Breastfeeding and the Mini-pill

I didn't see any side effects with my son who is now 13 months, but I did get pregnant while on the mini pill. So be careful!!

I had no problems and neither did my daughter. She is 10 months now and is still breastfed and I started the mini pill when she was around 6 weeks.

they say it doesnt affect supply but I have known that it has for some people

I started taking the mini-pill when my daughter was 6 weeks old. She is now 8 months and I haven't had any problems with side effects or my milk supply.

I was on it and breastfed for 2.5 years and all was fine. Never had any problems with supply or side effects.

I'm not sure what your plans are for having another child, but I just got a Paraguard IUD, and I think it's great. It has no hormones, it wasn't too bad having it put in, and now I don't have to remember to take anything! It can stay in for up to 10 years, but it can also be removed at any time you want to try for another baby. Just a thought for a hormone-free option. Congrats on your new little one!

J.:

which pill is it? it can be looked up in a book called - medications and mother's milk.

the other issue depending on which pill it is - is that it may reduce your milk supply... fortunately with a pill you can stop it and increase your supply if that happens.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

My only response to that is that I was also nursing my 10 month old and on the mini pill....... and surprise!! Pregnant with #3. Good luck!!

If you are not having periods, you are probably not ovulating yet. You really don't have to worry about birth control until you start having periods again. You have a few months before being concerned if you plan to keep breast feeding

Hi J., I took the mini-pill while breastfeeding my two children... no side effects. They are now 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 and in perfect health. Don't worry about it. It is the only pill you can take while breastfeeding (unless you use other types of birth controls). It is perfectly ok...I took the pill from day 1 until they were 8 months old (since I breastfeed them for that long of a period) and no issues whatsoever! C.

I took the mini-pill after both my deliveries and there were no side effects... although contrary to what some doctors say, I do believe it did have an affect on my supply. It wasn't terrible, nothing more food, water and bit of fenugreek couldn't build back up but I could have done without that stress.

I am having baby #3 tomorrow and I am NOT sure what I am going to do about bc after this one.

Good Luck to you!

I didn't have any side effects for my baby, but I did get a side effect myself: another baby! Please keep in mind that they are not as efective as the regular pill. My doctor neglected to tell me that until I went in for my first prenatal visit!

I used the mini's while nursing 2 kids and never had problems. My supply was never affected and both kids turned out healthy! I am planning on using them again after my next one is born (which will be this week sometime). Good luck and God bless!!!

Hi J. - it really bothers me when practitioners say things will definitely happen or not happen. My milk supply was drastically influenced...yours may or may not. Your body produces both estrogen and progesterone (the hormones in the pill) so your child receiving these hormones is not really a big deal but I do understand what the person is saying about the hormones being synthetic (which means they do not have the same chemical structure) as the hormones your body produces. Unfortunately, science & medicine is not perfect and you just make the best choices you can.

L., RN

Hi J.,
I nursed both of my son and daughter for a year and 9.5 months (respectively) and have found no correlation with supply. Although, I do warn that when you stop nursing, change to the regular pill. I had a friend who got pregnant on the mini pill right after she stopped nursing and decided to finish her supply of mini pills instead of switching.
Good luck!

The mimi-pill does get into the milk but in very small amounts that are too small to have an effect on the baby. As for milk supply, if you are having supply issues then you may want to avoid using hormonal contraception. POPs (Mini-pill) does tend to cause a very slight drop in production in most women but it is usually so small it isn't noticed.

If you are nervous about hormonal contraceptives, the Lactational Amenorrhea Method is actually about 94-98% effective if done properly. Here is a link to some info:http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility.html . Otherwise you could try a diaphragm. Good luck.

Congrats on your little one and breastfeeding! I breastfed my first 2 and went on the mini-pill and felt that it DID dry up my milk supply. I didn't start the pill right away, within 6-8 months after they were born. And I felt that both times I was had to stop breastfeeding within a month's time. And just because you haven't gotten your period yet doesn't mean you are not ovulating, so be careful with that. I had my third baby 6 months ago and decided to not go back on any kind of hormonal birth control. Breastfeeding has been going great! And I haven't gotten my period back yet.

Hi J., Once you know all potential side effects on YOU, you'll also know all potential side effects on the baby. I never trust a doctor's advice with no research on my part. I always go on my gut feeling and then procede from there to gather any further info I can. Good luck! Deb

J.,
I nursed both of my daughters for a year while on it without any problems. Try it, you can always stop it if you don't personally like it.
Jen

J.,

I tried the mini-pill during lactation, but felt terrible on it. I hope it works for you, though. In case you are wondering, it is widely-thought to be safe for nursing mothers. I think I waited 2-3 months to establish my milk supply before trying it, but I can't be sure of that.

Good luck.

Amy

Hi J.,

I had the same question when I was breastfeeding my daughter one year ago. I chose to not take any pill and use other methods for prevention. The pill is still a synthetic hormone and yes only a small amount is being leaked into the breastmilk, but a small amount over a long period of time was my concern. I did take the pill for about one month and breastfed and my daughter broke out. She had tiny pimples on her face, so I knew she was getting the hormone into her body. I quit taking the pill and her skin cleared up. I would not take the pill and take your chances or use other over the counter methods that won't effect your child.