After birth, all women are fully focused on their baby. Washing, cleaning, caring for a child, motion sickness and, in most cases, frequent breastfeeding are the daily concerns of a young mother. With all this, the stage of pregnancy is already behind, and you can still resume intimate life. It is believed that a woman cannot become pregnant while she is breastfeeding, but is that so? Why do gynecologists still prescribe birth control pills, although pregnancy with HB is not possible? Or is it still possible? It’s worth sorting out.
Unexpected news
A woman who is completely absorbed in caring for the baby may not even notice that she has become pregnant. Round-the-clock vanity does not allow you to concentrate on yourself and listen to your body at the very beginning of the "interesting situation". But in the end, the woman will guess about her new condition very soon.
If the young mother already had suspicions that something was wrong in her body, then the first thing is to observe yourself and analyze the situation. To assess yourself whether there is a pregnancy with HB or is it a false alarm, you need to think and note whether there are the following symptoms.
Possible signs of pregnancy with hepatitis B
- Lack of menstruation. If it does not occur in the first six months after the birth, then you should do a pregnancy test or go to the gynecologist. Excess check does not hurt.
- Soreness of the mammary glands and nipples. With GV, most women know firsthand that breast swelling, redness, and pain in the nipples and halos are associated with breastfeeding, which not everyone has developed. This is especially true of primiparous women, as well as those who have flat or inverted nipples. While the baby develops a breast, time will pass. Therefore, pregnancy with HB is so easily overlooked.
- Decrease in quantity and quality of milk. With the onset of pregnancy, the woman’s body begins a global restructuring. This also applies to the production of milk, which may decrease in quantity, and its taste may also change. The baby will certainly notice the changes that have arisen and may well refuse to breast or start eating poorly. Many adults think that the child is picky or shows his character, but the reason for his crying lies much deeper.
- Increased fatigue. In the first months, it is especially difficult for a young mother to take care of the baby. Constant lack of sleep and a fairly active life often lead to the fact that a woman at the end of the day simply falls down. Pregnancy and the formation of a new life inside the mother also takes a large amount of strength. As a result, a woman will not immediately be able to guess what happened.
- The work of the uterus. Under the influence of the hormone oxytocin, milk is excreted from the glands. If the test shows two strips, then another hormone - progesterone, which helps to relax the uterus, begins to stand out. There is some conflict, and if progesterone is not enough, then this is a threat of abortion. Therefore, any manifestations of pain should definitely be told to your doctor.
- Toxicosis . Both during normal pregnancy and with HB toxicosis cannot be avoided. Frequent bouts of nausea give reason to think: maybe something is wrong in the body? In any case, it does not hurt to do a pregnancy test.
There are other signs of pregnancy with HS, namely: a change in taste preferences, drowsiness, low back pain, a different perception of aromas, frequent urination, a change in basal temperature, mood.
Pregnant or not?
Today, the probability of pregnancy with hepatitis B is quite high. If a married couple leads an active sex life without being protected, then the opportunity is very big. Breastfeeding is not a protection against unwanted conception. In addition, becoming pregnant after a recent birth is quite dangerous, since the body has not yet fully recovered from previous gestation. Moreover, doctors categorically do not recommend pregnancy to women whose delivery was by caesarean section. Resorption of the threads, healing of the suture (both in the upper layer of the skin and in the internal tissues) is very slow, so gynecologists talk about possible subsequent pregnancies only 3 years after delivery, not earlier. In addition, if the seam has not yet healed properly, then he will not be able to withstand repeated gestation, and this already threatens with abortion.
Who is the first to notice that there will soon be a replenishment in the family?
Of course, baby. A change in the taste of the milk secreted by the mother during pregnancy immediately notices the baby. Children eat milk many times a day, so they quickly remember the taste of the consumed product. Even if mom eats something sour, spicy, salty, the child will certainly feel it through milk. A possible cry or his bad mood is a consequence not only of colic, but also of a probable pregnancy, as the mom begins the restructuring of the body. Therefore, if the baby suddenly noticed a change in milk, expresses his dissatisfaction, then these are the first signs of pregnancy with HS.
Continue breastfeeding or is it better not to?
Many people ask: "Is it possible to continue HB during pregnancy?" If, nevertheless, the “interesting position” of the woman was confirmed, then in any case it is not worth it to deprive her child of milk.
Of course, perhaps now it will be necessary to supplement it with a mixture, because the milk produced is becoming fewer, and the child simply does not eat up. But in any case, he receives mother's milk, and this, as all experts say, is the best nutrition for the baby.
Modern methods for determining pregnancy
In order to understand your situation, there are several ways to determine pregnancy with HB:
- The easiest and most affordable option is to do a pregnancy test. It is sold in any pharmacy, it is cheap, it is easy and understandable, therefore, it will not be difficult to make it. HB does not affect the result. If the hCG level has increased, then this will immediately affect the test with two bars.
- Go to the gynecologist's appointment. As with previous pregnancy, an increase in the size of the uterus will say that soon one more bed will need to be bought.
- Ultrasound When breastfeeding, it is not prohibited, so the study can be safely done at any time. It will immediately show whether there is a pregnancy or not.
- Analysis of urine. Blood donation to the hCG hormone (chorionic gonadotropin) is a relatively accurate option, because it begins to increase only 7-10 days after conception. In any case, passing a general blood test will never hurt, because if a pregnancy is detected, then when registering, you still have to take it.
- Blood analysis. But this is a more accurate and faster result. The level of hCG in the blood is higher than in the urine, so taking a blood test is one of the best solutions to find out about replenishment as soon as possible.
The absence of menstruation is not a reason for relaxation
Many say that it’s impossible to get pregnant with HB without a period, but is that so? In fact, before the first menstruation comes, ovulation first occurs. If at this moment there is intimacy with her husband, then conception is just around the corner. If fertilization has not occurred, then menstruation comes. But this does not mean that there was no chance of having a second or subsequent child.
When the chance of getting pregnant is higher. Reason number 1
There are times when, with a high degree of probability, an unplanned pregnancy may occur during HBV. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the frequency of feeding the baby. If a child drinks 150-180 ml of milk 5-6 times a day, then the chance is much higher than when the portions when breastfeeding would be smaller, but the attachments themselves are more frequent. In addition, if the crumbs are not full, then more frequent application to the chest will solve this problem.
Reason number 2
Secondly, early replenishment in the family depends on how old the boy or girl is. Usually after 4 months, they begin to introduce complementary foods (mashed potatoes, cereals), gradually replacing 1-2 feedings per day. By the age of 6 months, when fruit purees are added to the diet, and the menu becomes more diverse, the risk of an unplanned pregnancy begins to increase. After 7-8 months, mashed meat is added to the baby’s nutrition. After this moment, many women stop feeding, because the child has almost completely switched to adult food, or reduce the attachment to the chest to a minimum. In this case, you can easily get pregnant.
Reason number 3
Feeding the baby by the clock is a common reason why many give birth to a baby sister or brother. More appropriate for HB will be feeding on demand. In addition, all children are different, and a break of 3-4 hours at one time of the day may seem long for a baby, and fast at another. It is better to apply to the breast of the child when he wants. But it is worth remembering that the minimum time between feedings is 2 hours. This rule should be followed so as not to disrupt the digestive enzyme system.
Protection - Maternal Health
If pregnancy with HB is undesirable, then it is worth talking about protection. Carrying a baby a few months after giving birth or having an abortion are not the best actions that will undermine the health of a young mother. To protect yourself, you need to think about contraception in advance. The most famous methods of contraception today for hepatitis B are:
- Condoms . Convenient, affordable, simple. However, according to experts, they do not give a one hundred percent guarantee against an unwanted pregnancy. But the benefits they bring are not worth denying.
- Intrauterine device. About her we can say: set and forget. Already in the eighth week after childbirth, its installation is permissible. In addition, the cervix is still soft, so inserting it will not cause severe inconvenience. Protection is very high.
- Birth control pills. Oral contraceptives are another good way to prevent pregnancy. They create mucus, due to which the passage of sperm through the cervix becomes difficult. If nevertheless they were able to break through this barrier. and fertilization occurred, the resulting embryo will not be able to attach to the wall of the uterus and begin to grow, because the endometrium of the uterus is changed.
All methods of protection, their purpose, duration of administration and the necessary withdrawal of the drug should be decided only by the attending physician. Any independent actions can harm a woman’s health.
Women during pregnancy are used to constantly visiting the gynecological office. But after the birth, everything changed, and after two or three examinations and tests, everything ends. This is wrong, because it takes time to restore a woman after childbirth with HS. So, the observation should be longer. A regular trip to the gynecologist (at least once a month) will save you from new problems, including helping to identify a pregnancy that has begun in the early stages. Therefore, decide on further actions and maintain the health of mom.
Finally ...
It is worth remembering: the widespread opinion about the impossibility of conception when breastfeeding is erroneous, and this has long been proved by relevant experts. HBV and a new pregnancy can exist together, but how this will affect the health of the mother is a big question.
There are girls who want to have weather children, and therefore they are specially trying to settle a new life in themselves. But how did the new pregnancy affect HB? It’s different for everyone. The female body is individual for everyone, and you should not try on successful bearing or tragic termination of pregnancy. In any case, the birth of a new life is always happiness, regardless of life principles and circumstances. Any decision made for a woman will be right, because everyone is subsequently responsible for their actions.