Finn is the only one of my children that took a bit of planning and trying for. After Jackson's birth, I'd gotten a Mirena IUD that caused me a lot of problems- 3 ovarian cysts, 1 rupture, serious headaches, mild depression. I kept it until Jackson weaned himself at just over 18 months, simply because it didn't interfere with my milk supply and I was unsure of what I could use that wouldn't.
After I had the IUD removed, we decided to prevent for a bit and then try for baby #3, which would also be our last. I had been researching natural ways to prevent pregnancy and the neat thing is that the ways to keep from getting pregnant are the same ways that you can get pregnant if you want to!
i.e. If you know where you are in that month's cycle, you can determine whether or not to use abstain from sex or use a preventative like a condom in order to prevent pregnancy during your fertile days OR you will know which days you will have the best chances of conceiving! Cool, huh?
I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility! Great book about charting ovulation, reading your body's signs, and how to figure out what it all means for you if you're trying to conceive or if you're trying to prevent pregnancy.
This book will be a real encouragement for you if you're interested in learning about practicing natural family planning (NFP) or if you just want to know more about how your body works. I suggest it to every female- it's an eye opener... our bodies are so amazing!
I love the website Fertility Friend, as it keeps you from having to keep track of your cycles on paper. If you're a nerd like me, you'll love the charts! hehe
AND if it seems overwhelming, which I understand that it might... it blew my mind at first... there are electronic tools to help, such as the ones from Valley-Electronics, like Lady Comp or Lady Comp BABY! Expensive at first, yes, but so much cheaper than birth control over a period of time with absolutely no side effects.
For me, I am always looking for a sustainable option. I look for ways to produce less trash, to keep toxins out of our systems. As I learn to take a more natural approach to life, I thought that for as long as women in this country tend to take birth control pills over their lifetimes, there have to be better options than relying on taking hormones and dealing with potential side effects.
This time last year, I was absolutely going out of my mind wondering if THIS would be the cycle. I'd ovulated a couple of days prior and was waiting to test...
The picture at the top of my blog? Where Tim, Keelin, Jackson, and I are in the snow? We took that right after I'd gotten a positive pregnancy test (9 days post ovulation)... our first photo as a family of FIVE :)
2 comments:
I really want to read that book. I hear so many good things about it, and I don't want to use HBC once my period returns. (hopefully I will go 2.5 years like I did while nursing Jack)
Organized content is the best way to display or post an article, thank you for making it easy to digest your post.
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