Our two studies show that American nursing mothers who followed the Seven Standards averaged 14½ months of amenorrhea. (J. and S. Kippley, “The Relation between Breastfeeding and Amenorrhea: Report of a Survey,” JOGN Nursing, Nov.-Dec. 1972, 15-21. Also “The Spacing of Babies with Ecological Breastfeeding,” International Review, Spring/Summer 1989, 107-116.) These and other studies on breastfeeding infertility are available at our website, www.nfpandmore.org.
Later studies concerning ecological breastfeeding were done by H. William Taylor. His latest research confirmed that ecological breastfeeding certainly spaces babies. Mothers who nursed in a cultural way had a median time of 8.2 months before their first menses, while mothers who nursed more in line with ecological breastfeeding had a median time of 12.8 months before their first menses. (“Continuously Recorded Suckling Behavior and Its Effect on Lactational Amenorrhoea,” Journal of Biosocial Science, 1999, 31: 289-310)
In this study Taylor also established a sub-group of mothers whose practices were close to the Seven Standards. That is, Taylor eliminated those mothers who returned to work outside the home, who did not sleep with their baby at night, who introduced solids before six months, and who nursed less than a median of 9 times a day in the first three months. Thus he ended up with a group of mothers who were following a more ecological breastfeeding program; these 55 mothers had a median wait of 15.9 months before their first menses. (Personal correspondence after previous research was submitted to Cambridge University for publication, May 27, 1998)
From the feedback I have received, there are many nursing mothers using natural child spacing and systematic natural family planning as a result of our books, writings and talks. My husband also promotes the breastfeeding aspect of natural family planning whenever he has a chance to do so. Both of us continually remind others that breastfeeding is one way to experience natural baby spacing. In our opinion ecological breastfeeding should be included in any discussion or teaching on natural family planning.
Worldwide, breastfeeding is used much more than systematic NFP to space children naturally. Since the beginning of the human race and up to the early 1900s, breastfeeding was the only option in accord with Catholic teaching except total abstinence. All couples deserve to know this option as well as systematic NFP. In other words, breastfeeding is an excellent NFP choice.
Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding