Among the Seven Standards, the most ignored Standard is the Fifth Standard: Sleep with your baby for a daily nap-feeding. In my book, The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding, I emphasized this Standard. This short rest or nap refreshes a mother. It’s a Standard that should not be ignored.
“As a doula and an NFP teacher, I have worked with several mothers of twins who have nursed exclusively. The single most important factor in the return of cycles for these moms has been whether or not they could lay down during the day for a nap. Neither pacifier use nor nighttime feedings is as predictive as napping. For those who did nap – even for as little as 30 minutes – the menses was delayed beyond a year. For those who did not, nearly all experienced the return of cycles before 6 months. It’s not gold standard research, but it is a remarkable trend I have noticed over the past 10 years.”
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“Thank you so much for offering your book online and for all your research. We took the NFP classes before we were married, had some success after marriage prior to having our first child and then after, really struggled with NFP. We have 5 children in 5 years even while using ecological breastfeeding (except the nap). We co-slept and breastfed on demand. I wish I read this earlier other than the fact that we might have not been blessed with our children if I had. This had the clearest information on NFP that I have read. I made it to a first birthday party without being pregnant for the first time. I tried to take a nap when possible, used extended breastfeeding and added the cervix recommendations (which are the clearest in your book). My fertility didn’t come back until 10 months this time instead of the usual 2-3 months. The longest I nursed before was 19 months and I am still nursing my 1 and almost 2 1/2 year old this time. We will be making a donation soon even though we can’t afford much and I have recommended this site to tons of people. I was tempted to give up because we just couldn’t afford any more kids and were really struggling with homeschooling and having so many kids so close together so I really appreciate your help!”
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“Thank you for your encouragement. My baby was about 8 weeks old when I began bleeding again (period?). We emailed about it and you told me that Dr. Miriam Labbok had done research on this subject and found that bleeding at 8 weeks postpartum for an exclusively breastfeeding mother was infertile. Indeed, I have been experiencing amenorrhea since that episode. My baby is now 6 months old and growing beautifully, thank G-d. I do not leave him at all, he nurses on demand throughout the day and night, and we take our daily nap which is a blessing in itself for so many reasons.
I bless your name each day for the gift you have given me. If not for your book I would either have five children under the age of five or have spoken to a rav for permission to use some sort of birth control. Neither one is very appealing to me. Not to mention, that the babies would have suffered too! I am immensely grateful that I am instead enjoying the nursing experience once again with my third baby!”
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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.
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