QUESTION: I am writing to you for my daughter, for she is too busy to write. She has a newborn baby that she is nursing.
She believes that this is enough protection against another pregnancy, which would be most difficult at this time.
Is she safe now, or is it still possible to become pregnant while nursing a baby? I am sure that there is more than one young mother who would be interested in the answer to this question.
ANSWER: The long held belief that the process of nursing a new born is a safeguard against another pregnancy may not be the absolute truth that some think it is.
It makes sense that nature would provide a mechanism that allows a mother to devote all her attention to a baby, and that may lend some support to those who tell of their lack of fertility during this period, but there is more to the story.
It is clear that there are fewer pregnancies immediately after child birth in nursing (lactating) mothers then in women who do not nurse.
The period of relative infertility lasts only six weeks in nonnursing mothers, but the presence of a hormone (prolactin) that is stimulated by the baby's sucking can suppress the actions of the hormones that promote ovulation in nursing mothers for a prolonged period. However, this protection only seems to last for as long as nursing continues uninterrupted.
While total breast feeding provides protection against another pregnancy, any schedule that reduces regular nursing can reduce the amount of prolactin in the blood, allowing ovulation and a possible pregnancy to occur.
One of the overlooked reductions in nursing is the elimination of the night feeding.
This allows for a period of from 8 to 10 hours to pass without the sucking stimulus, and the levels of prolactin may return to normal.
Thus the protection your daughter seeks depends upon maintaining a timetable that most families find unacceptable, as it disturbs the sleep schedule so necessary for the rest needed to keep up with our daily occupations and activities.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
