In 1972 with 29 ecological breastfeeding cases and in 1989 with almost 100 ecological breastfeeding cases studied, we published similar results. American mothers doing ecological breastfeeding according to the Seven Standards averaged 14.5 months without menstruation after childbirth, proving that breastfeeding can be used by American mothers to space their babies naturally.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied 173,205 births in Utah from 1989 to 1996 and found that babies were at higher risk for poor health if born too close or too far apart. This study concluded that the best spacing for the health of babies was a 2.5 year interval. Such a study of a selected culture is more suggestive than conclusive. But it does suggest that the natural spacing via breastfeeding may have another benefit. In our studies, 70% of the eco-breastfeeding moms had their first period between 9 and 20 months postpartum. If they became fertile and pregnant immediately, they would have births between 19 and 30 months, for an average of a two year natural spacing.
Learn to appreciate nature’s way built into a woman’s reproductive system and the importance of ecological breastfeeding in this whole process.
Sheila Kippley
The Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor