OK ladies i dont do well on bc and used nfp as i was very regular, and conceived when i wanted to and am now 11 weeks postpardom. Does mucus mean im ovulating? i noticed a wet feeling yesterday and white sticky mucus today. I am exclusively bf and thought i read mucus while bf doesnt mean ovulation, but can. i am also aware that bf isnt birth control. i know a girl who doesnt use bc, she bf and gets pregnant every 18 months, btw shes ok with this. while i want one more soon (im already 37), i dont necessarily want it this soon. im not opposed to condoms, just didnt happen like it should have yesterday :( just looking for advice thanks.
sorry in advance of typos and lack of caps...im one handed while nursing.
I spoke to my doctor who told me that exclusively breastfeeding, before solids are introduced, is as good a birth control method as condoms!
It worked for me, but when solids were started, and the breastfeeding slowed down, I became pregnant.
Condom time.
You might not ovulate for a year or more... or you could have ovulated already.
ALSO... as far as NFP is concerned, when you first start your reproductive cyle again (which can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years after birth), it can be WACKY for 6-12 mo after starting. Like ovulating 2-3 times in a single month (sometimes the egg just breaks down, other times you get a full period... but we're talking an egg can release as you're finishing your period and you're pregnant the next week), and then not at all for 2 months. You can ovulate with no symptoms, and have symptoms of ovulation when you're not. Hormones are all over the place after birth.
I would be careful. Everyone is different and after every child is different. I have 3 children. With my first 2 I had no periods until 6-7 months old. With my third..not so lucky..By 6 weeks I was having a full and proper period and had spotted on and off for the 6 weeks. I did nothing different with the 3. All 3 were exclusively breastfed, no pumping, no bottles, no pacifiers, always on demand, etc. Breastfeeding is no guarantee. I would treat is as ovulating to be safe. Your body can have many "false starts" where it tried to ovulate but doesn't end up doing it which was part of what I was having in the very beginning with my third, though it wasn't long before it kicked in full force every month like it does.
Have you read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"? It has a whole section on NFP while breastfeeding.
Edited: Clarified my sentence.
If you don't already have the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" you might find some help with your question there. Whenever you have eggwhite type mucus you should consider yourself fertile regardless of whether you are breastfeeding or not. I didn't find that I could trust NFP during breastfeeding so I used the diaphragm and spermicide or condoms AND spermicide. I say AND because we conceived our third child using a condom alone. Having my little boys 20 months apart was TOUGH!
As for yesterday, don't panic. What will be will be. However, I encourage you to use condoms from this point since you are seeing fertile mucus. One can't know exactly when ovulation after childbirth will resume and you will have your first period. Nurse Midwife Mom of 3
My personal experience is that , NFP isn't possible while BFing. Again, my own experience. I have been successful at NFP , when NOT nursing.
i got pregnant with my 2nd child while i was breastfeding my daughter day/night (coosleeping) she was on solids as well, however i didn't get my period yet and thought it wouldnt be possible to get pregnant. Also my sister got pregnant while nursing her kid, so did my grandmother got pregnant twice while nursing an infants exclusivly ( 3 kids , 1 year apart!) so yes it absolutely possible!!
Everyone's different. I personally am still breastfeeding a 20 month old, and don't have my period back yet. I have always been very regular, but I do breastfeed this child more than most probably would at this age due to a lot of dietary restrictions and encouragement from dietician/pediatrician/etc and despite discouragement from nosy mothers (my own.)
Mucus doesn't mean you're ovulating...it can mean a lot of things, or nothing, really. However, I wouldn't rely on charting yourself this early with the added variable of breastfeeding...it won't be reliable enough. If you aren't ready to get pregnant, use some sort of alternative birth control. There are SO many options.
What the other ladies have said is helpful. I just skimmed, so sorry if I repeat, but do you use anything else, like temperature or a monitor? While I only use NFP, I have to admit that it can be hard when BF.
What about taking a class? That would probably be the most helpful, and they will give you resourses. I use ccli.org-the sympto-thermal (temps), and like it. Above all, for me, also, is my faith in God that whatever happens is for a reason.
Good luck and congrats on your baby!!!
