Will taking oral contraceptives while breastfeeding hurt my newborn?

Will taking oral contraceptives while breastfeeding hurt my 7-week-old baby? Will it have any effect on my milk production?

While taking oral contraceptives will not harm your baby, some birth control pills can affect your milk production during breastfeeding. Two types of oral contraceptives are commonly used today. Combined oral contraceptives come in packets of 28 pills. The first 21 contain the two hormones oestrogen and progestogen; the last seven pills contain either an inert substance or an iron supplement. Women who wish to breastfeed should not use combined oral contraceptives as a birth control method because the oestrogen component of the pill reduces the quantity of breast milk and may also pass into the milk. The progestogen-only pill (POP), or "mini pill", contains no oestrogen and less than 0.5 milligrams of progestogen. The mini pill works primarily by changing the cervical mucus so that sperm can't penetrate the egg, by altering egg transport from the fallopian tubes to the uterus, and by inhibiting the lining of the uterus so that a fertilised egg can't be implanted. You take the mini pill every day for 28 days, followed immediately by a new 28-day cycle. Ask your doctor for information about the progestogen-only pill. Although published information about its effect on breastfeeding says that it doesn't really affect milk production, many lactation specialists who counsel breastfeeding mothers have observed that milk production goes down. Your baby's doctor is also a good source of information.