Jhpiego in partnership with Save the Children, Constella Futures, The Academy for Educational Development, The American College of Nurse-Midwives and IMA World Health Session 6b LAM and Switching to Other PPFP Methods

2  Since LAM is a short-term method, it ends when any of these 3 things happen:  The mother’s menses returns  The pattern of breastfeeding changes (baby starts taking food or water or formula)  The baby is more than 6 months old LAM: When does it end?

3 LAM is no longer working Image credit: ACCESS Nigeria

4 Switching from LAM  As soon as any one of the 3 conditions changes, couples should immediately switch to another modern FP method.  There are many safe FP methods for mothers who breastfeed that will not affect the amount of milk she makes or how good it is.  The baby can still breastfeed safely for 2 years even if the mother is using some other modern FP method.

5 5 Why do you need to switch from LAM to another PPFP method?  Switching from LAM to another PPFP method, as soon as one of the criteria changes, helps make the healthiest spacing of pregnancies for the mother and the baby.  Since LAM is short-term, changing to another method will prevent mothers from becoming pregnant before they are ready.

6 6 REMEMBER  As soon as any one of these 3 LAM conditions is not met, a woman can become pregnant:  No longer breastfeeding only  Menstrual bleeding has returned  The baby is more than 6 months old  Help the woman decide which method to switch to before she needs to switch.