Can Breastfeeding Mothers Get Pregnant?

Medical Video: Can I Get Pregnant While Breastfeeding?

If you have just given birth, your doctor may ask about your next pregnancy plan and what method of birth control you will use. In general, women who have just given birth will indeed become infertile when breastfeeding. However, that does not mean they become infertile. If you want to use exclusive breastfeeding as a family planning method, you might want to find out the following information.

How to breastfeed so you can become a family planning method

The hormone that makes your body take out milk can help suppress the release of your reproductive hormones. Using ASI as a KB is known as the lactation amenorrhea method (MAL) or lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). There are three rules for MAL to be effective as a family planning method, namely:

Mothers need to breastfeed exclusively without giving additional food. Breastfeeding must be done at least every 3 hours during the day and every six hours at night.
Babies must be less than 6 months old.
Menstrual cycle Mother must not return at all since giving birth.

If these three conditions are met, it is very possible for women who breastfeed to not be able to get pregnant for 6 months or even more.

READ ALSO: 7 Safe Contraceptives During Breastfeeding

Is breastfeeding an effective birth control method?

Less than 1 in 100 women who apply exclusive breastfeeding without additional food can become pregnant. About 2 out of 100 women can become pregnant in the first 6 months if they do not apply exclusive breastfeeding.

If you want to delay ovulation by breastfeeding, then do the following:

Feed your baby according to his needs. Don't worry about the schedule. Usually, breastfeeding a baby six to eight times a day is enough to prevent ovulation.
Avoid training your baby to sleep. Nighttime breastfeeding is very important to suppress fertility.
Don't give a bottle or pacifier to your baby.
Do not give solid food before your baby's age reaches 6 months.
Continue to continue breastfeeding after you introduce solid food to your baby.
If you want to introduce solid foods, give them in addition to breast milk, not as a substitute for breast milk.

How often you breastfeed is the most important thing in using breast milk as a family planning method. The prolactin hormone released during breastfeeding will help suppress ovulation. If you breastfeed frequently, the prolactin levels in your body will remain high. However, once this prolactin hormone decreases, the reproductive hormones will increase. This will cause you to be fertile again.

READ ALSO: How Long Should You Wait for the Second Child's Pregnancy?

If you are still breastfeeding but still pregnant again, what is the cause?

The frequency of breastfeeding does play an important role in suppressing reproductive hormones. However, the response of your body personally will also determine the success of this method.

Some women who exclusively breastfeed claim to have menstruation earlier, which is about several months after giving birth. Some other women give breast milk accompanied by formula milk, and still have no menstruation for one year or more. These possibilities cause the use of breastfeeding as a family planning tool to be quite risky.

When your menstrual cycle returns after giving birth, the body usually does not release the ovum, which means you experience anovulation. This removes the possibility of pregnancy. However, a small proportion of women ovulate before their first menstruation after giving birth. Chances will increase the longer you have not menstruated since giving birth.

Because the body's response is unpredictable, it is very important for you to use other family planning methods besides breastfeeding. Moreover, if you don't breastfeed exclusively, your menstrual cycle has returned, or if your baby is more than 6 months old.

READ ALSO: Conceded Pregnant Again? What to do?

Other KB options that you can try

If you are breastfeeding and are not ready to get pregnant again, non-hormonal birth control is the safest option. This family planning method will not cause a decrease in the production and quality of your milk. Some non-hormonal birth control options include:

condom
diaphragm
IUD

If you and your partner decide not to have more children, then strong contraception such as tubal ligation (sterilization) can be an option. This birth control method will also not affect your milk.

Conclusion

If you plan to prevent pregnancy by breastfeeding, then you need to know that the possibility of pregnancy persists. Through this knowledge, it is expected that you can choose the best steps for you and your family.

Can Breastfeeding Mothers Get Pregnant?

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