Giving birth can be a thrilling time, so much so that some women are anxious to repeat the process as soon as possible. Although doctors recommend waiting until the six-week postpartum period is finished before resuming sexual intercourse, a woman can successfully conceive another baby soon after this period is over.
Step 1
Talk to your doctor. Although most women will have no medical reason why they should not begin trying to conceive right after the postpartum period concludes, women who had a difficult pregnancy or childbirth or other medical conditions may need to give their bodies a longer recovery period before attempting to get pregnant again.
Step 2
Decide what you would like to do about breastfeeding. Although it is possible to conceive while breastfeeding, the hormones that are produced by nursing mothers can make the process much more difficult. You could go ahead and try to conceive while breastfeeding despite the difficulties, put off trying to conceive until you begin to wean your baby, or stop breastfeeding and begin trying to conceive immediately. If you do try to conceive while breastfeeding, reducing the amount or frequency of feedings may increase fertility, according to KellyMom.com.
Step 3
Have frequent intercourse throughout your cycle. Although it is generally best to time intercourse around ovulation, this can be difficult to do right after childbirth, particularly if you are breastfeeding. This is because you could ovulate before your first postpartum menstrual period, or may experience several menstrual periods without actually ovulating, particularly if you are still breastfeeding, according to KellyMom.com. Therefore, since your ovulation may be too difficult to pinpoint until your regular menstrual cycles resume, having frequent intercourse throughout the entire cycle is a good way to maximize your chances of conception.
Step 4
Watch for your regular menstrual cycles to resume and time intercourse around ovulation. Once you experience a few menstrual cycles, you can begin to monitor your fertility signs to attempt to predict your ovulation. If your menstrual cycle is normal, you will usually experience ovulation between cycle days 11 and 21, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Having intercourse more frequently during this time frame can increase the chances of conception, but to pinpoint your fertile period even further, consider learning how to monitor your cervical mucus or other ovulation symptoms or use an ovulation predictor kit.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep taking your prenatal vitamins and folic acid supplements in case you do conceive right away.
- If you are over 35, not breastfeeding and have been unsuccessfully trying to conceive for more than six months, contact your doctor to discuss possible fertility problems. Women younger than 35 or women who are breastfeeding may want to wait until a year or more has passed before contacting their doctor for fertility testing.
