With a new baby in the house, getting pregnant again is probably the last thing on your mind. But you and your partner can return to intimacy around six weeks after you give birth, and you may find that your previous birth control method of choice isn’t right for your new lifestyle.
CutecouplebedSooner than you think
After giving birth, your uterus returns to its normal cycle, meaning that you can get pregnant again within a month. (Remember Tori Spelling’s fourth baby, whom she welcomed just 10 months after her third baby?) The average length of time between giving birth and ovulating is 45 days, but some women can ovulate again in as few as 25 days. “Many women think they can’t get pregnant again until after they’ve had their first postpregnancy period, but the fact is by that point, they’ve already ovulated,” says Aisha Redmond, OB/GYN, healthcare team lead for Kaiser Permanente TownPark Medical Center and area physician for The Southeastern Permanente Medical Group. “All it takes is once to get pregnant. You can absolutely conceive before you’ve had your first period.”
Your new routine may not be conducive to your previous method of birth control; for example, taking an oral contraceptive at the same time every day might slip your mind when you haven’t slept in days. “If you miss one pill, you’re no longer protected from pregnancy,” says Redmond.
Instead, you may want to switch to condoms, which you can use when you’re already focused on the deed, or an implant, which you can put in and promptly not give another thought. Alternatively, you may find that condoms are no longer comfortable and want to switch to something out of the way, like the patch. “It’s just a matter of taking the time to find which method is right for you,” says Redmond.