Natural Family Planning International

What every woman, man, and Catholic bishop and priest need to know about God’s plan for spacing babies.

Below are more witnesses from eco-breastfeeding mothers.

“In brief, we chose ecological breastfeeding based on receiving a copy of The Art of Natural Family Planning 4th Edition as an early wedding gift.  Just under 5 months postpartum, I experienced a very short (less than a hour), very light (less than 1/4 tsp, including a small bit of tissue or blood clot) episode of spotting.  I really have no idea what caused it, as I experienced no signs of mucus before this and no signs after until a couple weeks after solids were introduced at about 7 months.  I charted for a very short time when this mucus started but stopped when the mucus went away.  I did not chart after that but just sort of kept an eye out for fertile mucus.  I observed fertile mucus beginning when my daughter was about 18 months old and started charting a couple weeks later.  At about 19.5 months, I experienced a day of spotting.  We successfully charted my first postpartum ovulation at about 20.5 months postpartum, followed by my first true postpartum period after an 8-day luteal phase.  My next three cycles also had 8-day luteal phases.  This was followed by a cycle with an 11-day luteal phase, so my first “fertile” ovulation was when my daughter was about 25 months and 1 week old.  We then switched to trying to conceive and were blessed with the conception of our son (over 5 weeks into that cycle – good thing we were charting and had accurate dates!) when our daughter was a few days less than 27 months old.
Thank you for your research and teaching of ecological breastfeeding.  It has certainly been a blessing for our family.
God Bless,
Jeana (and Dominic) Jones”
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“Many of the women said that ecological breastfeeding didn’t work for them, but they also mentioned pacifier use and their babies sleeping through the night.  I think some moms think they are practicing eco-breastfeeding but they haven’t read Sheila Kippley’s books. Of course, there is a group of women whose periods return earlier than the average and yet they do practice eco-breastfeeding.  I practice ecological breastfeeding  and my period returned at 29 months with my last baby.”
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Further reading: The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor.  Both Catholic laity and clergy should read Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood.  It applies the papal Theology of the body to the bodily activity of breastfeeding.

Book Sale:  30% off Kippley books in print at lulu through August 7.

Sheila Kippley

What every woman, man, and Catholic bishop and priest need to know about God’s plan for spacing babies.

—-A handful of witnesses—-

“This is the only method of child spacing that appeals to my husband and me in every possible way.  Myself, I look for simpler answers—ones that women in non-technological societies might discover—and in breastfeeding I found it.”

“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.”

“Breastfeeding has a very definite effect on child spacing.  With my bottlefed children I conceived again at 8 months after childbirth despite other contraceptives.  It has been 15 months since the last baby was born.  No period yet.”

“I was just on the verge of buying another copy of the Seven Standards book, as I had lent mine to a friend and have another pregnant friend who I wanted to pass this book on to. That book has been an incredible resource and I have read it many times! It gave me the courage to co-sleep with my babies (against societal pressure to the contrary), as well as inspiring me in many other ways. I have passed it on to other pregnant friends in the past. For myself, following the recommendations of your book, I had 22 months of amenorrhoea with my first child, and now my 2nd baby is 10 months old and I am still in amenorrhoea. I still re-read sections of your book even now for encouragement and information.”

Tomorrow: More witnesses

Further reading: The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor.  Both Catholic laity and clergy should read Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood.  It applies the papal Theology of the body to the bodily activity of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding in an emergency situation:  For the displaced in a refugee crisis, in drought, for lack of clean water, in earthquakes, during disease, or any emergency, the best prevention from sickness and disease is breastfeeding.  Some countries have brought the breastfeeding rate among mothers from 10% to 60%.  As this video shows, “breastfeeding is an absolute priority!”  This video is less than 3 minutes.

Book Sale:  30% off Kippley books in print at lulu through August 7.

Sheila Kippley

What every woman, man, and Catholic bishop and priest need to know about God’s plan for spacing babies.

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 to experience breastfeeding’s natural infertility.

Researchers have studied cultures which use no contraceptives or abortion and in which the babies are naturally spaced about 44 months apart.  Their secret: the frequent nursing.  Dr. Otto Schaefer studied the Canadian Eskimos and discovered through their prolonged lactation that the traditional Eskimo family size was three to four children.

What do some of the researchers say?
“Throughout the world as a whole, more births are prevented by lactation than all other forms of contraception put together.”  Dr. R. V. Short, Scotland, 1976

“Breastfeeding offered more protection than all methods of contraception combined.”  Dr. Peter Howie, United Kingdom, 1986.

God’s plan for spacing births should be a prominent teaching of the Catholic Church and all churches involved with family ministry.  Sadly, despite years of research and solid evidence, this benefit is rarely taught.

Let’s change that!

Tomorrow: Mothers give witness to natural child spacing.

Further reading: The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor.  Both Catholic laity and clergy should read Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood.  It applies the papal Theology of the body to the bodily activity of breastfeeding.

Book Sale:  30% off Kippley books in print at lulu through August 7.

Sheila Kippley