Breastfeeding provides 98% protection against another pregnancy. As long as you meet the following criteria, you won't need to use contraception:
> You're breastfeeding only, or almost only (no bottlefeeding), whenever your baby wants feeding, day and night (at least 5 or 6 feeds in 24 hours with never more than a 6-hour gap in betwen feeds).
> You haven't had your period since you gave birth (post-natal bleeding doesn't count as a period).
> Your baby is under 6 months old.
If you're breastfeeding but you don't meet all of these criteria, you'll need to use contraception if you don't want to get pregnant again straight away.
Email this page to a friend
