Does anyone like NFP?

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I really do like NFP and what it does for my marriage. If ABC was suddenly allowed by the Church, I would still choose NFP to space children.
 
kage_ar said:
There are many things that are good for us that we may not LIKE (at least not all of the time…)

Eating right
Exercise
Cleaning the house
Going to Mass (sometimes I just want to sleep in on the weekends)
Fasting/Abstaining from meat on Fridays

The list could be a mile long.
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I think this is problematic. Look at the opposites of the things you have listed:

Eating Unhealthy food
Not exercising
Letting your house fall into disorder
Skipping Mass
Not following rules of fast/abstinence

All of these are not good things.

Now let’s compare that with the opposite of using NFP:

Participating in the marital act when desired.

Contrary, to the opposites above, this IS a very good thing. In fact, it is living in total harmony with the way that God the Father designed the human person. He made man and woman for each other and to enjoy each other as they are so moved. In this sense NFP, is unnatural as it goes against the ideal written in God’s creation. Because it is unnatural it is difficult, but it is, at the same time, good because it is a gift from a benevolent Creator for those times when a new pregnancy would present a particular difficulty for a couple.
 
Sure said:
Now let’s compare that with the opposite of using NFP:

Participating in the marital act when desired.
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I think the assumption is that we’re discussing couples who WANT to plan their families… and the comparison is to using ABC…
 
I would use NFP if I couldn’t take the Pill. I studied NFP when ttc our daughter. Although, I didn’t do all the charting, it gave me confidence in knowing what was going on with my body.

Hmmm…I don’t believe the opposite of NFP is not having sex when you want to. You can use other means of BC and sex is not always intercourse.
 
CindyC said:
I would use NFP if I couldn’t take the Pill. I studied NFP when ttc our daughter. Although, I didn’t do all the charting, it gave me confidence in knowing what was going on with my body.

Hmmm…I don’t believe the opposite of NFP is not having sex when you want to. You can use other means of BC and sex is not always intercourse.
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This is a Catholic forum, posters are going to give advice that follows the Church teaching. ABC is not an option for Catholics (or for any Christians).

Also, sexual relations again are covered by Catholic teaching on marriage. Intercourse is always part of the marital act.
 
Dacinom said:
I don’t think NFP is some magic that brings you closer…what it IS though is a million times better for a marriage then artificial birth control.
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It is also a million times better for your body than ABC.
 
kage_ar said:
This is a Catholic forum, posters are going to give advice that follows the Church teaching. ABC is not an option for Catholics.

Also, sexual relations again are covered by Catholic teaching on marriage. Intercourse is always part of the marital act.
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Which is what I assumed as well. The reason NFP is at times unpleasant or difficult is because it goes against the way God designed our bodies (in His image). It’s a gift from God when needed but because it goes against our design, it can be difficult.
 
kage_ar said:
This is a Catholic forum, posters are going to give advice that follows the Church teaching. ABC is not an option for Catholics (or for any Christians).

Also, sexual relations again are covered by Catholic teaching on marriage. Intercourse is always part of the marital act.
Click to expand...
The question was, “Does anyone like NFP?” and I have a very favorable opinion about it.

I’m a craddle Catholic, where was I supposed to learn about the Catholic teachings on sex? It’s not exactly in the Homily.

It’s not even part of Engaged Encounter.

I really wish there was better outreach in our Churches.
 
Like the idea of NFP because there’s no question of it being harmful or toxic. I think it takes special people and commitment to make NFP acceptable and workable, but well worth it. We’ve been married almost 50 years, and have two children (another pregnancy ended in miscarriage). So, NFP is effective. However, I think with NFP, the “accidents” are usually a girl. And they say that conception at ovulation usually produces a boy. Also, I’ve heard speculation that babies conceived too distant from ovulation time often are weaker and have health problems.
 
CindyC said:
The question was, “Does anyone like NFP?” and I have a very favorable opinion about it.

I’m a craddle Catholic, where was I supposed to learn about the Catholic teachings on sex? It’s not exactly in the Homily.

It’s not even part of Engaged Encounter.

I really wish there was better outreach in our Churches.
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Begin with the Catechism of the Catholic Church

you can find it at your local bookstore or library

searchable on line at scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

or at www.usccb.org
www.vatican.va
 
The Catholic school I attended, which had mostly nuns and brothers in the 1950’s, taught us (separately, boys and girls)
enough information about sex to give us a good foundation for marriage. Do they today offer such special teaching or include it in religion class? And where are the parents in all of this? As for the pill, after my miscarriage at age 35, the physician put me on the pill “to regulate my cycle.” I never felt quite well the entire six months while on the pill, developed multiple nodular goiter, and stopped taking the pill. I’m not positive there’s an association, but didn’t want to take any more chances by continuing on the pill. I still think NFP is the best, and healthiest, for properly motivated, Christian-minded couples.
 
I have a great NFP story! I got married this past July (July 7). I am young (21) and my wife is a year younger. We are both still in college and due to graduate this spring. We knew we wanted children young, but definitely wanted to wait a few years.

We took classes on NFP, read all the books, charted with the Creighton system, and had great coach…and guess what happened? We got pregnant!! Just a few months after the wedding. (baby is due June 1st) It was a surprise, it was not planned, it was not ideal, it has been hectic, it is scary…yada yada yada…but it has been wonderful!

The Lord has a way of working these things out. I don’t blame or fault Creighton for our pregnancy. Its a great system and everyone I know that is on it has only planned children. We will get the system down one day, but in the meantime God has blessed us with a child!

I love NFP. I love being open to life. I love knowing that I am not a slave to my animal instincts and that my baby is going to be a testament to “Let Go and Let God”.

All of our friends say, “They’re crazy. You know, they’re Catholics. They don’t believe in birth control.” Its hard to address the subject when people ask because you naturally feel a little embarrassed, but I am proud to be an NFP user.

The other thing is…what in the world did people do before NFP? Husbands and wives have been having sex and having babies for thousands of years (and now its safer for the woman)…and now all of a sudden, with our countries wealth and prosperity we are having less kids? and aborting them? (and woman spend half their youth in grad school and marry late in life and then wonder why they are not as fertile…?)

How else do people interpret “Be Fruitful and Multiply?” Children are a blessing from God, as is fertility. Sorry to ramble on, but as someone who NFP didn’t exactly work for, I thought I should come out and still say how proud and happy I am to be Catholic and not fall into the evil trap of contraception. Why is everybody so afraid of having kids? God gave women that special gift and purpose. And as men, we must grow up and “man up” and accept the responsibility of fatherhood and protector/provider. (Its the men these days who are just as bad about the birth control…they don’t want the added “burden” of that 3rd or 4th child)

P.S. Don’t let my story deter anyone away from NFP because the Creighton Model System is 99% effective (same statistic as the pill)…there’s always that 1% chance.
 
Risorgimento-- I just want to say that your attitude is absolutely wonderful! I think that is the aspect of NFP that is a difficult thing is that you are “Letting go and letting God” since that is a difficult thing for many to do. It is hard since the general opinion is that a couple should wait to start a family----but obviously God has other plans!

I am from a family who is pro-contraception and I don’t get much support for them in my choice to be pro-NFP (I started charting CrM in July for health reasons, though I plan to use it when I’m married in a year or so!)

I really admire you for your attitude! You and your new wife will definitely be in my prayers, and I congratulate you on both your new marriage and the coming child!!

God Bless!
 
Sure said:
Now let’s compare that with the opposite of using NFP:

Participating in the marital act when desired.Contrary, to the opposites above, this IS a very good thing. In fact, it is living in total harmony with the way that God the Father designed the human person. He made man and woman for each other and to enjoy each other as they are so moved. In this sense NFP, is unnatural as it goes against the ideal written in God’s creation. Because it is unnatural it is difficult, but it is, at the same time, good because it is a gift from a benevolent Creator for those times when a new pregnancy would present a particular difficulty for a couple.
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I think you might be (incorrectly) reading or using the term “NFP” as automatically synonymous with “trying to avoid pregnancy.”

NFP is simply an umbrella term for different methods of tracking fertility. What each couple does with that info (abstain or engage in relations) is where their prayerful discernment comes in.
 
Love, love, love this thread!! Charting has been the single biggest blessing to my health. Being of one mind with God in His plans for our family has been the single biggest blessing to our marriage.

NFP changed our mindset from “how to avoid pregnancy” to “How to embrace more children.”

I have to address the following post though. It was this kind of thinking that led to my years of bad choices. It was Church teaching on marriage that helped turn me around in all areas of my life.
Sure said:
Now let’s compare that with the opposite of using NFP:Participating in the marital act when desired.Contrary, to the opposites above, this IS a very good thing. In fact, it is living in total harmony with the way that God the Father designed the human person. He made man and woman for each other and to enjoy each other as they are so moved. In this sense NFP, is unnatural as it goes against the ideal written in God’s creation. Because it is unnatural it is difficult, but it is, at the same time, good because it is a gift from a benevolent Creator for those times when a new pregnancy would present a particular difficulty for a couple.
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[emphasis by me.] I used to be a slave to my desires (sexual and otherwise.) I used to think that if I wanted something right now, then it was a good thing. Not so. My husband has this example:

He would love to be playing golf or chess, or going out fishing/camping. He desires those activities 24/7. Does that mean that he should skip work and go out and do what he desires, just because he desires it right at that moment? Fishing is in total harmony with the design of the human person. It is enjoyable and has the potential for feeding his family. However it is not how he earns his living.

What NFP helped teach us in our marriage is a better understanding of our desires and how those desires fit into God’s plan. The thinking that makes for good NFP marriages applies to all aspects of marital life.

A dear friend (non-Catholic) and I were discussing NFP a few years back and she said the exact phrase about ABC. “I can have sex with my husband whenever I desire…” I said, “So can I. The real question is, ‘are my desires in line with God’s plan for my marriage?’”

They divorced last year. She cited sexual problems as one of the reasons.
 
I credit NFP with slowly letting me see that all my problems belong to God. I feel sorry for those who seem wrapped up in the inconveniece of charting and abstaining. It can be so much more than that if you let it. Certainly if you compare ABC to NFP looking at only the conveniences then you’ll come up short on the NFP side of it.
 
CindyC said:
The question was, “Does anyone like NFP?” and I have a very favorable opinion about it.

I’m a craddle Catholic, where was I supposed to learn about the Catholic teachings on sex? It’s not exactly in the Homily.

It’s not even part of Engaged Encounter.

I really wish there was better outreach in our Churches.
Click to expand...
During my Engaged Encounter in January 2006 we spent an afternoon learning about NFP.
 
My husband and I have been married 21 years, have 2 biological sons and an adopted daughter. When we first married we did use artificial BC but soon realized that wasn’t what we should be doing. We soon found NFP to be easy and even better we became closer and even looked forward to the periods of abstaining. It was during those times that we could be intimate on different levels and our marriage has flourished. We’re now in the menopausal phase and not having much trouble with it.
I think that God really showers your marriage with special Graces when you use NFP, so don’t give up, it’s well worth it. I only hope my children will follow church teaching and do this. They will have a much better shot at a successful marriage with it. At a retreat last year a Priest was giving a talk on marriage and said that he did a lot of marriage counseling. When a marriage was in trouble one of the first things he asked the couple was when one of them was sterilized. Almost inevitably it has happened and was about 8 years prior to their problems. He really felt that contracepting and sterilization has had a dramatic impact on marriage and as I have thought about some of my friends and family members who have had marital problems this theme had run true. So hang in there, it will truly bless your marriage. God Bless your family.:o
 
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