Mary W. wrote:

Astromum wrote:

Oh Andrea, I'm sorry to say that your doc is wrong. My cousin got
pregnant that way and currently it is adviced always to use additional
contraception while breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding reduces your
chance of getting pregnant, it is in no way a reliable contraceptive.


Breastfeeding can be a reliable method of birth control, if you
follow the guidelines. Which include no artificial nipples (no
bottles, no pacifiers) and baby feeding frequently (can't remember
the rules on this). Baby must also be less than 6 months old.


It seems this works fine for young infants if they are nursed at
least every four hours, but what if you make a mistake? How strong
is the effect of having the baby sleep for 6 hours once? Or twice?
Why would the maximum length of sleep during the day be different
than the maximum lenght of sleep at night? What if this was reversed?

I'd be very reluctant to use this as a contraceptive method, even
if I did know for sure I follow the guidelines. At least until I
am sure that one slip doesn't immediately reduce the effectiveness.

--
-- Ilse
mom to Olaf (07/15/2002)
TTC #2
"What's the use of brains if you are a girl?"
Aletta Jacobs, first Dutch woman to receive a PhD