Recently, one of our readers wrote in and asked this:

Q: My wife and I had a baby girl 2 months ago and are ready to resume our sex life! Which contraceptive should we use to avoid pregnancy? If my wife wants to take a birth control pill, will it affect breastfeeding? Is it safe?

Parents Ask expert Dr. Jason Rothbart, OB/GYN answers:

A: Whether you had a baby by c section or vaginally, it is usually safe to resume sexual activity by six weeks. This is the physical time limit. The emotional and desire components may take longer and that is very, very normal. If a woman is breastfeeding, ovulation is inhibited about 85% of cycles. This means that while breastfeeding does significantly decrease the ability to get pregnant in the post partum period, it does not do so completely, by any means. Therefore some form of birth control should be used. If a woman is nursing, it is best to stay away from any estrogen containing method of contraception (eg. a combination birth control pill, nuvaring, patch) as estrogen will decrease the milk supply. For breastfeeding women, then, it is best to use a mini-pill (which is progesterone only), or an intrauterine device (IUD). If a woman chooses the progesterone only mini-pill, it is imperative that she switches to a combination oral contraceptive pill when she stops breastfeeding, as the mini-pill alone is not sufficient to completely suppress ovulation in the absence of breast feeding. Most importantly, a thorough discussion of contraceptive options should always be an integral part of the post partum visit.