Waiting awhile to have another child gives you the best chance to reach some of your goals, and concentrate your time and attention on your son or daughter. It also gives you the chance to get the hang of parenting and gain more skills. Choosing a type of birth control is an important part of planning for your family’s future.
You can talk to your doctor about birth control before your baby is born. The doctor will be able to give you some information to help you decide when to start using birth control after your baby’s birth and what type is best for you.
There are many different ways to prevent pregnancy.
Abstinence is not having any sex. You can’t get pregnant if you don’t have sex. Abstinence is the only fail-proof way to prevent pregnancy and STI’s every time.
Implantable birth control works really well and may be covered by your insurance. A very small birth control device is inserted by a doctor into your body, and prevents pregnancy for years at a time, without you having to worry about doing anything else. You don’t need to remember to take it, change it, or get your prescription refilled. It is important to remember that implantable birth control does not protect you from sexually transmitted infections, so you will still want to use a condom when having vaginal sex.
Two types of implantable birth control:
If implantable birth control is not for you, the next most effective method of birth control is hormonal birth control. There are many different types of hormonal birth control and you must be very responsible to use your hormonal birth control correctly and consistently. If you’re the kind of person who has a hard time remembering to do things, hormonal birth control may not be best for you. Ask your doctor before taking hormonal birth control after giving birth. With some hormonal birth controls you will need to wait until three weeks after you deliver your baby to start using them.
Types of hormonal birth control:
Barrier methods of birth control prevent pregnancy by putting something in the way of the sperm so that it can’t enter your body. Barrier methods work well to prevent pregnancy when they are used correctly, but since they can slip, tear, or break, they don’t work as well as hormonal or implantable methods to prevent pregnancy. The best way to prevent STIs and pregnancy is to use a hormonal contraceptive, like the pill, together with a barrier method, like a condom.
Barrier methods of birth control include:
Whichever method of birth control you and your doctor decide on, it’s important for you to use it:
Using birth control consistently and correctly will help you plan your family, and have any future children when you’re ready.