Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood
Beginning in 2004, after we were no longer associated with the Couple to Couple League (CCL), I had the time to do more writing. For years mothers asked me if I would ever write another book. I always said “no,” but now I had the time. I wanted to see more Catholic mothers nurse and thought that if I gave a spiritual emphasis to my topic, there might be more Catholic parents open to breastfeeding their baby.
In the past I spoke mainly to La Leche League and NFP groups, but in the more recent years, I had received invitations to speak at Catholic gatherings. I began using Scripture and the encyclicals when speaking about breastfeeding. For example, at a weekend retreat on The Gospel of Life, I talked about breastfeeding using only this encyclical. Those “spiritual” talks were the basis for my new book, Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood (Sophia Institute Press, 2005).
There are too many Catholics who believe that formula is just as good. After all, they say, “I bottle-fed all my children and they turned out okay.” But a Catholic should also ask, “Is there any body of biblical or Church teaching on this subject?” I found there was breastfeeding support from Church leaders, Scripture, and the encyclicals.
As John and I see it, parents are obliged to make a reasonable effort to do what is best for their children, and there’s no doubt that breastfeeding is certainly best. There’s more than ample research that shows that formula is a poor choice for babies. Breastfeeding & Catholic Motherhood provides the strong evidence that all babies should be breastfed both for short-term as well as long-term benefits.
Another concern is that many persons have been too quick to say, “We know that that doesn’t work!” The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding was written to answer those objections and to show that breastfeeding does space babies.
When the new management of the Couple to Couple League dropped the three key charisms that we brought to the founding of CCL in 1971, we formed a new organization called NFP International. By doing so, we were able to keep these concepts alive, especially the teaching of ecological breastfeeding which CCL had dropped.
There are several key points about breastfeeding and natural family planning, points that I have stressed repeatedly over the years.
∙ Ecological breastfeeding is the only type of breastfeeding associated with extended breastfeeding infertility or natural child spacing. It truly is a natural family planning option. God does have a natural plan for spacing babies.
∙ A nursing mother does not have to wean her baby in order to use systematic NFP once her fertility returns.
∙ Extended breastfeeding and extended amenorrhea are the norms, and by extended I mean at least a year of each.
∙ Breastfeeding brings both physical and emotional benefits to both mother and baby. Experts emphasize the importance of the presence of the mother during the first three years of life for optimal emotional development of the baby. Prolonged lactation ensures the presence of the mother. God’s ways are very good.
∙ The Catholic Church has promoted breastfeeding and there are valid reasons for this. Any priest or mother interested in teaching ecological breastfeeding in their parish can use Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the NFPI manual. There is no need to undergo teacher training for this. Or one can contact Catholic Nursing Mothers League. This organization promotes ecological breastfeeding and provides resources to aid discussion at breastfeeding meetings.
Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding