PG anyway). i know "all it takes is one time" but i guess i also feel like "if it happens, it happens" even if we are not TTC

MrsZiz · November 2010

I DID get pregnant TWICE while EBF, I had a m/c in April when I was 8 weeks and now I'm 21 weeks pregnant, so there you have it. It took us 8 months of actively trying to get pregnant with Bella but I guess this time I was just super fertile, so unless you would be happy to chance it (we were) then I wouldn't suggest it! Bella has NEVER had a drop of formula and she was a BF champ so I'm sure if we aren't careful we'll end up pregnant again soon after this one.

A girl I work with did the mini-pill which plenty of people do while still BF. It gave her really bad side effects, including a period like clockwork every 28 days. She stopped it and hasn't looked back. They would like to TTC when their LO is about 15 months (he's 5 months) and she said "we're just really careful"... they sometimes use condoms... for us that wasn't an option. I break out when I use them and DH hates them...

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