Question about NFP?

[filios]

Ok, so I know that every married couple must be opened to life. With that in mind, is it ok to practice Natural Family Planning indefnitely if you already have a lot of kids. Obviously if you happened to get pregnant while you are doing NFP then you have to accept that child as a gift from God and take on the responsibility of being a parent. But as long as you are accepting of the fact that you might get pregnant again is it ok to use NFP indefinitley?

 

[Nelka]

When we did our “lessons” before we were married we were taught about this as good.

That’s all I know.

 

[Alix1912]

We plan on using it indefnitely and we only have two kids. However, we started later in life, and my pregnancies are really hard on me. I’m not sure I could deal with two toddlers and being pregnant. Dealing with one and being pregnant is really draining, and I feel so guilty because I feel like my first is getting jipped, and my husband is having to pick up all the slack because I have so little energy. Are we open to life if it happens…yes, but we will be actively trying not to concieve anymore children.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

My understanding is yes, you could use NFP indefinitely if you wanted because you are still open to having a child if you were to become pregnant (and you’re not using extreme measures to prevent pregnancy).

 

[Kelley_Green]

Ok, so I know that every married couple must be opened to life. With that in mind, is it ok to practice Natural Family Planning indefnitely if you already have a lot of kids. Obviously if you happened to get pregnant while you are doing NFP then you have to accept that child as a gift from God and take on the responsibility of being a parent. But as long as you are accepting of the fact that you might get pregnant again is it ok to use NFP indefinitley?

If you’ll review the Vatican 2 encyclical you’ll note they were very clear about their concerns and the nature of those concerns should serve as something to meditate about. BC is not to interfere with your conscious awareness of sexuality being a sacred act of union. While you might spend the majority of your fertile years utilizing BC, it cannot come at the expense of that higher awareness.

I hope someday there would be more abundant literature in pew friendly language that explains the deeper meanings behind abstinence and use of BC in marriage. While so much of the flock and clergy obsess over BC being ‘the work of the devil’, they’ve neglected the other lessons most needful to distraction and created self fulfilling prophecy in the bargain.

Would such lessons be written in the spirit of honor thy mother and thy father it would go a long way to squelch the juvenile arguments of extremes trotting out gender war justifications for habitual disrespect and abuse of themselves and their beloved.

 

[kristleful]

You must have a serious reason to avoid… If you know you could not possible provide for another child (and often we underestimate our abilities and God’s providence in this regard), and your well-formed conscience is telling you it is best to avoid at this time, then NFP is allowed. And there are other reasons, too, like illness, serious medical issues, and so on… But the key point to keep in mind is that these decisions must be made out of love, and not for any reasons of selfishness such as inconvenience or just not wanting more kids.

I think instead of deciding to avoid more children indefinitely, it might be better to keep an ongoing conversation with God through prayer, asking Him if HE wants you to have more children. It may be that He would like you to have a break right now, but has another child in mind for you a little later on. Or He may know that you can handle more than you think. I think if we are honest with ourselves and God, constantly praying for a selfless and generous heart, then our own desires will fall more and more in line with God’s will for us. And it might indeed be the case that God is finished creating children through you, and in prayer you will arrive at a sense of peace that this is about what God wants, and not just your own decision.

 

[puzzleannie]

Ok, so I know that every married couple must be opened to life. With that in mind, is it ok to practice Natural Family Planning indefnitely if you already have a lot of kids. O?

yes if together you have decided in good prudential judgment that it is wise to continue abstaining from relations in order to avoid pregnancy, you can do that as long as the circumstances remain the same. Just having a lot of kids by itself is not necessarily a good reason, but it could be in some families, depending on other factors.

 

[Celticnovice]

My understanding is yes, you could use NFP indefinitely if you wanted because you are still open to having a child if you were to become pregnant (and you’re not using extreme measures to prevent pregnancy).

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