2. God, Church, and Breastfeeding

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

 

Comments are closed.