Spouses cooperate with each other with NFP.

The following is an excerpt from the article, “Newlyweds Embrace NFP,” by Sarah Hammond, in the Jan.-Feb. 2010 issue of Family Foundations, the publication of the Couple to Couple League International.

Awkward at first

Unlike birth control, Natural Family Planning (NFP) does not leave the burden of family planning squarely on one spouse. Spouses discuss daily together and agree to abstain if there is a reason to postpone pregnancy. The decision and the responsibility to follow through belong equally to both. This sharing translates into other areas of their married life together.

For Eric Babbs, the work of charting his wife’s fertility observations felt awkward at first. Beyond the charting, Eric and Sarah struggled with polycystic ovarian syndrome and then suffered a miscarriage very early in their marriage. Despite these difficulties, now Eric said, “charting is one of our rituals as a couple that cements our closeness, as I assist Sarah in making temperature measurements each morning and as we discuss when a fertile time is about to begin or end.”

Loving each other through the abstinence

A man and a woman unable to give in to any and every sexual urge learn to control their passions, and during times of abstinence they practice loving each other in nonsexual ways. Sacrifice on some level will always be required throughout the seasons of a marriage, and NFP helps couples master it.

In certain cases, the need to postpone pregnancy is imperative. “NFP can be especially important in a military family,” said Adam Alexander, whose deployment in March will be for 12 months. “Some couples may not want to conceive a child right before deployment in which the wife would experience nine months of pregnancy and childbirth with her husband literally half a world away!”

That’s why Nicole mailed her first few carefully-marked charts in to CCL Central for review while taking the class to ensure they were interpreting them correctly. The couple even faced the challenge of abstaining on their wedding night. They sacrificed the immediate consummation of their vows for the greater good of their fledgling family. Instead, they enjoyed being together by relaxing and reflecting on their memorable wedding day.

Trusting in God

When newlyweds rely on God’s design for a woman’s fertility, they learn to be open to His plan for their lives, rather than to be narrowly focused on their own plans. NFP fosters trust between spouses, who have to be very open and vulnerable with each other. Although it felt a little funny at first to talk with Daniel about the consistency of my cervical mucus, realizing that he knows me so intimately (even if he does joke about it being “gross”); the fact that he loves all of me, makes me love and appreciate him so much more. Thanks to NFP, I feel Daniel and I really have become “one body” - in many ways.

In a season of dizzying change, we’re grateful for the roadmap of NFP, guiding us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We believe we have begun our marriage on the right track. And though it won’t be easy, we know we’re in for an incredible ride.

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Sign up for a membership at Couple to Couple League International and receive “Family Foundations.”

Natural Family Planning Classes Taught

The next series of classes in Natural Family Planning in northeast Illinois will begin Sunday, Aug. 8 at 1:30 pm at Holy Trinity Church in Westmont, taught by Chris & Debbie Lillig 630-428-3046.

To register, and for a list of classes throughout the U.S., go to the CCL Central class locator. Or go to the Chicago CCL’s Classes by Location/Maplinks.