Even though I told him I would be breastfeeding, I think I received the contraception speech from my doctor a dozen times before I was discharged from the hospital. The mantra of “you can get pregnant while breastfeeding” reigned. I got the point, not that I cared, after have a 9-pound baby sex was about the last thing on my mind.
As months past and our love for our child deepened, you cannot help but ask “are we ready for another?” We struggled with fertility problems in the past and since we weren’t getting any younger, we were eager to expand our family. But there was one big problem – I was still breastfeeding and wanted to continue breastfeeding until at least his first birthday.
If you don’t breastfeed, you can expect your period to return somewhat quickly – about 45 days postpartum. But breastfeeding increases the levels of prolactin in your system, and can suppress ovulation. Despite what you may have heard through anecdotal evidence, breastfeeding can be as effective as 98 percent at preventing a pregnancy if certain criteria are met (your baby is younger than 6 months, gets no supplemental feedings and your period hasn’t returned).
Well, that didn’t do me much good. My baby was older than 6 months and has started solids but still no period – what are my chances of conceiving while breastfeeding? About 6 percent.
While it is sometimes possible to “catch the first egg”, it’s not always a realistic plan. The majority of women have don’t ovulate the first time out of the gate and even if you do, the odds of conceiving are still low.
So the key to getting pregnant while breastfeeding lies in whether or not you’ve seen the return of your menstrual cycles. There are a few things you can do to speed up the process:
WEAN: The most effective way to restore your fertility is to stop breastfeeding completely. But, for me it wasn’t an option I was ready for. My son was only 6 months old and I hated the idea of depriving him of my milk in the hopes I may get pregnant.
CUT BACK: Drop a few breastfeeding sessions, especially at night. Many moms have great success with this. The trick appears to be in those night feedings. Get your baby to sleep longer and your old friend may soon return.
FERTILITY HERBS: Vitex helps restore and balance hormones and many moms have found that it helps bring back their fertility while they are breastfeeding. Be careful and talk to a doctor or herbalist first though as some moms have found Vitex reduces their milk supply and it shouldn’t be taken if you do become pregnant.
WAIT IT OUT: This may be the best solution, especially if your child is under a year old. After all, breastfeeding was designed to help us space our children. Perhaps its God’s way of telling us we need a little more time to recover from childbirth and spend with our breastfeeding baby.
