Natural Family Planning International

From those of other religions:

A Protestant mother wrote:  “I have just finished reading The Seven Standards.  It is immeasurably wonderful to have all of my mothering instincts validated in a society where formula companies and contraceptive manufacturers are using gorilla tactics to scare women into feeling guilty for not using their products…We did not conceive until I weaned our son at 14 months.  We have begun reading the NFPI manual, Natural Family Planning: The Complete Approach.  We are both thoroughly enjoying eco-breastfeeding.  We take our baby everywhere and both enjoy the extra cuddling at night, especially my husband who commutes an hour each direction to work everyday and misses the children sorely 5 days a week.  Your book and website are truly a blessing to our whole family, offering us invaluable support in our battle to raise our family with God’s will and His plan instead of giving in to social pressure.  Thank you, thank, thank you.  PS:  Although we are Protestant (Anglican), I gleefully informed my husband that the Pope wants me to take a nap everyday with my babies and now have his full support….”

As a Protestant, eco-breastfeeding had never been presented to my husband and me as a logical way to have a family.  Many of my acquaintances are put on the IUD right after their first baby, and I think it’s a shame. God intended His way of spacing little ones.”

“I am a Christian mother of 3 boys, 8, 4, and 2.  When we attended the Natural Family Planning classes, I read information about ecological breastfeeding.  It made sense so I applied it.  I nursed my first son until he was 21 months old.  My cycle returned when he was 22 months old.  We wanted to get pregnant soon so our children would be spaced nicely, but we didn’t get pregnant for almost a year.  I nursed the second boy until he was 2 years old, and likewise my cycle did not return until 20 months after he was born.  After my 3rd child was born, my cycle returned at 18 months.  I am a believer that it works!  Not only does it work, but it is rewarding and fulfilling to completely give yourself to this helpless little baby.”

“My religion, Islam, encourages breastfeeding for two years and, according to some Muslim scholars, allows birth control to be practiced within that two-year period.  I feel that so many people ignore breastfeeding as a form of natural child spacing.  The techniques you describe are entirely compatible with my religion.”

Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor

From those of different religions:

An Amish man for his Amish bookstore regularly orders large quantities (100, then 200, and lately another 100 copies) of The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor.  The Seven Standards is their preferred book for spacing babies and for the health benefits of breastfeeding.

Jewish mother: ” I had my baby!  It’s a boy! It was a wonderful birth, at home, with my fabulous midwife.  I have never used any birth control of any kind.  I naturally got a break between children at 16.5 months, then 2 years and 9 months, then again 2 years and 9 months, and then 3 years.”

Another Jewish mother wrote: “I wanted to proudly share my news that I just had my longest amenorrhea ever—18.5 months.  I’ve been having increasingly longer periods of time.  6.5 months after my first, 9.5 months after my second, 14.5 months after my third and fourth and 18.5 months after my fifth (my most recent baby).  I am so thrilled with   G-d’s amazing natural form of child spacing that benefits everyone in the most wonderful of ways.”

And another Jewish mother wrote:  “As a Jewish mother, I practice ecological breastfeeding and therefore have gotten a 26 months space between my 2 girls.  My husband and I don’t want to have to decide when to have or not have a baby.  We are only smart enough to know that we aren’t smart enough to know when is really the ‘best time,’ and we would rather if Hashem took care of that decision.  But what I do think is important for women to know is that you do not have to have your babies a year (or in some cases 11 months) apart in order to be a good Jewish woman.  If you practice ecological breastfeeding which in a nutshell includes unrestricted nursing (no feeding schedules!) and no bottles or pacifiers, you can get that breather between babies naturally—as it was meant to be—from Hashem!”

Tomorrow: Protestant and Islam mothers

Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor

From other mothers who enjoy ecological breastfeeding with its spacing of births:

“I am currently nursing my 17 month old without a return of my periods.”

“I thank you for the positive effect you’ve had on my mothering skills.  I nursed my first baby for 4 months and quit because of the inconvenience.  I nursed my second baby for 22 months because it was so very convenient.”

“My son nurses on and off during the night.  He is 22 months old, and I have not had a period yet.”

“Breastfeeding has a very definite effect on child spacing.  With my bottlefed children I conceived again at 8 months after childbirth despite other contraceptives.  It has been 18 months since my last baby was born.  No period yet.”

“We have a 21-month old boy, and I am still ecologically nursing him.  We have been trying to get pregnant.  I am so glad that I am still nursing my son, because I know that it is so beneficial for him.  But I have to admit I am starting to worry that our babies will be so far apart that I won’t have very many!  My husband and I would like a large family, but I probably just need to work on my patience.  At first, I thought about weaning my son so that we could more easily get pregnant, but my husband didn’t think that was a good reason to wean.  I think I agree with him now, because I see how good nursing is for my son.”

(I want to add here that St. John Paul II encouraged mothers to nurse for at least two years because of its many benefits.)
Tomorrow: from Amish and Jewish readers.

Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor