Tips to make FAM reliable PP/while BFing?

[mt_gooseberry]

I'm about 7mo pregnant right now, but I want to be as sure as I can be that I will not get pregnant again until I am ready, so I am starting to work on this now.  Due to religious reasons, I cannot use contraception.  Another pregnancy in the next few years would be VERY difficult b/c of financial and health reasons.  I tried NFP ala the Kipley's after I had my DD, but got pregnant at about 10mo PP without ever having had AF.  We bf and coslept.  I never noticed any fertile signs, and my temps were all over the place, which I attributed to frequent waking to nurse at night.  I know you can't make FAM foolproof (or anything besides abstinence, for that matter!), but I would really appreciate any advice on successfully using FAM PP and while BFing!

[JMJ]

I am guessing since you mention the Kippleys that you are familiar with ecological breastfeeding?  10 months is in the range that you would expect your fertility to return with ecological breastfeeding, but if you got that king of infertility without practicing ecological breastfeeding, you might get more space if you are careful about following all 7 standards of ecological breastfeeding, including taking a daily nap... if it is possible with 2 so young.

The most research has been done on LAM for 6 months.  If you meet the criteria for LAM, I wouldn't worry for the first 6 months, but then, given your history, I would start charting and abstain for any CM.  Most women will have a longer period of more fertile mucus, but since you didn't have that last time, I would be more careful after 6 months to look for any tiny amount of CM.  CCL now has a postpartum class, and Creighton people know the most about charting CM only (basically what you have to do before your first PP O).

You may also choose to look into the Marquette Method.  There's another thread going right now about Temping and night waking that has a good discussion of the MM.  It uses the Clearblue Fertility Monitor and is quite effective during breastfeeding, though it wastes a lot of urine test sticks that are not reusable.

[Jaimee]

Here's the thread:  http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1313956/fam-temp-taking-and-waking-nursing-babes

I'm curious about the MM method as well, but don't relish the idea of buying the monitor or the strips.  But, I have had two unplanned oops pregnancies attempting to use FAM postpartum.  While I get clear biphasic charts, it's not easy to tell when O is coming b/c my CF tends to be unpredictable.  Ds was conceived with 5 day old sperm and #3 was conceived on a random CD with no fertility signs.  Go figure.  I was thinking of continuing to use charting, but with much more liberal use of condoms during the even remotely possible fertile period, though I realize that condoms are not an option for you.