Breastfeeding can inhibit ovulation and is in itself a 94% effective protection the first 6 months after birth if you breastfeed exclusively and haven't gotten your first period yet. As soon as your period has returned, the protection provided by the breastfeeding is gone. Also, it's good to keep in mind that ovulation may still occur during the first six months too, this is why a pregnancy is possible if you have unprotected intercourse during this time
We recommend that you start measuring roughly 5 months after giving birth while breastfeeding exclusively, and 1-2 months after giving birth if you do not breastfeed. You can, of course, choose to start measuring after the return of your first period instead.
Until the first ovulation, we will show you red (for Prevent) or brown (for Plan) days as our algorithm requires a higher level than 94% before giving green days. This could mean a couple of months depending on your own body. If you start measuring while breastfeeding, you will see your first ovulation and will know when to expect your first period.
The first cycles after pregnancy may be irregular, so just keep measuring while your body is working to get back to regular.
We recommend that you measure your temperature after the longest stretch of sleep you get during the night, regardless of when you wake up, and that you measure instantly upon waking up - which means before tending to your baby. Try to find a routine for your measuring that works for you and your family, and measure before moving around in bed.
What you can do if the thermometer beep disturbs the family:
Turn off the thermometer after the first beep in the morning, and turn it back on whenever you are ready to start your day. The value is shown for roughly 2 seconds, so please make sure that you have the lights on and are ready to read it quickly before turning it back on. This can be re-done as many times as you wish, as long as you turn it off before it flashes onward to start measuring again.