God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws (Humanae Vitae, n.11).
To draw attention to Natural Family Planning Week (July 22-28, 2007), I am blogging daily on breastfeeding and natural child spacing.
Promoting Breastfeeding for Natural Child Spacing, Bonding, and Health
Dr. Otto Schaefer
Through his reading when a young boy of eight living in Germany, Otto Schaefer dreamed of living in the Canadian Arctic. As a medical doctor his dream was fulfilled. In a book titled Sunrise Over Pangnirtung (The Arctic Institute of North America, 2000), Dr. Gerald Hankins tells the fascinating story of this doctor who spent 32 years studying the Eskimos (or Inuit as they liked to be called), recording all his observations in his notebook, and even learning their language. His research resulted in over 100 publications, and he won many awards and honors toward the end of his life. He was outspoken about his concerns for the Inuit and about the negative impact the western ways had upon these people and their families. His favorite topic was breastfeeding.
During his early days in Canada, Dr. Schaefer spoke highly of formula. “In time, however, he realized he was quite wrong; thereafter, he could not keep quiet. From his studies and surveys of health and nutrition in infants from many Arctic centers, he had ample evidence to support his views” (ibid, p. 179). He observed the bottle-fed baby who “lacks the intimate mother-child bonding and closeness” (ibid, p. 171). Otto saw another reason for the Inuit to go back to the traditional custom of breastfeeding for three years. Prolonged breastfeeding “provided an effective type of birth control: the natural contraceptive action of lactation allowed for a desirable spacing of children” (ibid, p.180).
Dr. Schaefer wrote and spoke frequently about the effect of breastfeeding upon fertility. In 20 years he saw the Inuit experience a population explosion. In just ten years the increase in the birth rate went “from less than 40 births per 1000 in the mid-1950s to 64 births per 1000 ten years later” (O. Schaefer, “When the Eskimo Comes to Town,” Nutrition Today, November-December 1971, p. 16). A 60% jump! In fact there was a “direct relation to the mileage of the family from the trading posts. The shorter the distance, the more frequently they had children” (Ibid). In his opinion:
“There is a clear relationship between the increasing use of bottlefeeding and the shortening of lactation. This important point is usually overlooked in searches for explanations of the population explosion seen in developing countries” (Ibid).
In June 1971 Dr. Schaefer and his friend, Dr. Jack Hildes, presented their research at the Circumpolar Health Symposium in Finland (Oulu, Finland, June 1971; Unpublished; acquired through O. Schaefer.). They compared the fertility rate of the older Eskimo mothers who had nursed traditionally to the younger women who bottlefed.
Women aged 30-50 in most cases reared children in the tradition of camp life with prolonged breastfeeding as the major source of infant nutrition until native foods such as seal meat or caribou were taken. Younger women aged 17-29 in the course of urbanization have used bottle feeding at the expense of prolonged breastfeeding (ibid).
When did these women conceive? The older women conceived 20 to 30 months postpartum while the younger women who used baby bottles and formula conceived 2 to 4 months postpartum. The doctors believed that the older Eskimos relative infertility was due to prolonged breastfeeding. This natural birth spacing of breastfeeding, in their conclusion, “has been largely destroyed by the consequences of urbanization” (ibid).
In 1981 Dr. Schaefer spoke at a women’s conference in Pangnirtung. It was attended by native Arctic women from many places. Due to the popularity of the bottle, the one complaint among the women at this conference was having too many children (G. Hankins, Sunrise Over Pangnirtung, p. 182). Since breastfeeding had kept the family size in the past at 3 or 4 children, Dr. Schaefer taught that the larger Eskimo family was “one of the consequences of giving up breastfeeding” (ibid, 182).
While Dr. Schaefer was a strong promoter of natural child spacing, he also recorded the many diseases that accompanied the introduction of the bottle. In Dr. Schaefer’s opinion, “breastfeeding had a greater influence on the life and health of infants than any other single factor” (ibid, p. 179). He worked hard to spread the truth about breastfeeding to the common Eskimo people and others. He was also controversial. He spoke out for the Eskimo people when his stand was not popular in other areas of medicine. He was a bold and fascinating doctor who was able to do the work he accomplished due to the loving support of his wife. Dr. Hankins book on his life was a delight to read.
Tomorrow: The Anniversary Day of Humanae Vitae
Sheila Kippley
NFP International
www.nfpandmore.org
Author: Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood (Sophia, 2005)
Natural Family Planning: The Question-Answer Book (e-book
at this website, 2005)