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Last Updated:
Jan 3rd, 2010 - 00:09:53
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Question
My wife is currently feeding our seven week old baby by breast and bottle, using both breastmilk and formula. Her Ob/Gyn, while not at all hostile to the idea of our doing NFP, warned us that her mucus would not be a reliable indicator of fertility during this time. My wife is afraid we are going to have to abstain from intercourse for a long(6 months to a year) period of time, and she s not sure if we can do that. From what I understand of Church teaching, there simply is no moral option; we can't morally engage in other forms of sexual behavior or have contraceptive intercourse. How do you usually address the fertility-tracking and moral issues for those who are both breast- and bottle-feeding?
Answer
The mucus sign can indeed be a reliable indicator of fertility during the postpartum period whether feeding your baby by breast, bottle, or a combination. Perhaps what your Ob/Gyn is referring to is the presence in many new mothers of a "background," nonfertile mucus which can be observed either all the time, or sporadiacally. If you are experienced at mucus observations, you should be able to differentiate this from the more fertile-type mucus. During and following any more-fertile days, you will want to follow the usual abstinence guidelines if you wish to postpone pregnancy.
Mothers who combine breast and bottle feeding have a wide variation in their return to fertility. Most likely, your wife's menstrual cycles will return soon. If you find this extended pre-ovulation phase challenging with its repeated mucus patches, the sympto-thermal method offers some reassuring cross-checks in the temperature and cervix observations, resulting in less abstinence.
Whatever you choose, we encourage your creative and loving abstinence as you focus on your wonderful new baby.
Congratulations!
This question was answered by Ron and Andrea Gronsky, a certified teaching couple for the Couple to Couple League, and members of CANFP.
They have been teaching the Sympto-Thermal Method of natural family planning in the San Francisco Bay Area for 16 years.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
The information on this page and web site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment by a physician.
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