Barbara Feldman (1944-2001) was one of the first teachers of Fertility Awareness in a non-religious context. A lifelong New Yorker, she worked as a public school teacher, and she founded the Fertility Awareness Center, which has been in continuous operation since approximately 1981.
Barbara believed fervently in networking and in community building, which is why, in a pre-internet age, she visualized a virtual community and called her practice a “center.” She would go on to coordinate a group called the Fertility Awareness Network that consisted of other “first generation” instructors of secular Fertility Awareness, such as Geraldine Matus and Toni Weschler. The seeds of that network eventually led to our professional organization, the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals, where I currently serve as Executive Director.
Over the years, Barbara taught thousands of people how to practice a form of sympto-thermal Fertility Awareness that she called “Birth Control, the Natural Way.” She also helped people achieve healthy pregnancies, counseled women facing unintended pregnancies about their options, and guided those passing through menopause. Barbara was steadfastly devoted to living life as naturally & healthfully as possible and was continuously involved in the exchange of knowledge toward this end. I was struck, after she died, by the sheer number of people whose lives she had touched. I feel very privileged to have had her as a teacher, mentor, and friend.
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- Yearbook photo?
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- Barbara teaching in NYC public school
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- Barbara (far right) with friends
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- Jeannine Parvati Baker, Barbara, Barbara’s partner Lawrence
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- Barbara teaching Fertility Awareness, in the early days
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- Using “the line” to explain the concept of the fertile window
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- Ilene and Barbara, 2001