Breastfeeding and Natural Family Planning

Here, I'm sorry to report, the picture gets bleaker. I found it impossible to use NFP during the first 6 months of my daughter's life, and difficult in the next 6 months. I never got the 3 solid hours of sleep required for reliable temperatures. In my dazed, sleep-deprived state, I usually forgot to take my temperature in the morning. If I did remember, the morning cries of my baby usually drowned out the beeping of my thermometer, and I would throw down my thermometer and tend to my daughter instead. Fourteen months after the birth of my daughter, I'm still having some trouble using NFP. My daughter continues to nurse several times in the night, and I rarely get a 3 hour block of uninterrupted sleep. As a result, my charts are often erratic and difficult to interpret. Luckily, as one writer so aptly put it (just a few paragraphs ago :-) ), "Babies are the best contraception in existence. . . "

So, what's a woman to do? Well, the best post-partum advice I can give is to watch cervical fluid carefully and to be creative. Cervical fluid is probably the best indicator of returning fertility and any changes in fluid should be taken seriously. Secondly, the post-partum stage of life calls for lots of creativity. Remember that lovemaking does not have to include intercourse, and there's no shame in abstinence. It might also be a good time to consider the use of a barrier method, if that is acceptable to you.

I'm sure there are many women out there who have had or will have positive experiences with LAM and NFP while breastfeeding. Please check out my links under "NFP and Breastfeeding" for more information and for positive promotions of the practices. If you have experiences with LAM to share or tips for using NFP while breastfeeding, please join the discussion below. I really look forward to hearing from you!

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