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Marquette During the Breastfeeding Transition
Marquette During the Breastfeeding Transition
The Marquette Method of NFP is fully compatible with breastfeeding, even before cycles return postpartum! The Marquette breastfeeding protocols offer women a straightforward method to monitor their daily hormone levels and use that data to help women know when to abstain or not if they are avoiding pregnancy postpartum.
What does it involve? A quick morning test of urine each day (takes only a few minutes) provides objective measurements of urinary hormones of estrogen and LH, interpreted by the Clearblue (or Mira) monitor. While the monitor was designed to help women in regular cycles achieve pregnancy, the Marquette Method uses very unique and specific protocols to use the technology as a tool for NFP purposes (achieving or avoiding pregnancy in various different reproductive stages).
Once you've learned the protocol, it's simple and straightforward to get started! You just need to purchase a few supplies, and you can be up and testing as soon as 24-48 hours after your instruction. You can have available days for intimacy within 2 days of starting (provided your hormones show low levels of fertility)! Many women coming from other methods report a high rate of user satisfaction not having to monitor mucus during the breastfeeding transition. One study (Fehring, Barron & Schneider, 2005) showed that users of mucus methods of NFP had to abstain around 52% of their Cycle 0 days, while users of Marquette had to abstain around 16%.
The Marquette Method breastfeeding protocols have a perfect use efficacy rate of 98%, and typical use rate of 96%
Breastfeeding NFP Difficulty
Breastfeeding NFP Difficulty
Breastfeeding is an excellent source of nutrition for your baby, with health benefits for both baby and mama. The US Agency for Healthcare Research Quality - Analyses and Review in 2007, showed that breastfeeding reduced rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer later in life. It also is known to aid in maternal health outcomes, improving uterine recovery post-birth, reducing rates of breast cancer, and lowering incidences of post-partum depression and anxiety. God designed the perfect nutrition for your baby!
But breastfeeding can make some methods of NFP very difficult to use. Two biological markers often used to track fertility during regular cycles may be unreliable during breastfeeding before your cycles return. This time is known as Cycle 0.
Cervical Mucus
Cervical Mucus
Cervical Mucus, while an important sign of rising estrogen and rising fertility in regular cycles, does not correlate well with fertility in Cycle 0. Women who are tracking mucus to determine fertility may have unnecessary abstinence.
Temperature
Temperature
Temperature, a sign that progesterone has risen post ovulation, is often absent or weak after the body's first successful postpartum ovulation. Women may not see a shift at all, or they may see a general rise, but it may not be strong enough to confirm ovulation.
Marquette Breastfeeding Protocol
Marquette Breastfeeding Protocol
Marquette Method of NFP avoids the difficulty of these bio-markers being unreliable in Cycle 0 because it relies on direct measurement of urinary hormones (Estrogen and LH) instead.
Marquette recognizes what many studies have shown: rising estrogen is the best indicator of fertility beginning, and the LH surge indicates ovulation is about to occur within 12-36 hours
A quick test each morning with your first morning urine gives you your daily test result. That's it. No monitoring mucus all day.
Common Questions
Common Questions
When should I start tracking my fertility after my baby is born?
You can start tracking as soon as 4-6 weeks PP, though many women prefer to wait until sometime between then and 6 months if they qualify for the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) which can be used for up to 6 months PP.
What is the Lactation Amenorrhea Method of NFP?
LAM is a well-studied method of family planning that is time-limited to the postpartum breastfeeding period in the first 6 months. To qualify, you need to be less than 6 months PP, have had no bleeding at all after 8 weeks PP, be exclusively breastfeeding (85% directly from the breast, not pumped bottle-fed milk) every 3 hours during the day and 6 hours at night.
If all the conditions of LAM are met, it has been studied and shown to be 98% effective
What if I'm not comfortable with LAM or have had my fertility return sooner than 6 months despite exclusive breastfeeding in the past?
While LAM is a great option for some women, some women are more comfortable starting out with the Marquette breastfeeding protocols. That's totally fine! You can dive right into Marquette postpartum
Only 30% of breastfeeding postpartum mothers qualify for LAM. You will not qualify if:
Baby sleeps well for 6 hours or more at night, or more than 3 hours during the day, or
You pump more than 15% of the feeds, or
You have had any spotting/bleeding postpartum
Can I use the Marquette breastfeeding protocols if I'm pumping some/supplementing with formula, or exclusively pumping?
Yes! Unlike LAM, the Marquette Breastfeeding protocols can be used as long as a women is breastfeeding or pumping and feeding her child breastmilk at least 1-2 times a day. We may have some tailored instructions for when fertility returns for the woman who is exclusively pumping.
When should I get instruction for the breastfeeding protocol?
It's totally up to you! Some women like to prepare before birth with a class, and have everything ready to go beforehand. If you go that route, we can set up a refresher follow-up when you are ready to start testing!
Many women find it easier to learn the method when they are ready to use it. We recommend learning the method around 4-6 weeks postpartum, when you are ready to resume intimacy (lochia has stopped). You can get started as soon as 24 hours after the class.
Is this an expensive method postpartum?
Breastfeeding protocols do require more sticks than regular cycles. You will need to use around a stick a day. I have a breakdown of the costs here. Once you return to regular cycles (3rd stage of the breastfeeding transition), you will use far fewer sticks/cycle.
What do I need to get started with the breastfeeding protocol?
For the Clearblue Monitor breastfeeding protocol, you will need the monitor, sticks, and LH strips. More info here!
For the Mira Monitor breastfeeding protocol, you will need the Mira Analyzer, Plus wads, and optional LH strips if desired. More info here and you can contact me for Mira pricing discount to discuss exact costs.
Ready to get started?
Ready to get started?
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