Natural Family Planning

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Hi all

My wife and I have been recently blessed by the birth of our second daughter. This has led us to discuss our long term goals for the growth of our family.

We discussed with our OBGYN our options for birth control. However, placed heavy on our hearts was the Church’s teaching that artificial contraception is “intrinsically evil”. We desire to please God and want to be open to his will and blessings for our life.

That said. For those who are practicing NFP, what method do you use and find useful? Any other helpful advice.

Thanks in advance.

Leafcatcher.
 
The four main models of NFP are:

Sympto-Thermal as taught by either Couple to Couple League or Northwest Family Services

Creighton Model NFP

Billings Ovulation Model

Marquette Model NFP

They are all effective. Some are better suited for certain women or certain circumstances (for example women who want to consult with Dr. Hilgers at the Pope Paul VI Institute need to chart Creigton), and some suit particular lifestyles (for example, shift workers may not want to take temperatures, etc). You can google these and read about them on their websites.
 
I use the Sympto-Thermal Method and love it. I like having the temperature sign as confirmation that I ovulated. I have a hard time trusting just my mucus observations, so I really depend on the thermal shift to tell me when it’s “safe” to have relations. I would suggest taking the CCL class or home study course if that is the method you decide to go with. FWIW, I used the method to get pregnant and to avoid getting pregnant successfully. Our babies weren’t planned, but definitely weren’t surprises. All 3 times DH and I took a chance when we knew a pregnancy could occur.

Good Luck!
 
We use the Creighton Method. The hardest part is getting to make sure you know your wife’s cycle. Once you are comfortable with how her body works, it becomes simple to track when she is likely fertile. For my wife and I, we know that she will ovulate 14-18 days into her cycle. Now that we are comfortable with that, there is very little concern that another child will come along.

That being said, we are always open to life and would welcome another child. Not that we want another one, but we accept the fact that sex can result in babies. We are not intimate when we know that likelihood is high.
 
fermat said:
We use the Creighton Method. The hardest part is getting to make sure you know your wife’s cycle. Once you are comfortable with how her body works, it becomes simple to track when she is likely fertile. For my wife and I, we know that she will ovulate 14-18 days into her cycle. Now that we are comfortable with that, there is very little concern that another child will come along.

That being said, we are always open to life and would welcome another child. Not that we want another one, but we accept the fact that sex can result in babies. We are not intimate when we know that likelihood is high.
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This is exactly what you are not supposed to do …rely on day numbers.

NFP is watching symptoms, because ovulation can be delayed due to many factors. It doesn’t matter if the cycle changes every month, because the symptoms tell you what is going on that day.

I also recommend using a teacher no matter what method.
 
fermat said:
For my wife and I, we know that she will ovulate 14-18 days into her cycle. Now that we are comfortable with that, there is very little concern that another child will come along.

We are not intimate when we know that likelihood is high.
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What you describe here is not the Creighton Model NFP. If you are estimating or having intercourse on days that are known to be fertile, the Creighton instruction would say you have abandoned the method and are engaging in achieving behavior.
 
Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my explanation. My wife and I rely heavily on the observations. That’s is how we know that ovulation takes place somewhere between 14-18 days in a given month. Without the observations, we would be total lost. In our case we have been using NFP for six years, so we have a very high comfort level with her cycle; however, that only came through repeated observations.
 
Thanks everyone. All of your advice and direction is very helpful. We are gonna have to research the many methods and then pray it out.

Oh an we are still actively monitoring the thread. We are very interested in whats worked for you. Thanks again

Leafcatcher
 
leafcatcher said:
HiWe discussed with our OBGYN our options for birth control. However, placed heavy on our hearts was the Church’s teaching that artificial contraception is “intrinsically evil”. We desire to please God and want to be open to his will and blessings for our life.

.
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yes many of us have faced and are facing the same concerns. it may help to restate the issue properly “the TRUTH that use of artificial contraception is intrinsically evil” weighs heavily upon us. The Church teaches it because it is true, that is how the whole thing was designed to work by the Creator and it can’t be changed without doing violence to the whole arrangement–sex, family, marriage, relational and family health and well being and so forth.

Please take a lesson from my generation the first to have chemical means of ABC available, more reliable than mechanical and other means that had been available before: use of ABC will damage your marriage, sometimes irretrievably, and have unforseen and often drasting health consequences as well. Those of us who have been married 40+ years and are now dealing with the long term damage, or divorced sometimes after many many years of marriage, because of this evil can attest. Believe it or not but heed the advice: trust in God to know what is best for your and your family. His ways are not our ways.

Please please embrace the growth in true intimacy that arises when a couple is committed to NFP and regards it as something they practice together.
 
Hello. I am currently learning Creighton. Creighton requires learning with an instructor.

I used to use Billings. It’s very similar, and you can actually learn it through an online teacher for a fee. Their website is www.woomb.org.

I like both methods, they are very similar, and are mucus only observations.

Also try to find a NFP only doctor. you can find one at onemoresoul.com/

I just checked it to make sure it’s the right address out and there is Father Corapi’s picture is right there. 😃

Good luck.
 
One option after childbirth are the Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding. NFP International has an online manual which teaches all fertility signs and rules, eco-breastfeeding, and related Church doctrine. Free charts are available on the home page of www.NFPandmore.org. Their Home Study Course (click at the top of the home page) is very reasonable and is an easy way to learn NFP.
 
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