Big Familes and NFP

[LongingForLight]

The odds of miscarriage also increase with age - not sure by how much, though. Odds of having twins increases with age, too, so throw that in there Once you add multiples to the mix, the math gets very messy

 

[Convert_in_99]

In our case zero. Open to life from day one of marriage.

Our case is far from normal But the answer is going to vary from couple to couple. It depends on a ton of factors. Exclusive nursing, serious (or chronic) health problems, medications (not birth control), fertility problems, stress, all these things can lower the number of children a couple might otherwise have normally.

 

[monicatholic]

great question.

in our case the answer is 10.

throughout my thirties, nothing seemed to change for me. i conceived 4 babies in my 30’s (the fourth of those was born just after i tured 40.) so yeah, the general guess of children spaced 2.5 years apart, was pretty much the rule of thumb throughout my 30s.

baby ten was born 39 months after baby nine. my fertility decreased as i turned 40. now i’m 46 and there are clear and consistent signs that my fertility has decreased significantly, if not almost altogether.

 

[ohne]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.

I think I’m called to priesthood, so I doubt I’ll be getting married, although I was just interested to know how many children I might have if I did.

Through people’s comments, I can see how holiness can be achieved through marriage as much as through other vocations by being so open to new life.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Hello,

Just a hypothetical situation I have been wondering about.

A couple marries in their early/mid twenties. Lets say the husband is 24 and the wife is 23.

They both desire a big family and don’t use any form of artificial contraception, or even NFP.

Assume they both have “normal” fertility and have sex at a “normal” frequency.

How many children would the wife be likely to give birth to?

The average family size before contraception became widely used was around 5-6. People married younger back then than the example you gave, but lifespans were also shorter. There is no way of knowing how many children this hypothetical couple might have, because some couples are naturally infertile while some couples are highly fertile.

 

[maryj]

My mother and father were 21 when they got married. I am number 11 of 11. My mother was 44 when I was born. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer when she was pregnant with me. After I was delivered she had a total hysterectomy, and radical mastectomy. So I guess if she hadn’t of gotten sick there probably could have been more of us. I lost my mother last year at the age of 89. When asked by my oldest sister why mom had eleven children she responded “well which one of you shouldn’t I have had”

 

[leonie]

My mom says that their family of five children was the smallest on the block when she was growing up. My grandparents married later for that era (at 30 years). Grandma used the rhythm method with great success. So, it did work for some couples back then…

I’d guess 9 kids for most bfing moms. But, there are so many variables…

We have 11-13 months of infertility with bf.