amychukityi
Registered User
My son is now 5 months old & still beastfeed by me. Up to now, my period still haven't resumed. Can anyone advise if it's possible to get pregnant during this period???
Pregnant vs Beastfeeding
- Thread starter amychukityi
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rani
Administrator
There is a method of contraception called The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM). This can be very effective, 98.8%, when used in the right conditions.
It is a well known fact that breastfeeding suppresses a woman's fertility in the early months after delivery. However, many women do not feel comfortable relying on breastfeeding as a form of birth control because they have been told it is unreliable, or perhaps because they know someone who became pregnant while breastfeeding
The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) was created to allow women to safely rely on breastfeeding as a family planning method. Based on scientific research, the method uses three measures of a woman's fertility:
1) The return of her menstrual period.
When your period returns before six months postpartum, the first cycle is usually infertile. This means that you are unlikely to have ovulated before this period and so can not get pregnant. After six months there is more chance that you ovulate before the first period and if you don?t have a period for about a year then there is a high chance that you ovulated before the first period.
2) The patterns of breastfeeding.
When a baby suckles frequently at the breast it stimulates the nipple, sending signals to the brain, which then releases hormones that interrupt a woman's normal ovulation cycle. This effect is particularly strong in the early months after delivery when the baby is breastfeeding often. We are looking for a baby feeding directly at the breast at least every four hours during the day and at least every six hours at night. All sucking should be done at the breast ? no bottles, no dummies. Some authorities on LAM also suggest sleeping with your baby.
3) the time postpartum.
After six months the reliability of this method decreases ? mainly because you are more likely to ovulate before your first period.
Very few mothers in our western cultures practice this form of breastfeeding and so LAM is not reliable for them. But worldwide LAM prevents more pregnancies than all the other methods of contraception put together.
When you are pumping and feeding breast milk instead of direct breastfeeding the effectiveness of this method reduces from 98.8% down to 75%.
Best wishes,
SARAH
It is a well known fact that breastfeeding suppresses a woman's fertility in the early months after delivery. However, many women do not feel comfortable relying on breastfeeding as a form of birth control because they have been told it is unreliable, or perhaps because they know someone who became pregnant while breastfeeding
The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) was created to allow women to safely rely on breastfeeding as a family planning method. Based on scientific research, the method uses three measures of a woman's fertility:
1) The return of her menstrual period.
When your period returns before six months postpartum, the first cycle is usually infertile. This means that you are unlikely to have ovulated before this period and so can not get pregnant. After six months there is more chance that you ovulate before the first period and if you don?t have a period for about a year then there is a high chance that you ovulated before the first period.
2) The patterns of breastfeeding.
When a baby suckles frequently at the breast it stimulates the nipple, sending signals to the brain, which then releases hormones that interrupt a woman's normal ovulation cycle. This effect is particularly strong in the early months after delivery when the baby is breastfeeding often. We are looking for a baby feeding directly at the breast at least every four hours during the day and at least every six hours at night. All sucking should be done at the breast ? no bottles, no dummies. Some authorities on LAM also suggest sleeping with your baby.
3) the time postpartum.
After six months the reliability of this method decreases ? mainly because you are more likely to ovulate before your first period.
Very few mothers in our western cultures practice this form of breastfeeding and so LAM is not reliable for them. But worldwide LAM prevents more pregnancies than all the other methods of contraception put together.
When you are pumping and feeding breast milk instead of direct breastfeeding the effectiveness of this method reduces from 98.8% down to 75%.
Best wishes,
SARAH
amychukityi
Registered User
Thx all for the advises. Actually I'd like to have another baby soon. According to your info, I may ovulate & get pregnant even if my menstrual period hasn't resumed.
Moreover, pls advise if it'll affect my health if I get pregnant 5-6 months after delivery. For your reference, my son was born when my daughter was 1.5 yrs old (ie I got pregnant when my daughter was 11 mos old).
Moreover, pls advise if it'll affect my health if I get pregnant 5-6 months after delivery. For your reference, my son was born when my daughter was 1.5 yrs old (ie I got pregnant when my daughter was 11 mos old).
If you are trying to get pregnant then you are more likely to succeed if you are managing to get six hours between feeds. This is especially true if the six hour gap is during the night, when the prolactin levels are higher. Although I?ve know mothers succeed with six hour gaps during the day. Often it only takes one gap of six hours for your periods to return.
Generally the concerns about getting pregnant when the older baby is still so young are not concerns for the mother or the unborn baby but rather for the older baby. If the older baby is still getting most of his nutrition from breastfeeding this can be compromised with another pregnancy. When you are pregnant the volume of milk you have will decrease. When the baby is already taking a lot of solids this decrease is not a problem but for a young baby still fully breastfeeding or only taking a bit of solids then the situation needs monitoring.
Another health concern for the mother is having too many babies too close together. The World Health Organization recommends at least two years between births for the mother?s health. Obviously for mothers with compromised nutrition and health care this is a bigger problem but even in the developed world mothers who have lots of babies close together have more medical problems in their later pregnancies than mothers with larger gaps.
Best wishes,
SARAH
Generally the concerns about getting pregnant when the older baby is still so young are not concerns for the mother or the unborn baby but rather for the older baby. If the older baby is still getting most of his nutrition from breastfeeding this can be compromised with another pregnancy. When you are pregnant the volume of milk you have will decrease. When the baby is already taking a lot of solids this decrease is not a problem but for a young baby still fully breastfeeding or only taking a bit of solids then the situation needs monitoring.
Another health concern for the mother is having too many babies too close together. The World Health Organization recommends at least two years between births for the mother?s health. Obviously for mothers with compromised nutrition and health care this is a bigger problem but even in the developed world mothers who have lots of babies close together have more medical problems in their later pregnancies than mothers with larger gaps.
Best wishes,
SARAH