Posted: October 15, 2015 Contributor: PRJKT RUBY
Best Methods for Birth Control After Having a Baby
Having a baby can be a great and wonderful thing but after all the sleepless nights, diaper changes and feeding times you might be thinking it’s worth waiting a bit to have another child. The good news is that you have many birth control options.
The Pill
After receiving the go-ahead from your doctor that it’s okay to have sex again, you should be fine to return to using the pill. Typically this is about six weeks after your postpartum checkup. If you are breastfeeding your baby, your doctor will likely prescribe a progestin-only pill which will have no impact on your milk production. It was once believed that you couldn’t get pregnant while breastfeeding (since you don’t get a period) but this has been proven as a myth, you actually CAN get pregnant. This is one good reason to get on the mini pill as soon as you can.
IUD
Many women are turning to intrauterine devices following pregnancy. The great thing about IUDs is that they are completely reversible and they take away the need to remember to take a pill at the same time each day. You simply have it inserted and forget about it until you are ready to start trying to add to your family.
Condoms
Going back to condoms after childbirth can be a great non-hormonal method of contraception. When used properly their success rate is around 98%.
Withdrawal
While not the most effective method of birth control, the withdrawal method is still widely used by many couples. The withdrawal method is when the male partner pulls out prior to ejaculation. This is best done in relationships were total trust is present.
Rhythm
The rhythm method essentially uses avoidance of intercourse when fertile to prevent pregnancy. This is one of the less reliable methods, however, as failure rates are as high as 25%. Most women do this by counting days in their cycle and then avoiding those that fall right before, after and during their cycle.