How effective is breastfeeding as a form of birth control?

Just wondering how the whole breast feeding as a form of birth control works.How effective is breastfeeding as a form of birth control?
For most women, it is a good form of birth control until 6 months when the baby starts to eat solids. Some women do not ovulate for a year after having their baby while breastfeeding. But, you have to be careful if you do not want to become pregnant while breastfeeding because ovulation is unpredictable and your menstrual cycle is not as regular as before. I became pregnant at 7 months which was quite a surprise.How effective is breastfeeding as a form of birth control?
It is not effective. I got pregnant while exclusively breastfeeding. Don't believe the hype.
Exclusive breastfeeding (by itself) is 98-99.5% effective in preventing pregnancy as long as all of the following conditions are met:





-Your baby is less than six months old


-Your menstrual periods have not yet returned


-Baby is breastfeeding on cue (both day %26amp; night), and gets nothing but breastmilk or only token amounts of other foods.
It can work but no guarantee's I know a girl who has got pregnant while breastfeeding twice. To increase the chances of it working you must breastfeed on demand and never use a bottle to supplement(even if its filled with breast milk) and not use a pacifier. All the baby's sucking needs must come from the breast.
Not at all effective
Not at all, you can still ovulate when you are breastfeeding.
The breatfeeding does not stop ovulation, you can still get pregnant again.
It doesn't!! Many moms do not get their period while they are breastfeeding, so they assume they can't get pregnant. If you ovulate before you get your first period, you could be pregnant and not even know it. Do not rely on breastfeeding at all as a form of birth control if you do not want another baby. A friend of mine just had her second child and hers are 14 months apart. She relied on breastfeeding.
ITS NOT! Im 3 months pregnant and my daughter is only 5 months and i have been exclusively breastfeding!
If breastfeeding was a reliable form of birth control, the mini-pill would not have been invented (it's the only one you can take while you nurse).
While breast feeding most women do not ovulate as the breast milk sends a signal to the brain that it is supporting a child and does not need ovulation. Breast feeding can be a good form of birth control for those who have no other options. But you should never rely on only one form of birth control unless its a Tubal Litigation.
No not really... I have a daughter as proof.. you have to have a back-up plan whenever you breast feed cause you can get pregnant really easy
A nurse cautioned me against relying on this method, so I didn't. But I've heard many stories from those who did and ended up pregnant.
In some women, not at all, but it can reliably work for up to 6 months in others. You have to treat it like natural family planning; look for signs of ovulation, etc. Here is a page on Kellymom.com explaining breastfeeding and fertility: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertil鈥?/a>





A quote from that page:


';Exclusive breastfeeding (by itself) is 98-99.5% effective in preventing pregnancy as long as all of the following conditions are met:





1. Your baby is less than six months old


2. Your menstrual periods have not yet returned


3. Baby is breastfeeding on cue (both day %26amp; night), and gets nothing but breastmilk or only token amounts of other foods.';





But as the pp mentioned, it doesn't work for everyone; I have a friend who got her period 2 months post partum and couldn't take advantage of the natural birth control many women enjoy.





So bottom line is, it *can* work if you know what you're doing and do it right, but you *gotta* know what you're doing.
It can be very effective for the first 6 months, As long as you BF on demand.