Breastfeeding is making it impossible to read the signs of fertility. What do we do?

Full Question

My wife and I have been practicing NFP since we married. However, due to breastfeeding, the normal signals used to chart her cycle are completely haywire. It is impossible for us to say with certainty where she is in her cycle. What is the Church's teaching in this case?

Answer

If NFP is not reliable for any reason, you may find the only moral method for regulating births to be abstinence. However, there are methods of breastfeeding through which the mother will generally experience an extended period of infertility. For more on this, I recommend that you consult an NFP expert.
Jim Blackburn

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