No Extra Weight Here….
January 30, 2006 by kate baggott
Filed under Health
The first thing my mid-wife and doctor warned me about after birth is that nursing is not a 100% reliable method of birth control.
While breast-feeding exclusively does inhibit ovulation, there’s no way of knowing when ovulation will occur again. Plenty of women do get pregnant, while breast-feeding, just 6 to 8 weeks after last giving birth.
At your 6-week post-partum check, your doctor will discuss various birth control options, including the single hormone “mini-pill” preferred by nursing mothers because the hormone isn’t metabolised in breast milk.
You shouldn’t have to worry about the pill getting in the way of your post-partum weight loss efforts. While it might seem counter-intuitive to anyone who has ever taken oral contraceptives, this article quotes a new study that says there is no relationship between starting the pill and weight gain.
I certainly believe I ovulated shortly after giving birth (after having tracked my fertility with natural family planning when I was trying to conceive, I recognize the signs). I also know friends who relied on breastfeeding as birth contorl and one who ended up pregnant before she wanted to be. Good advice!
Although nursing isn’t necessarily a form of birth control, I was lucky enough to avoid getting my period for over a year with both my daughters!!
Thanks to you both for commenting. I agree that avoiding periods is a great argument in favour of breast feeding.
Did you know that some women ovulate while nursing without having a period at all? The female body is truly a persistent thing.
Sorry it took me so long to reply to your comments Susan and Nikki, it took me a while to figure out I had to moderate them….