Providence and NFP
Amy and Steve Armour’s story has the fingerprints of Providence throughout. It began with their meeting when Amy interviewed for a job and Steve sat on the interview panel. Steve had spent time in seminary and was aware that Amy’s resume included work with Catholic organizations. “I felt very drawn to her and it was kind of a love at first sight situation,” he describes. “I had wanted to quit a few months beforehand, so I believe the Holy Spirit really kept me there.”
Even before getting engaged, the two were familiar with NFP from study and friends. “Not only was I sold because I liked the idea, but also it felt normalized because I knew other people around me were doing it,” Amy says.
The couple emphasize that NFP is more than fertility awareness— it is about the whole body. “We walked out of our first symptothermal class and said, ‘Wow, even if we stripped the theology out, the biology of this class was way better and more detailed than anything we got in school,’ says Amy. “It’s learning about your body and why it does the things it does.”
Practice = Confidence
During engagement, Amy and Steve were able to practice charting her cycles. Amy gained confidence in her ability to chart before she needed to put the knowledge into practice after marriage. Having those conversations gave them a “language of communication,” and charting allowed them to be comfortable with natural family planning.
The couple’s journey was unique. Amy struggles at times with mental health challenges. She was on a medication that necessitated postponing pregnancy early in their marriage. NFP helped them navigate that challenge and brought greater self-awareness.
As Amy worked through various symptoms, NFP helped her see how they aligned with her cycle. “That really showed me the hormonal impact on the way my brain was working, and how my thoughts were triggered,” she says.
Growth
For Steve, practicing NFP in the context of Amy’s specific needs has helped him grow both as a husband and Catholic psychotherapist.
“The Lord’s very much in control from the greatest cosmos to the tiniest atom in our bodies, right?” he says. “There’s this order and while it’s perfect, we’re not perfect, and there’s bound to be some friction. Trying to keep it in context like that really helped me to understand us together, but also Amy individually.”
Now parents of a young son, Amy and Steve have spoken about NFP at pre-Cana retreats and are discerning becoming a CCLI teaching couple.
Advice
A piece of advice Steve always shares with men is this: “Don’t be afraid to talk to your wife about her body and what’s going on, she’s trying to figure it out too.” NFP can be a language, he says, equipping a couple for better conversations.
Amy agrees, saying NFP brings regular dialogue about pregnancy, prudence, and how each person is doing. “That feels really different than other ways I’m seeing people experience that conversation,” she says. “It’s opened lines of communication for us in a natural, integrated way. It gave us a vocabulary for these conversations; where I stood, what my hormones were doing.”
Ultimately, they say, learning NFP has empowered them to share with others too, spreading the word.
“When someone says, ‘I’m struggling and don’t want to be on my birth control,’ it’s made me feel more comfortable to say, ‘Here’s a thing we do that I would love to tell you about,’” Amy says. “It’s given us that ability to open the door into conversations to share our faith, but in a very biological, needs-based way.”
Fertility Science Institute can provide resources, information, and classes to help you better understand your cycles and fertility. The FSI Directory will connect you with physicians, scientists, and experts from other methods to provide the best instruction and support possible.