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Getting pregnant soon after you’ve just given birth is a possibility, and it doesn’t matter if it was planned or unplanned. The truth is that several women have gotten pregnant right after they’ve just had a baby, and a good amount of these women planned for this to happen. Which brings us to this — how is that even possible? Could it be because childbirth makes you more fertile? Or is it the breastfeeding that is to blame?
If you’ve just gotten through childbirth, you must be aware of these things, so you can weigh out your options concerning having another baby or not. Let’s look at fertility after pregnancy and everything you should know:
Fertility And Pregnancy Soon After Childbirth
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Your body is incredible, so much so that you could get pregnant soon after you’ve just given birth to a baby, no matter if it was a C-section or normal delivery. Shortly before your first postpartum period, you will ovulate. When you ovulate, it means you can conceive. That’s how soon you can bounce back to your pregnancy days! In some cases, breastfeeding may delay ovulation, but you can’t entirely depend on this. On average, a woman who is not breastfeeding may start ovulating anywhere between forty-five to ninety-four days after childbirth (1), (2).
Medical health experts often advise against intercourse in the six weeks after childbirth, as your body needs to heal. During childbirth (C-section and normal delivery, both), your body goes through a lot of trauma — bruising, bleeding, surgery, or tearing of the perineum, to name a few. Also, getting pregnant means that your hormones will change all over again, and the way your body functions is going to drastically change even before it has had the time to recover. All of this needs time to heal, but intercourse or pregnancy isn’t going to help your case, so it’s best to stay off this for a while (3).
Additionally, evidence suggests that women who get pregnant soon after childbirth tend to have riskier pregnancies. Some complications associated with pregnancy too soon after delivery include congenital disabilities, preterm birth, growth restriction in your baby, or the premature rupture of membranes or water breaking prematurely. So, it is best to wait for at least eighteen months before giving pregnancy a shot again. Giving yourself this much time allows your body to heal and reduces the chances of a high-risk pregnancy (4)
Could I Depend On Breastfeeding To Prevent Pregnancy?
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People believe that breastfeeding in itself is a safe and effective method of contraception, but the truth is that it isn’t exactly reliable. It takes a lot of effort for this method to work — for example, you must ensure that your baby is continuously being fed, every six hours during the night and every four hours during the day. Your baby cannot take any baby formula during this time and must depend entirely on your breast milk (5).
Your body generates a good amount of prolactin when you breastfeed. Now, the prolactin that is produced will inhibit the production of GnRH. In case you’re wondering, GnRH or gonadotropin-releasing hormone is responsible for the ovulatory cycle. So that is how breastfeeding delays your period and helps prevent pregnancy (6).
You cannot depend on this method to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, as you can’t be sure when you’ve ovulated. It is best to use safe forms of birth control to avoid an unexpected period soon after childbirth.
Safe Forms Of Birth Control For Breastfeeding Moms
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If you are breastfeeding, it is best to stay away from birth control options that contain estrogen, such as the pill, patch, or ring, as it can impact the production of breastmilk. These contraceptives can also increase the risk of blood clots. The safer options are as follows (7), (8):
- Intrauterine Devices or IUDs that boast of ninety-nine percent efficacy.
- Mini Pill, which only contains progestin and not estrogen.
- Barrier methods such as condoms, cervical cap, sponge, or diaphragm.
- Depo-Provera shot that can prevent pregnancy for three months at a time.
- Natural family planning, where you keep a tab on your fertility window and avoid intercourse during this time.
Pregnancy can take a toll on you, so give yourself a breather before you embark on that journey again. It is best to space out your recent pregnancy from the next, as it allows you to heal physically, physiologically, mentally, and emotionally. However, if you’ve found out that you’re pregnant again (planned or unplanned), consult your doctor and find out how to minimize any risks that may be associated with it. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
