Just had baby how do I start NFP again

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catholicmomlmh

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I just had my first baby and he is 7 weeks now. I went to my doctor and am able to have sex with my husband again. The doctor told me that I would need to be on some form of birth control to space out my children but I informed him I was catholic and want to start nfp again. He then told me I should wait 3 more months before having sex so my menstrual cycle would be back to normal so I can determine my days of ovulation correctly. As a catholic I know that “pulling out” is morally wrong but as a wife I want to share and give love to my husband in an intimate way and not worry about getting pregnant again so quickly. Does three months seem to extreme to abstain from my husband? If so I need advice on how to deal with the situation I am in.
 
It depends on whether or not you are nursing your son.

If you are…then your cycles may be more difficult to interpret and they may not come back for at least 6 months if not longer. Usually there is a six month window you have if you’re nursing to not worry about ovulation and getting pregnant.

If you aren’t nursing…your cycles should come back much, much sooner. Mine came back within a month of giving birth.
I was able to start interpreting them after just one month of waiting.

Couple to Couple league has a book about post partum menstrual cycles and NFP. It might be worth investing…especially if you are nursing your son. It can help you interpret your cycles.

If you are that serious about waiting to conceive a second child…then maybe abstinence is the safest way to do so.
My husband and I abstained for several months. I was trying to learn NFP and I had a newborn.
It was a welcomed sacrifice we made that allowed us to plan our second baby in a time frame we felt comfortable with.
 
As Kelfa said, if you are nursing, follow this:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactational_amenorrhea

LAM is an extremely effective method of spacing births. The drawbacks are minimal… except that it really only works for six months or the return of your cycle, which ever comes first.

The plus side is that after six months or after your cycle returns you can just chart again.

Ecological breastfeeding is tough and it has to be used very consistently and from the start. Straight up LAM is simply this:
  1. Breastfeeding must be the infant’s only (or almost only) source of nutrition. Feeding formula, pumping instead of nursing,and feeding solids all reduce the effectiveness of LAM.
  2. The infant must breastfeed at least every four hours during the day and at least every six hours at night.
    3)The infant must be less than six months old.
  3. The mother must not have had a period after 56 days post-partum (when determining fertility, bleeding prior to 56 days post-partum can be ignored).
LAM is 98% - 99.5% effective during the first six months postpartum.
 
Take it slow.

Start with holding hands. 😉 😃

Bless You, Yours and your new You-ins. 🙂
 
As mentioned upthread, your doctor’s advice will only work if you are formula feeding. If you are breastfeeding, your fertility may be much more difficult to read for much longer than three months.

In a pinch, it is always possible to stop breastfeeding in order to get clearer information.
 
If you are breastfeeding, know that you are doing what is best for you and your baby and keep up the good work!

Some benefits: babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc

Check out Couple to Couple League or learn about LAM for help with NFP during this time. The time you breastfeed is a relatively short period in the grand scheme of things, but the benefits last a lifetime.

God bless you and your family!
 
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