I was chatting with my friends recently about breastfeeding, asking them when they got their periods back.
One friend, who recently had her fourth child, said she always gets her period back around 18 to 20 months post-partum. And all four of her children were born roughly 2 and a half years apart.
Yet another friend piped up that regardless of whether she was breastfeeding or bottle feeding, her period has always returned at just 6 weeks post-partum.
Iām certain that if youāve ever talked about pregnancy while breastfeeding with your friends, you too will have come across this mixed response.
So why is this?
Is breastfeedingās effect on fertility really just totally random and unreliable? Or is there a way to know whether or not breastfeeding could be a reliable form of natural child spacing for you and your family?
You see, exclusive breastfeeding isnāt the only factor in the return of fertility, even though many mums are told this by their health professionals.
There is a particular type of breastfeeding which does provide a natural, extended period of infertility.
Introducing… Ecological Breastfeeding.
Ecological breastfeeding is, I suppose, a āstyleā of breastfeeding. And it is really part of a natural approach to mothering your infant.
I filmed this episode of LizzieSophiaTV to explain Ecological Breastfeeding in detail. So give it a watch, and then keep reading š
Basically, Shiela Kippley has done extensive research of nursing mothers, and found 7 key factors that impact breastfeeding and natural child spacing.
The 7 Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding1 are…
(1) Do exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life; donāt use other liquids and solids.
(2) Pacify your baby at your breasts.
(3) Donāt use bottles and pacifiers.
(4) Sleep with your baby for night feedings.
(5) Sleep with your baby for a daily-nap feeding.
(6) Nurse frequently day and night, and avoid schedules.
(7) Avoid any practice that restricts nursing or separates you from your baby
The fact is that very few mothers in Western cultures feed in this way.
As one reviewer on Amazon put it…
For example, 96% of mothers in Australia initiate breastfeeding. But at just 3 months old less than half, just 39%, of babies are still being exclusively breastfed. By 6 months, this number has dropped to only 15%.2
And since exclusive breastfeeding is probably the key part of staying infertile, it starts to make sense why so many āI got pregnant while breastfeedingā stories are floating around.
So what about those mothers that do ecologically breastfeed? How many months of infertility do they usually experience?
Sheila and her husband John performed multiple research studies where they surveyed breastfeeding mothers.
I love research facts and figures, but I know not everyone does! So Iāll just highlight some of the key statistics. (All the research is cited in Sheilaās books if youāre interested!)
In a 19713 study, it was found that mothers who were ecologically breastfeeding had an average of 14.6 months of post-partum infertility. This survey was repeated in 1986 with an almost identical result of 14.5 months of infertility.
The study also found that the majority of women who were ecologically breastfeeding had their first period anywhere between 7 and 18 months post-partum.
My Experience With Ecological Breastfeeding
I am 15 month post-partum. And Iām still infertile. But a quick look at my breastfeeding āhabitsā shows exactly why…
- From six months of age, we introduced solids using Baby Led Weaning, so my daughter ate a lot less solids than babies being fed purees.
- I have never used a dummy or given bottles. I also regularly āpacifyā her at my breasts. Itās amazing what a quick feed does to improve a toddlerās mood!
- We are still bed-sharing, and I feed her roughly every two hours overnight. I also regularly take a nap with her during the day (honestly, this just depends on how tired I am though!).
- I continue to nurse frequently. Most people would call it snack feeding. Whatever. I just feed her when she wants it. Sometimes sheās hungry, sometimes sheās thirsty, sometimes Iām sure she just wants to snuggle me! I rarely go more than an hour without her having at least a quick suck.
- And finally, I am rarely separated from her. I stopped working from the day we married, and our finances have always been managed on the expectation that Stephen will be the only one working. Donāt get me wrong; I absolutely love it when she goes for a play at Grannyās house for a couple of hours so I can get some cooking, cleaning or blogging done. But for the most part, we are rarely separated.
I have officially passed the āaverageā return of fertility, and to be honest, Iām so curious to see when my fertility will eventually return!
Key Takeaways
Hopefully, Iāve finally shed some light on the ādoes breastfeeding work as contraception?ā conundrum!
It is important to say, Sheila found that when any one of the seven factors is missing, it significantly increases your chances of getting pregnant.
Ultimately, every mother-baby dyad is different.
Some mothers really will get pregnant very soon after giving birth even though they are following each of these steps. Other mothers will have to wean their nursling completely to achieve another pregnancy.
I think itās important to ask yourself…
am I okay with getting pregnant soon after giving birth?
If the thought of having another baby has you panicked, then you might wantĀ to look in to other forms of natural family planning.
In particular, check out this video that Heidi Kim made on the Ferning Method to track your ovulation.
If I were going to use any ovulation tracking, ferning would be it!
Aside from basal body temperature (which requires you to wake up at exactly the same time every morning, and is heavily influenced by other changes in your body such as sickness), it is the only ovulation tracking method that I am aware of that can be used before your cycle returns.
Also, you only pay the one-off cost of a mini-microscope, rather than the monthly cost of ovulation kits.
Of course there are many birth control options on the market. Iām not interested in discussing those here. I specifically mention ferning because Heidiās video was the first time Iād ever heard of it. And Iām assuming that mothers considering relying on natural breastfeeding infertility are looking for natural child spacing options.
And for those of you who think ecological breastfeeding might fit with your mothering style, I highly recommend that you check out Sheilaās books on the topic. Here’s my affiliate links…
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor is shorter and focused more on explaining each of the seven standards and the research behind them.
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing is slightly longer, and is much more focused on the parenting philosophy behind ecological breastfeeding. Of course, it still covers each of the seven standards.
Thanks for reading!
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References
1 http://www.nfpandmore.org/The%20Seven%20Standards%20Summary.pdf
2 https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/general-breastfeeding-information/breastfeeding-rates-australia
3 The Spacing of Babies with Ecological Breastfeeding, Kippley SK & JF, International Review of Natural Family Planning, 1989
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