Breast-Feeding: GOD'S FAMILY PLANNING 
p.20
by Marilyn Medvidik Greene, copyright 1994

WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I were first married, we were contracepting 
Catholics. Because of health problems with contraceptives, however, we 
later switched to natural family planning (NFP), but I still felt that 
there was nothing wrong with artificial contraception. I had a mental 
block that went like this: women will naturally have babies about once 
a year. But, having a baby once a year can damage a woman's health, 
even shorten her life. Therefore, contraception is necessary because 
God goofed in making women so fertile.

Three children and a great deal more research and experience later, I 
can state that God did not goof. He has marvelously designed the 
woman's body to space children naturally, giving each child more of the 
mother's individual attention, and giving her body time to regain 
health between pregnancies. He did this through breast-feeding.

How breast-feeding prevents pregnancy

Once a child is born, the breasts begin to make colostrum; later, they 
produce regular breast milk. If this milk is not needed - for example, 
if the mother bottle-feeds, or the baby is stillborn - how would the 
body know? The answer is: there would be no baby sucking at the breast. 
The sucking not only tells the body to produce milk; the quantity of 
milk produced is governed by how much the baby sucks.

The baby's sucking sends messages to the pituitary gland, which 
controls the functioning of the ovaries. When the baby sucks 
frequently, the pituitary gland keeps the ovaries in a state of rest. 
As the baby grows older and nurses less frequency, the ovaries begin 
cranking up to ovulate again. Eventually, depending on the woman's 
physical makeup and the amount her baby still nurses, the cycle of 
ovulation and menstruation will begin again.

Not all breast-feeding  suppresses ovulation

The reason breast-feeding is not well recognized as a means of spacing 
babies is because of how we breast-feed in Western cultures. Let me 
explain by giving some recent history. Breast-feeding almost 
disappeared in the Western world. In fact, even before the advent of 
bottle-feeding, women who breast-fed did so more briefly than their 
forebears. With the Industrial Revolution, some women were working 
outside the home and thus weaning early. New child-care philosophies 
advocated early potty-training and weaning, and central heating 
permitted babies to sleep in their own rooms, previously impossible in 
cold climates.

So when breast-feeding was reborn, women who breast-fed followed the 
pattern of bottle-feeding: feedings on schedule, discouraging the baby 
from night feeding, and early weaning. Such breast-feeding may briefly 
delay the return to fertility. Breast-feeding that suppresses 
ovulation, however, also known as "ecological breast-feeding," requires 
feeding on demand, nursing at night, no bottles on the side or early 
introduction of solids, and allowing the baby to wean more at his or 
her own pace. Such breast-feeding not only is good for the baby and the 
mother-baby relationship, it also provides the frequent suckling that 
inhibits ovulation. 


At a conference in Bellagio, Italy, researchers reviewed 13 studies 
from eight countries, and reported in 1989 that when a mother fully or 
nearly fully breast-feeds and has amenorrhea (no return of menstrual 
cycles), breast-feeding provides more than 98% protection from 
pregnancy in the first six months postpartum. The Couple to Couple 
League has found that a woman in the U.S. or Canada who breast-feeds 
frequently and without early supplements will experience 12 to 16 
months of amenorrhea.

Breast-feeding affects women differently

As in all matters of fertility, women differ. Some women find they are 
infertile, and other women have such severe difficulties with 
breast-feeding that they cannot do it. For those who can, 12 to 16 
months of infertility while breast-feeding is the average for many 
women. Some women find it impossible to become pregnant even when their 
child is nursing only once a day. At the other end of the scale, some 
women find that ecological breast-feeding does little to suppress 
ovulation. However, these are both rare cases. In some instances where 
breast-feeding has had no effect on ovulation, nutritional counseling 
has effected a cure. This demonstrates that an early return to 
fertility is actually a malfunctioning of the body, rather than the way 
God intended our bodies to work.

Breast-feeding's place in NFP

Breast-feeding can provide parents with a natural, divinely designed 
way to space their children. But what if a couple has a serious reason 
to delay the birth of the next child, or to prevent pregnancy 
altogether? This is where breast-feeding fits into NFP.

For those unfamiliar with NFP, here is a brief description. Each 
woman's body follows a cycle as it prepares for ovulation (the ripening 
and then expulsion of an egg from an ovary), then awaits a signal that 
an egg has been fertilized and, if it receives no signal, begins 
menstruation. These signals - the most useful of which are body 
temperature and cervical mucus - can be observed and noted on a chart. 
While such signs vary from woman to woman and even month to month, by 
charting these facts each day, a husband and wife can recognize a 
pattern that helps them avoid or seek pregnancy. While NFP is natural 
in that no drugs or devices interfere with the body's normal 
functioning, it doesn't come naturally, but has to be learned. 

While the way NFP works is very scientific (my engineer husband was 
deeply impressed during our first classes), and its effectiveness has 
been proven in many studies, actually using NFP is considered an art. 
Since each woman's cycle is different, it can take several months of 
using NFP before a couple becomes used to her cycles, and for them to 
know what guidelines work best for them. NFP during breast-feeding 
tends to exemplify the art: as fertility returns, a woman's signs of 
fertility will first be random, then increase until her first 
postpartum menstrual period occurs. Pregnancy before that first period 
is uncommon but can occur; thus a couple wishing to avoid pregnancy 
must observe the woman's fertility signs, and follow NFP guidelines. A 
couple using only breast-feeding to space children can simply skip 
charting, and let nature take its course.

The theology of breast-feeding


While several Popes have spoken on the goodness of breast-feeding both 
by itself and in connection with NFP, to my knowledge no denomination 
has a theological statement on breast-feeding. Every woman's family 
situation is different, and there are many factors that go into a 
decision on whether and how long to breast-feed. Two conclusions can be 
drawn, however.

First, bottle-feeding parents, or breast-feeding parents who follow 
bottle-feeding patterns, need not assume that it is God's will for them 
to have a baby every year. God does work through nature to accomplish 
His will, and if we circumvent nature's breast-feeding by 
bottle-feeding we have stepped outside natural patterns. God can 
certainly work through our circumstances, natural or not; but when He 
has provided a natural means of delaying pregnancy and we do not use 
it, how can we positively assume that He desires another immediate 
pregnancy? A bottle-feeding mother and father particularly need to 
prayerfully consider God's will concerning their family's size.

Second, the fact that ecological breast-feeding naturally spaces babies 
is, to my mind, another strong argument for its use. Breast-feeding has 
been celebrated over the past two decades for many things, such as 
increased immunity against disease, easier mother-baby bonding, 
superior nutrition, and improved dental health. As its role in NFP, now 
better understood thanks to research over the past few years, becomes 
common knowledge, the value of both breast-feeding and natural family 
planning is increased. This is more good news about God's provision for 
our needs - news that the world needs to hear.

For more information contact:
The Couple to Couple League
P.O. Box 111184
Cincinnati, OH 45211-1184
(513) 661-7612

Also check under "Couple to Couple League" in your phone book to find 
local teachers.

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