Cliff Notes on NFP
Question
My wife and I started NFP, kind of, a few years ago. We weren’t strict practitioners since we had an “if we get pregnant fine, if not, fine” attitude. This worked fine, but now our second child is on the way and we’d like to space. We bought the “Art of Natural Family Planning” and were totally overwhelmed. We would like the third child, if there’s a third child, a few years into the future.
All the NFP materials we’ve seen are very daunting. With two children, there’s no way we’ll have the time to pour through 500 pages of information.
Long story short, do you know of a “Cliff’s notes” NFP source? NFP doesn’t seem like rocket-science yet all the materials make it seem so. With the need to avoid pregnancy for a while, we need to do it right. Any suggestions?
Many thanks
Answer
Last Updated: June 17, 2013
I suggest finding a local teaching couple from the Couple to Couple League. You can do this by using the web site www.ccli.org or by calling central 1-800-745-8252. Attend a class. If you’ve purchased the homestudy kit you can attend the class for free. The homestudy kit does comes with a separate booklet that guides you through the course, and a local couple or a counselor from headquarters can assist you with questions and charts, just call.
Since you already have “The Art of Natural Family Planning” you can start reading. This book is four books in one: the method and workbook, bible and theology, pregnancy and postpartum, and special situation ( ie. coming off the pill and premenopause). It is like an encyclopedia- you read what pertains to you. Over the years of practicing NFP you may choose to use different rules and methods. As our situations changed in our lives, my husband and I have used three different methods of postponing children. Presently, headquarters is working on a smaller travel friendly NFP book.
You mentioned your second child is on the way. Chapters 23-25 deal with return of fertility after child birth. With different mothering styles: ecological breastfeeding, cultural breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, there is a variation in the return of fertility. Reading these chapters allows you to understand what to expect postpartum, depending on what type of mothering you choose. Next, chapters to read would include 2-4, to explain the mucus (which indicates fertility) and the temperature sign (to confirm ovulation). Chapter 4 explains charting. Then chapter, 5,7, and 10 deal with interpretation and NFP for beginners.
Again, I stress finding a couple to counsel you and attend classes. If that is not possible use the homestudy course counselor or local couple to guide you. Many times this personal touch is all that is needed to understand NFP and not make it sound like “rocket- science”.
Mary-Lynn Ott
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