It may surprise you, but Ecological Breastfeeding is controversial among Catholics. Some say breastfeeding is a form of contraception. They say that a breastfeeding mother is avoiding conception with breastfeeding’s natural suppression of ovulation. But the baby is nursing not the mother, and every nursing mother knows that she cannot force a baby to nurse. When Saint John Paul II promoted breastfeeding for health reasons, he also noted its natural child spacing effect.
Others say that breastfeeding can’t be called a natural family planning method because it does not involve charting fertility/infertility or follow a fertility awareness system. But for about 94% of breastfeeding moms, their first period is all they need by way of fertility awareness.
In reality, Ecological Breastfeeding is definitely a form of natural baby spacing. That’s why we teach that there are two distinct forms of natural family planning—systematic NFP and Ecological Breastfeeding. Realistically, couples who learn Ecological Breastfeeding from NFPI and intend to use it as their only “spacer” will probably be charting in the later months of amenorrhea so that they can accurately determine the temperature-based “due date” for their next baby if they achieve pregnancy before their first menses.
I’m reviewing some standards set by a USCCB committee in which it says several times that all phases of the reproductive cycle must be taught. In a high school physiology class I was taught by a wonderful teacher that the reproductive cycle ended with breastfeeding, not childbirth. She knew something about the effect that breastfeeding had on inhibiting ovulation. Of course, eventually menstruation and fertility returns for the nursing mother, and the reproductive cycle can start once again. It is unfortunate that this has been lost in part of the NFP movement.
Let’s do a survey! Let’s ask 10 ecologically breastfeeding mothers if they are practicing contraception. Of course, their answer is NO. Then let’s ask these same breastfeeding mothers if they are practicing a form of natural family planning. Of course, their answer would be YES because they are using the most natural form of natural baby spacing—God’s plan for both mother and baby. However, it seems that some of those involved with NFP in the Church will say the answer to the second question is NO for eco-breastfeeding mothers.
These mothers are not practicing NFP? Really?
Any comments on this dilemma are welcome!
Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding