My husband and I started practicing Natural Family Planning after the birth of our first son (he was about 7 months old and I was still nursing). We took a course through our Roman Catholic diocese and haven't looked back! Here are the posts I did as we went through our classes:
Class number 1
Class number 2
Final class
Marquette University (yes, a Catholic university) is actually conducting federally (not religiously) funded scientific research on the effectiveness of Natural Family Planning. You can read things like definitions, different methods, instructions/guidelines and read more about their research here and here. The reason I emphasize that their research was federally funded is because so often NFP is looked upon as something for people with faith-based reasons, but this is something that is based on the natural biorhythms of a woman's reproductive system.
Also, the Couple to Couple League has many resources for every stage in life, as well as a home course! Their bookstore is an excellent resource to reference throughout the different stages of life (postpartum, menopausal, etc.).
Some other entries I've really enjoyed reading from other bloggers about NFP are:
Part of a Conversion to Catholicism Story (she's linked Part 1 and 2 in this entry if you're in her conversion to Catholicism)
Interesting Correlations between Breast Cancer and Contraception (with references)
Trust & NFP (last year's theme of NFP awareness week was Trust: God has a Plan for Your Marriage)
NFP from a Husband's Perspective (a Top Ten list)
Thank you to these writers for eloquently expressing their NFP experience and perspectives!
Whether for religious or other personal convictions, NFP really is something for everyone. While it is something that has helped us postpone pregnancy for reasons my husband and I decided with God's guidance, when the time was right we have also been blessed to conceive our 2nd child easily!
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