There are many resources to help you space out and plan for your next pregnancy or to prevent future pregnancies completely. If you are interested in a very effective type of birth control that will not impact your ability to breastfeed and may be used for up to several years, there are many “long-acting reversible contraceptive” methods.

You can have these placed at the time of your delivery, before you go home from the hospital, or during your postpartum visit.

If you’re more interested in a method that you can stop and start on your own, there are birth control pills, the patch, the ring, and barrier methods like condoms and diaphragms.

Because some of these methods can’t be started right away and are not as effective at preventing pregnancy, you may want to have a backup plan in case you decide to become sexually active before you can start your chosen method.

If you are exclusively breastfeeding every four to six hours (not using any formula or stored milk given by bottles), your chances of becoming pregnant in the first six months are low, but it can still happen! Parents who rely on breastfeeding to prevent pregnancy use the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).