We are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) by concentrating on an important benefit of ecological breastfeeding: spacing births. Ecological breastfeeding has so many benefits, including natural child spacing, that every woman, regardless of her faith, should know of this option for spacing births.
What is ecological breastfeeding? Ecological breastfeeding is that form of nursing in which the mother fulfills her baby’s needs for frequent suckling and her full-time presence and in which the child’s frequent suckling postpones the return of the mother’s fertility. The Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding are necessary because the Standards are maternal behaviors associated with breastfeeding’s extended natural infertility.
Research done in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s confirms the fact that breastfeeding infertility is a fact of life. The only kind of breastfeeding that consistently provides breastfeeding infertility is ecological breastfeeding. Eco-breastfeeding is caring for your baby with your body, with what you have naturally, and not caring for your baby with items you can purchase. It means avoiding the use of artifacts, such as pacifiers and bottles, and avoiding the use of mother substitutes, such as babysitters. Eco-breastfeeding also follows the natural baby-initiated patterns.
Norms: Extended breastfeeding and extended amenorrhea are the norm after childbirth. Amenorrhea means that a woman is not having any menstrual periods. For a woman to have menstruation return within three months after childbirth should be the exception, not the norm, if you take Nature as your guide.
A couple chooses breastfeeding because breastfeeding is best for their baby and also for the health of the mother. If the mother breastfeeds as nature intended, then the mother will most likely experience 6 months of amenorrhea postpartum and have a 98-99% rate of natural infertility during that 6 months’ time. If she continues to breastfeed as nature intended and the frequency of nursing contines, she will likely continue in amenorrhea and have in addition natural child spacing through breastfeeding without any other method of family planning. Our published studies found an average of 14.5 months of breastfeeding amenorrhea. Only 7% had less than 6 months and one-third had 18 months or more. Thus natural child spacing is also a norm intended by nature! The key to the natural plan is mother-baby togetherness and frequent and unrestricted nursing as provided by The Seven Standards.
_____
“I am currently nursing my 17 month old without a return of my periods.”
_____
“My son nurses on and off during the nights. He is 22 months old and I have not had a period yet.”
_______
Ecological Breastfeeding: For those interested in spacing births via ecological breastfeeding, I encourage you to read The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor. It is the latest, up-to-date version on this topic.
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor, Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing, Battle-Scarred, and Natural Family Planning: The Complete Approach are 40% off through August 7 at lulu.com. All are available as ebooks except Battle-Scarred.
Breastfeeding Survey: Any mother who has done ecological breastfeeding and has had a return of menstruation is invited to complete the NFPI breastfeeding survey. If a mother believes the Seven Standards did not give her an extended period of breastfeeding infertility, we would like to hear from her also.
Sheila Kippley