(no subject)

[commotiocordis]

From Wikipedia's article on the "Lactational amenorrhea method" of birth control (I've been wiki!jumping again, LOL).

"The lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) is a method of avoiding pregnancies which is based on the natural postpartum infertility that occurs when a woman is amenorrheic and fully breastfeeding."

Easy enough. But then we scroll down to the sub-header of "ecological breastfeeding", which is basically a subset philosophy where the only difference is a set of stricter rules for the same thing. Rules include:

The infant must be breastfed often. The standards for LAM are a bare minimum (q 4 hours during the day, q 6 hours overnight); more frequency is better. Scheduling of feedings should be avoided.

Mothers must sleep with their infants – in the same room, if not in the same bed.

Mothers must not be separated from their infants for more than three hours a day.

Mothers must take daily naps with their infants.

The further reading source at the bottom is a book titled Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing: How Ecological Breastfeeding Spaces Babies.

OH, I KNOW, I KNOW! It spaces babies because you're so busy feeding and napping with and sleeping in the same bed with and not being separated for more than 3 hours ever and waking up every 4 hours to suckle your baby that you're too busy/tired to have sex! Question answered. I should have written that book.

Comments

[crashcart9.livejournal.com]

Whoa! You totally misunderstood me. Wasn't knocking the system at all--my whole family is Catholic, so it's actually something I'm pretty familiar with, the whole natural planning stuff. I guess it didn't come across right--I was knocking the way it was presented, because the list form and the equal emphasis on the rules besides EBF (when, as I know and you said, that's the most important one) made it sound like this system was some big time-consuming sacrifice, when IMO, this is all shit that mothers should be doing anyway.

Pretend I just added a big "Uh huh!" of agreement to everything you said--twas poor expression on my part.

[xakana.livejournal.com]

Eek, I'm sorry, then, for misunderstanding! It sounded like you were knocking the whole parenting way. Probably just defensive because of how many people DO knock it. Honestly, I felt a little gypped that the surgery kick-started my fertility, lol. I'm hoping the next one I don't get my period again for a good year or so.

[crashcart9.livejournal.com]

It's crazy that people would. Idk if it's just how I was brought up, but everything I've heard about your AP style is pretty much just putting words to the stuff that I saw my parents do with us, so it seems so natural.

Wow, though. My understanding was that you might still get your period, but just be infertile during the post-baby lag time--pretty handy that the period doesn't come back either. Good luck with that! How much longer do you have to go before you've got another bouncing bundle of babyjoy on your hands?

[xakana.livejournal.com]

Well, if you get your period before 6 months, then it's typically infertile--I didn't ovulate until Lilly was 9 months old (I chart my fertility) so I still got 4 months more of no ovulation, but I did have AF during that time.

I'm 17 1/2 weeks, so that means 22 1/2 weeks left (approximately--Lilly was 42 weeks, after all). My EDD is Jan 3. I got to finally hear the heartbeat when a lady from one of the forums I'm on sent me a doppler because she knows how stressful it can be to wonder! And I think there might have been two, but it could have just been baby swimming fast and accelerating the heartbeat, lol. Hopefully, I'll know in a few weeks!`

[xakana.livejournal.com]

(ugh, sorry, having some problem with the computer--hope this time it works)

Thanks for playing, but um, no. First, you are waking every 2-4 hours no matter HOW you feed your baby for the first three months. Then it stays about the same until around a year when it's every 4-6 hours. That is, if you are a decent, caring parent.

Second, I know PLENTY of moms who have very healthy sex lives on that schedule. You just grow up and get over pre-conditioned sleeping habits. I had a sleeping disorder for my entire life until about 2 months into being a mother. Now it's gone, I sleep better than I ever have and yes, the beginning is exhausting, but it's exhausting whether you're a good parent or a selfish neglectful one. Doesn't mean it has to be a negative experience.

Next, LAM varies from woman to woman. I only had it 5 months despite EBFing (the only actual requirement--EBFing meaning exclusive breastfeeding--no bottles, no solids, no other liquids, just breastmilk from the tap--which all babies are supposed to eat for at least 6 months to insure a secure immune system and prevent damage to the intestines, which are open for the first six months), but that's probably because I had surgery--it mucked up my biological rhythm. I have a friend who had to take a supplement to return her fertility because she was trying to conceive and still had LAM going, even though they were down to only a few nursing sessions a day (around 22 months).

By the way, cosleeping reduces SIDS and does nothing to stop anyone from having sex. Have an imagination why don't you :-p For crap's sake, in case you haven't noticed, I AM pregnant (for the third time since Lilly was born) and she nurses 8-12 times a day and we cosleep (she sleeps through the night, now, which I'm glad to have that time before the next baby comes... not that I can, I've gotta get up and pee every couple hours, lol).

Don't knock something you've only partially read up on and haven't tried. Especially when it's something important to one of your friends (not the LAM, but the parenting style that LAM goes with).