It is widely believed that until a woman has stopped breastfeeding and critical days have not recovered, conception is impossible. This belief is false. Two to three months after delivery, there is a chance of re-pregnancy. In some nursing mothers, this ability is restored in a shorter time. Symptoms that indicate conception are vague in such a situation. The article talks about pregnancy with lactation, its symptoms.
Do I need to use contraception during this period?
Expectant mothers often ask a specialist about the possibility of conception during breastfeeding. Many women believe that lactation is a natural defense against unplanned pregnancy. This means that you can not take care of contraception in this period. Is it really? Pregnancy with lactation is possible.
However, cases of conception at such a time are quite rare. Breastfeeding creates barriers to fertilization.
Features of lactational amenorrhea
This method is used by many women. It replaces the protection against unwanted conception. The fact is that during lactation, the ability of the female body to fertilize does not resume immediately. Mothers whose children are breastfed have longer recovery times than those who give the infant a mixture.
Sometimes during all this time critical days are absent. However, pregnancy with lactation without menstruation still occurs. Doctors occasionally encounter such cases, they are talked about in forums. Why does conception occur during breastfeeding? In fact, before the cycle resumes, the woman is in the process of gamete maturation. Due to the absence of critical days, she does not know about it. Namely, in such a period, the chance of conception increases. The probability of pregnancy with lactation is about 10%. Therefore, the absence of monthly bleeding is not a reliable method of contraception. But the method can be successfully applied if you clearly adhere to certain rules.
Important Tips
The following tips will help increase the effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea as a way of protection:
- Feeding the baby according to his needs, and not according to the schedule. Breast should be given to the child not only during the day, but also at night, do not add water and mixtures to the diet. Do not use pacifiers. During the day, the baby needs to get milk from 6 to 10 times. Breaks between feedings should not be longer than six hours.
- If the baby is already six months old, the frequency of application to the breast does not matter. The baby's diet should be expanded. After 6 months, complementary foods are added to the milk. During this period, the chances of pregnancy during lactation increase. If spouses do not plan a child in the near future, they need to be protected.
During breastfeeding, a woman's ability to fertilize decreases as a result of the production of a large amount of prolactin. This substance is necessary for the release of milk. Therefore, subject to certain rules, lactational amenorrhea can be used as a method of protection. However, over time, the child is less and less in need of natural feeding. There is not so much milk. The concentration of prolactin in the mother's body decreases, and then monthly bleeding resumes. Recovery of critical days means that the female reproductive system is capable of fertilization. In this case, consult a doctor. You should choose a contraceptive.
It will help to reliably protect a woman from an unplanned conception.
Symptoms of Pregnancy
It often happens that a young mother is so absorbed in caring for a newborn that she does not notice the appearance of these signs. During the first weeks of pregnancy during lactation, a woman can attribute malaise to fatigue, anxiety, lack of sleep or overload of the body after delivery. Typical symptoms indicative of conception include:
- The appearance of seals in the tissues of the mammary glands.
- The occurrence of cracks and discomfort in the nipple.
- A feeling of heaviness, cramping in the lower part of the peritoneum.
- Sensation of nausea and bouts of vomiting.
- Discomfort in the lower back.
- Dizziness.
Often in the case of pregnancy during lactation, the woman associates the signs of this condition with inflammatory processes. However, nursing mothers often refuse to visit doctors and undergo examinations, since they believe that medications should not be used during this period. Sometimes they use folk remedies: baths of herbs, ointments, and so on.
Other symptoms
The woman can explain discomfort in the lower back and nausea by overwork and the need to often take the baby in her arms. However, there is one important aspect indicating that conception occurred during lactation. Among the signs of pregnancy with lactation, experts call a change in the quality of milk. Its taste is getting worse, and the consistency is condensed. As a result, the infant is reluctant to eat or completely refuses to feed. In such cases, the mother decides to stop lactation and replaces the milk with the mixture.
Another symptom that often indicates conception is the absence of critical days six months after delivery. In such a situation, a woman needs to do a test.
The lactation process does not affect the ability of the device to determine pregnancy. Seven to ten days after conception, two stripes will appear on it.
Is there always a chance to leave a child?
If a woman finds out about pregnancy during lactation, she often thinks about the issue of preserving the life of the fetus. In the case when during the first delivery of the mother they did a cesarean, it is necessary to consult a specialist. It is possible to take out a healthy baby in the presence of a healed suture in the uterus. If the scar has not yet stabilized, pregnancy is a threat to both the woman and the baby. Therefore, conception is permissible only six months after such an operation.
In addition, cesarean section is a procedure that requires a long recovery. It is necessary that a sufficient amount of iron is accumulated in the body of a woman. Otherwise, the unborn child will have problems with the respiratory system. If the first delivery went well, pregnancy with lactation can be saved. Breastfeeding, as a rule, does not stop. However, there are situations when it is unacceptable.
When is lactation necessary?
It is necessary to transfer the child to artificial nutrition if:
- With stimulation of the nipple, contractile movements of the uterus occur. This phenomenon can lead to miscarriage.
- The presence of nervousness and gastrointestinal upset in a baby after drinking milk.
If a woman will fully relax and eat right, trying to get the necessary substances, and not to maintain harmony, she will be able to normally endure and give birth to a baby. The weather is easier to raise than children who have a significant age difference.
Features of natural feeding
In the presence of pregnancy and lactation at the same time, a woman must follow the following recommendations:
- Reduce the number of attachments of the baby to the chest.
- Gradually add other products to milk.
- Reduce feeding time.
- Eat foods that are high in calcium and iron. Try to diversify your diet.
- Consult a doctor about taking vitamin supplements.
- Monitor the cleanliness of the mammary glands, regularly take care of the skin in the area of the nipples.
- Try to relax more, do not forget about walks in the fresh air, sleep well.
Lactation can not be stopped until the ninth month of pregnancy. However, we must remember that this process is often associated with severe discomfort in the nipple. After delivery, the mammary glands recover on their own, and a woman can feed her youngest child.