Sesame Ginger Quinoa Salad

Spring is that you? Yes! For a moment we thought the sun would never return to us here in the mitten state, but what better way to celebrate than with this beautiful Spring salad by PopSugar?

Here is the batch that I whipped up. This recipe is easy, delicious, nutritious, and one of those rare recipes that turns out just like the picture advertised! Hope you celebrate the sun with some clean and colorful food today!

Pregnant Mama 2-Day Retreat

What better Mothers Day gift than this beautiful retreat? Hosted by Kristin Revere and myself. You wont want to miss it!

Trusting Your Body for Pregnancy or Prevention

How many different products and methods are out there to “help” you achieve or prevent pregnancy? It seems that so many of us have become dependent on a pill or a doctor to try and control our bodies. The truth is, this dependency separates us from the sacred connection and understanding of ourselves. If you can take the time to listen and learn the natural method of your body, you will be incredibly empowered. Your body is SACRED, your body is BEAUTIFUL, and your body is CAPABLE.

Today’s very special article is brought to you by Tricia Seymour. She is sharing her valuable knowledge and experience on what some refer to as Natural Family Planning. Take this information and run with it, I think you’ll be happy with where it takes you. 

To learn more: visit www.crowinglotus.com and check out the upcoming events including (some free) Ovulation Orientation, Womb Wellness, and Natural Fertility workshops held at Cedar Tree Birth & Wellness.

Natural Family Planning: Billings Ovulation Method (By: Tricia Seymour)

(Disclosure: This post will discuss Natural Family Planning, but is not meant to teach the reader how to practice Natural Family Planning. Information will be linked at the end of this post on how to learn Natural Family Planning.)

When my husband and I began to get serious, he mentioned to me he wanted to practice Natural Family Planning (NFP) when we were married. I was horrified to say the least, mostly because I didn’t know exactly what NFP was and I was basing my reaction off incorrect assumptions. I, like most people I’ve encountered, thought NFP was like playing Russian roulette with your fertility. Maybe you’d get pregnant and maybe you wouldn’t, but you could never really be sure, and it certainly couldn’t be reliable. I especially didn’t think I’d ever actually practice NFP or become an advocate for it, but once I truly learned what it was and practiced it within my own marriage, I found it to be eye opening as well as reliable.

Let’s start with what NFP is: Natural Family Planning is the practice of learning to recognize and track a woman’s fertility signs to determine her fertile window during her cycle and pinpoint ovulation;

specifically the Billings OvulationMethod does this by daily observation and charting of the changes in

cervical mucus during the entire cycle. The consistency of cervical mucus changes when a woman is

entering her fertile time. It becomes wet and slippery feeling, more copious and stretchy. Other forms

of NFP include monitoring the woman’s basal body temperature because it will rise slightly and stay high after ovulation due to hormonal changes. Monitoring basal body temperature isn’t required with the Billings OvulationMethod and though I had tried to track my temperature in addition to my cervical fluid, I found it frustrating and stopped.

And now what NFP is not: Natural Family Planning is not a guessing game based on assumption. It’s not counting days on a calendar and assuming ovulation happens between days 11-20. It is not the same for every woman and it is not based on hypothetical understandings of a woman’s cycle. NFP utilizes scientific understanding of the changes that occur leading up to ovulation so that decisions regarding pregnancy can be made based on that information.

In my experience, NFP tends to have a negative connotation because it’s seen as unreliable, given what modern medicine says about the female cycle. Modern medicine teaches that a typical cycle is 28 days

long and ovulation occurs on day 14. If you were trying to avoid pregnancy based on an assumption that you ovulate on day 14 you might end up pregnant because as any woman can tell you, this formula doesn’t ring true. Maybe some women have perfect 28-day cycles with ovulation occurring on day 14,

and that’s ok. I do not, and if I had been trying to avoid pregnancy by abstaining during the assumed

window of fertility I would certainly be pregnant by now. But NFP is not an assumption; it’s science.

So why practice NFP? NFP is natural, free, effective, easy to learn and doesn’t require any hormonal

medications. In fact, when followed correctly NFP has an effective rate close to that of the pill. It takes

somewhat more effort, than say, taking a daily pill, but the pay off is so much more. Since I’ve started

NFP (a little over a year ago) I’ve become so much more connected to my body and the changes I

experience each cycle. I know when I ovulate (not on day 14) and NFP allows me to work with my

natural fertility, not against it by trying to change it through hormone based medications or devices.

Instead of covering up my fertility, I’ve taken control of it. NFP has taught me about myself as a woman, and things about my body that I never knew before. I had noticed changes in my cycle, but I didn’t know what it meant until I learned NFP. Now, when my period is a few days late, I don’t feel worried I might be pregnant or that something might be wrong because I can look back at my chart and see what’s going on. Stress can often delay ovulation by a few days, and consequently, the start of your next cycle. If you weren’t aware that your ovulation was delayed because you had a stressful week at work, you might become concerned you’re pregnant (assuming you are not trying) and be unnecessarily worried for several days until your cycle begins again. Additionally, any dramatic shifts or concerns relating to your cycle would be noticed that much sooner and can be discussed more specifically with your doctor. Not only could you explain exactly what’s changed, you can prove how you know something isn’t right because you’ll have the evidence of what’s normal for your body, right in front of you.

I also love that NFP is completely natural and hormone free. There was a time in my life I was taking a birth control pill and going off it was the best thing I could have done. When I was on it I would

experience horrible migraines during my period that doctors couldn’t explain. Going off the pill helped

my migraines, but my cycle was so out of whack it took months for it to normalize. I didn’t have a

period for 6 months after stopping the pill! I also didn’t feel good about putting synthetic hormones in

my body, and taking medication on a daily basis when there was nothing medically wrong with me. I’m not sick; I’m a healthy young woman! And as a healthy woman, I’m fertile. Personally, I didn’t feel my fertility was something to fight against. I wanted to work with my body, not hinder it.

Another perk of NFP is that it’s collaborative. Monitoring pregnancy achievement or avoidance isn’t one partner’s responsibility anymore. My husband and I are in regular communication about where I’m at in my cycle so that we can make decisions together about our love life. And for those trying to achieve pregnancy, NFP is an amazing tool to utilize. Achieving pregnancy is all about pinpointing ovulation. There is no need to buy expensive ovulation kits or guess when the best time each month is to try. Chart for a few months and you’ll see the pattern of your fertility before you. In that way, you can make informed decisions and achieve pregnancy sooner than just guessing. Trying to achieve pregnancy through NFP might also help you avoid unnecessary doctor bills and fertility treatment. Again, modern medicine assumes women ovulate on day 14. But maybe you’re ovulation is earlier or later than that. If you’re only trying to achieve pregnancy around day 14, you might think there is something wrong with you, and look for modern medicine to intervene when it might not be necessary.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there are some downsides to NFP, especially if you are not trying to achieve pregnancy. When practicing NFP, there are times of abstinence (if you aren’t using back up methods during your fertile time) and sometimes spontaneity just isn’t an option. NFP doesn’t always allow for flexibility or risk taking, and if you aren’t 100% committed, the failure rate is much higher. NFP is not something you can just do sometimes and you can’t ever stop tracking, even if you become very familiar with your cycle. You might find you ovulate on exactly the same day each cycle and feel tempted to stop tracking, but unanticipated changes in ovulation can occur, and if you aren’t tracking daily you won’t know. For these reasons NFP can sometimes be frustrating. I know for myself personally there are times when I want to be physically close to my husband and I feel restricted by NFP. But when it’s all said and done, I’ve never regretted my decision to practice NFP because other than a little frustration at times, I feel healthy and confident in my decision.

If you are interested in learning how to use NFP, I recommended learning from a certified instructor. I

do not recommend trying to teach yourself by learning about NFP on your own, especially if you want to use NFP to avoid pregnancy. I learned NFP from a class my husband and I were required to take with our church as we prepared for marriage. It only took one class to learn everything, and I had one follow up visit with the instructor to have her look overmy chart. I was also able to communicate with her via phone and email with any questions. Admittedly, I felt a little unsure when I first started tracking my cycles but discussing my concerns with my instructor helped. As I became more familiar with my body, I began to feel more confident. Still, because we are not trying for a baby yet, I was a little fearful when first implementing NFP during our marriage. But now, over a year later, I am so happy I didn’t let my fear keep me from trying.

NFP Resources:

For general information, to order materials, or find an instructor in your area visit: http://www.bomausa.org/

To learn NFP online: http://www.learnnfponline.com/

For effectiveness rates, more information on research/science behind Billings OvulationMethod, FAQs,

and other resources visit: http://www.thebillingsovulationmethod.org/

I also recommend the book Taking Control of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I found this book to be

amazingly informative about everything and anything fertility related. Anything you ever wanted to

know about your cycle is in there. It also includes pictures, charts, definitions and an entire section

dedicated to “troubleshooting” your cycle if you’re having issues. All aspects of NFP are included, not

just Billings Ovulation Method. You can purchase this book on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Fertility-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060881909

WELCOME

A message from the publisher:

WELCOME and THANK YOU for visiting Sacred Whisper Grand Rapids! I am Sarah Barrette and I could not be more thrilled to bring this incredible resource to you. True love brought me to the mitten in 2011 after becoming engaged to my now husband AJ, a GR native. I immediately felt that this beautiful city is where I was always meant to be; and today I am a proud Michigander! After making the big move, I decided it was time to start listening to my heart and see where my true passions could take me in life. I knew a few things about myself... I enjoy serving others, I am natural minded, extremely spiritual (it's a pisces thing...), and I have a fascination with pregnancy, birth, babies, and parenting. For a long time I thought it was nothing special (wrong!), just mother nature preparing me for my future as a mother. Then, only a month or two into my soul search, I met a doula. *FIREWORKS!* I had never heard of a doula until that moment, but I instantly felt my question had been answered. Later that year I attended Patty Brennan's birth doula DONA training at the Center for the Childbearing Year in Ann Arbor. I have been consumed by the birth community ever since, and have never been happier. I hope you enjoy my site; I will be pouring my heart and soul into it. Namaste.