Your first child brings with itself a lot of joy, various responsibilities, a whole load of questions and various other little opportunities and experiences. Your entire family will of course give you a hand in making the new member of your family feel as snug as possible but ultimately the majority of responsibilities is the mother's. Don't be fooled into believing that there are sexist undercurrents in all the work you are expected to do as the mother. Fact is that the mother's body remains, even after the whole umbilical cord cutting session, inexorably linked to the child's and absolutely nobody'and I mean NOBODY can take her place and do all the work that needs to be done in the first few months.
To make sure that your child gets the sort of attention he/she should you would be best advised to delay your second pregnancy for the next 3-5 years. For this of course you will have to take the right sort of protection just to ensure that you do not accidentally conceive. If you are breast feeding your child contraception often becomes an issue. Do not pay heed to anything you hear about lactation offering a natural protection against pregnancy since any such claim is, quite simply, bogus.
The mother stands a strong chance against accidental pregnancy if and only if she is breast feeding her baby but hasn't had her regular menstrual periods after the birth of her child. This is a sort of natural spacing of pregnancy and is known as Lactational Amenorrhea method of contraception.
In case you are breast feeding you can start on your progestin-only contraceptive methods anytime after six months following the birth of your child. Just remember to make sure that your contraceptive is free of estrogen. Everything from progestin injectibles to condoms, mini-pills (or progestin-only pills) and IUD's can therefore be used freely. If you aren't breast feeding completely you can also use the Combined Oral contraceptive.
Another very viable option is the tri-monthly injectible DMPA. This can be started anytime say about six weeks after the birth. DMPA will not in anyway alter the taste, quality or amount of your milk or come in the way of your child's health. A number of new mothers have discovered the wonders of DMPA in the recent years. It has gained a lot of popularity as a reliable contraceptive method since it is not dependant on sexual intercourse and does not need regular action. Mothers using DMPA therefore have far more time in their hands to devote to their own and their child's well being.
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