Yet another NFP question...

[lotusblossom]

Okay, I apologize ahead of time if this question has been covered recently…I’m just too lazy to try to find one .

I just had a baby 5 weeks ago and am breastfeeding. Should I begin charting now? Also, will my temps be low or high to begin - as in will I be in Phase I or Phase III or none of the above?

I know the 6 wk mark is coming very soon and I don’t want to get pregnant anytime too soon (that sounds so awful, but you know what I mean). DH and I never really practiced NFP before we were pregnant with this one (honeymoon baby), but I had charted before we got married. I am sure the answer is in the book, but I gave it away (why, I’m really not sure now lol). Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Potato1]

Okay, I apologize ahead of time if this question has been covered recently…I’m just too lazy to try to find one .

I just had a baby 5 weeks ago and am breastfeeding. Should I begin charting now? Also, will my temps be low or high to begin - as in will I be in Phase I or Phase III or none of the above?

I know the 6 wk mark is coming very soon and I don’t want to get pregnant anytime too soon (that sounds so awful, but you know what I mean). DH and I never really practiced NFP before we were pregnant with this one (honeymoon baby), but I had charted before we got married. I am sure the answer is in the book, but I gave it away (why, I’m really not sure now lol). Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Wife and I are in the exact same situation. I am intrested in the answers as we have a seven wk old and we have just started to chart again.

 

[Ray_Scheel]

While breastfeeding, temps tend to be all over the map. That being said, some women notice a leveling off of sorts just before their first ovulation.

If exclusively breastfeeding, the following NFP rules may%between% apply:
The rules for LAM are simple: If a woman has given birth in the
last 6 months, is fully breastfeeding her baby (no formula, solid
food, etc.) and has not yet menstruated, she can assume she has
98% family planning effectiveness from breastfeeding alone.

You can achieve higher effectiveness by following guidelines of
“ecological mothering”: nursing on demand, nursing at night,
nursing in a lying-down position for naps and at night, no
bottles or pacifiers. The longest time between feedings each day
may be the strongest factor leading to the return of fertility,
so if the baby stops nursing during the night, the return of
fertility becomes more likely.From: web.ncf.ca/an588/nfp.html

You will need to watch for an eventual return to fertility, but while breastfeeding a woman’s fertility is generally greatly diminished

 

[chrysostom15]

It depends why you are trying to avoid a pregnancy. If the reasons are serious, you should abstain until your first cycle.

If you are fine with having another child at this time, you can wait until your first cyle. Generally, most women are regain fertility after 6 - 18 months

 

[Jennifer_J]

You could start charting right away, esp if becoming pregnant right now would be a problem. However, if you are ecologically breastfeeding (ccli.org/nfp/ebf/summary.php ) then for most women you get about 3 months of next to nil chance of pregnancy (assuming no fertility signs and no cycle return). The next 3 months it’s about 1% assuming your cycles haven’t resumed. I usually am aware of fertility signs during the first 6 months but don’t chart until about that 6 month mark. For me cervical mucous is VERY obvious and I know to start temping then. My first few cycles are usually not fertile, but each woman is different and it is possible to ovulate without a cycle, though you should have fertility signs. If you’re fairly new to charting, it might not hurt to chart for a bit to get a baseline of how your body is reacting to breastfeeding and then only note changes. During the postpartem time you are technically in Phase II, so keep that in mind as well.

You probably should contact your teaching couple for a review or even take a postpartem class to help you during this time. It can be frustrating and confusing. Just try taking it one day at a time.

Jennifer