The client’s partner is welcome to participate in counseling and learn about the method and what support he can give to his partner. A male partner can:
- Support a woman’s choice of LAM
- Understand how LAM works and when it will no longer work
- Encourage her to breastfeed often and without giving her baby any supplementary food for the first 6 months
- Make sure that she has extra nutrition and fluids while breastfeeding
- Discuss and plan what method to use when one of the LAM conditions is no longer met – that is, her monthly bleeding returns, she introduces other foods, or the baby reaches 6 months old—or sooner if she prefers
- Start or remind her to start another family planning method as soon as one of the LAM criteria is no longer met
- Help to make sure she has ECPs on hand in case one of the LAM conditions is no longer met and she has not yet started to use another contraceptive
- Use condoms consistently in addition to LAM if he has an STI/HIV or thinks he may be at risk of an STI/HIV
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