I haven't worked with anyone with a contraceptive ring other than
myself ;-) but I do have one. I waited until my 2nd child was fully 2
before starting it and I also knew that if it seemed to lower my milk
production too much I'd stop it. It does have THE lowest dose of
combined hormones available in a combined contraceptive at the moment,
as far as I know. I believe Nuvaring is the only brand making them
right now (they probably have a patent on it?). I felt that since the
hormones will be slowly released throughout the day near the ovaries
(which is what ALLOWS it to be so low: the fact that it's so near the
ovaries, so rather than having to take a large amount orally it can be
smaller because it's nearer what it is supposed to effect) there was
perhaps less chance of it altering my milk supply too much.
Now, it's hard to actually say it did or didn't affect my milk supply,
since Nyssa *is* 2 years old, my milk supply *is* dwindling somewhat
as she nurses less. But she does still have AMPLE milk and I still
feel letdowns when she nurses long enough. I can no longer pump much
(I spent about 36 hours away from her in september and felt somewhat
uncomfortable and tried pumping with my Avent pump to no avail...hand
expression was virtually useless too). She does swallow lots still
and nurses sometimes up to 5 times a day still. I am someone who
suffered OALD/OSS in a big way with my first daughter and a bit less
with my 2nd (probably only because I knew how to deal with it best by
then, and my 2nd daughter only ever nursed off one side while the
older had the other side). I almost went to the doctor for an RX of
combined hormonal contraception (patch or pills, since Nuvaring wasn't
available in Canada yet) when my 2nd was about 4 days old...I wanted
to lower that milk production as she was completely unable to empty
one side by herself (and I had left my older with her grandparents for
a few days, silly me ;-)). But when I got my older daughter back, she
helped me out a few times emptying her sister's side a bit for her so
I ended up not "needing" anything else. I was miserable for about 3
days though and if I ever have more children and do not have an older
toddler nursing still, I would seriously consider combined hormonal
birth control quite honestly, the oversupply problems were that bad.
I figure someone who is more borderline on supply could well have
problems with it going down, just like some people have problems with
progesterone-only BC. In fact, I might have found it lowered my milk
production too much in the early days and might have stopped, I can't
know.
But I do know that *if* it lowered my milk production at all, having
started it about 27 mos post-partum with #2, that it was minimal.
Even the older one still nurses from time to time for a few seconds,
before bed, and while she nurses she does gulp a few gulps from her
side.
Fio
BF volunteer
Mama to Sandrine, 5.5yo and Nyssa (3 tomorrow!), tandem nursing still...barely!
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