It is unfortunate that when natural family planning is discussed that almost no one speaks on behalf of the positive alternative of Ecological Breastfeeding. Maybe some will mention other forms of natural birth spacing, but it is rare if there is a mention of Ecological Breastfeeding. There is ample research to demonstrate that the pattern of frequent breastfeeding that we term Ecological Breastfeeding postpones the return of fertility. In some pre-bottlefeeding cultures, breastfeeding produces birth intervals of three to four years with no forms of contraception. Our research in American culture shows an average return of menstruation between 14 and 15 months for those mothers following the Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding. Those Seven Standards are maternal behaviors associated with an extended time of breastfeeding amenorrhea.
My wife has written extensively on this, but she (and research of others as well) is ignored by the current NFP establishment as well as the anti-abortion establishment.
It has become typical for television coverage of hurricanes in the Caribbean islands to show a young mother complaining that no one is giving her any food for her very young baby when she has God’s own food in her breasts. It makes me sick to see this. Why hasn’t the Church done more to educate these folks about breastfeeding for its tremendous health benefits and also for its natural spacing benefit?
We have lots of information on this at our website: www.nfpandmore.org. Enjoy!
John Kippley
NFPI President and Volunteer