With the recent organic/non-GMO/hormone-free movement and anti-vaccine movement, I'm surprised we have not seen any increase in Natural Family Planning (NFP) a.k.a 100% Organic Birth Control.
- If we are so insistent on eating all-natural foods that have not been exposed to chemicals or genetically altered by man, then why is it ok to put something in our body that is not natural to prevent children when there are other
natural methods of birth control that are just as effective?
- Why do we refuse to eat meats that have been injected with hormones but it is ok to inject hormones into our bodies when again, there is a way to prevent children
naturally?
- What about the parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids, yet still use completely unnatural forms of birth control?
HELLO! All of this seems to be a bit hypocritical and contradicts people's efforts on living a healthy,
natural lifestyle. I don't get it...but at the same time I TOTALLY get it! Let me explain...but first, here is a great blog post called 10 Reason to Try Natural Birth Control:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9982/10-reasons-to-try-natural-birth-control.html (Take a break from this post and read it!)
Here is my story about how I stumbled upon Natural Family Planning (NFP):
My mother had a hard time having kids. My parents tried for 9 years and ended up running to Canada for advanced fertility treatments. My twin sister and I are a product of that effort and obviously I'm thankful they never quit trying. It was believed that her body's hormones never rebounded properly after being on "the pill" which is why they had trouble having kids in the first place.
As a result, I have been terrified of birth control. I had never been on it and never wanted to be on it. But, almost EVERY doctor I saw over the years asked why I was
not on birth control. Before I got married my response was easy, "I'm not married, I don't need it and I dont want to take a pill every day". At one point, in my mid 20's a female doctor sold me on the idea...she worked me hard and finally convinced me to "just try it, if you dont like it, then stop". She listed benefits to birth control that were not simply just to prevent children, but actually claimed that it reduced the risk of cancer, regulated my cycle, etc, etc.
I tried it for 2 months and I hated it! I remember my boobs hurt so bad and grew about 2 bra sizes, my period was extremely heavy and I felt miserable. I felt like everyone was staring at my giant knockers wondering if I was either 1) pregnant, or 2) got a boob job. After the first month,
I went back to my doctor and told her I wanted off, she told me that all of this was a "natural response" and I just needed to give my body more time to adjust. After the second month, I didn't even bother with the doctor, I gave it up cold turkey and never re-filled my prescription again. That was the end of it for me. Totally not worth it, especially when I wasn't married yet.
Fast forward a few years, I met Chris Concienne, my lover, my soul mate, the man I said "I do" to. When we were engaged to be married, we had decided to get married in the Catholic church. In order for this to happen, we had to take marriage prep classes. We learned how to love each other better, resolve our differences, handle our finances, when to seek help during tough times, and we also learned about NFP. This was my very first exposure to Natural Family Planning, prior to this I didnt know such a thing existed. We had to take a 3-month course devoted strictly to this topic. We learned how to identify fertile days in my cycle based on bodily outputs...NOT FROM STRICTLY COUNTING DAYS! Basically, if you see a slippery slimy mucous (eww...that word is so gross), you are in prime time baby-making season! There is a bit more to it than that, but you get the point. It's called The Billings Method and was developed by doctors. It was very scientific and clear. It could even accommodate irregular cycles, like me.
More info here: http://billings.life/en/
My husband and I had been married for 4 months successfully practicing NFP (I know that's not very long but keep in mind we were newlyweds :D). We knew we wanted children so one night we decided to roll the dice during "prime time" as we call it. We figured it would take a few months to actually get pregnant, so why not start trying now? BOOM! First attempt, it really worked! Our oldest son was born 9 months later.
After he was born, at my post-delivery check up, my doctor asked, "So, what form of birth control do you want?" He was surprised when I told him I wanted to do it naturally. He immediately followed with a lecture about how he didnt want to see me a month later delivering news that my kids would be less than a year apart. He said those conversations usually require a couple boxes of kleenex and he didnt want that to happen to me. I went against his advice, told him we were open to children and that was that. The doctor respected my wishes but it wasnt without a good attempt to change my mind.
My husband and I successfully practiced NFP for 7 months when we decided to start trying for kid #2. My husband and I were both close in age to our siblings and we wanted the same for our kids. Unfortunately, the first month of trying didnt work. We tried again and hit the jack pot. Our second-born son was born 3 weeks early with 17 months between our two boys.
This time at my post-delivery check-up, my doctor really really encouraged me to go on some form of birth control. He said "you dont want three little ones in diapers at the same time, do you?" He then went into all the different options and pros/cons of each. He really really tried to sell the Mirena ring and basically the only reason for me to say no was that it was against my beliefs. Other than that, it was a slam dunk deal. Then I heard it again "Just try it and if you dont like it, I will take it out". We talked about it for quite awhile, I felt cornered. I gave in. I did it. I tried it.
I tried it for just over a year. My body changed. My menstrual cramps got worse and my periods got lighter. And surprisingly, I didn't hate it at all. It was soo easy! I didn't even know it was there and didn't have to think about taking a pill every day. It was like magic!! Except, I knew there were other ways to prevent kids. I knew the church did not believe in contraceptives and I lived wondering if I would be infertile once it came out...and then there was Catholic guilt!
Why is the church against birth control?? What's the big deal? Everyone uses it, it's a normal part of a women's life right?
First off, let me point out that up until the 1930's
all Protestant denominations agreed with the Catholic Church's teaching condemning contraception as sinful. Catholic Answers at
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/birth-control explains that:
Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as "natural law." The natural law purpose of sex is procreation (reproduction a.k.a. making babies). The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children.
But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately preventing its natural end—procreation.
The article at the above link goes into further detail and explains where the basis for this is found in the bible.
This is not saying that we should only have sex when we want to have kids, but rather it is encouraging us not interfere with God's plan AND to trust God with our entire heart and soul in such a way that contraceptives are really not needed. Is there no greater demonstration of faith to the Lord our God than to have 100% natural sex with complete trust in Him, letting Him work freely within our marriage and to experience the gift of intercourse as He designed it.. Is using birth control/contraceptives, not the same thing as saying "I don't trust God"?
Not only that, but we are artificially altering the chemicals/hormones within our own bodies by using birth control when people have spoken loudly that they prefer organic, all-natural inputs for their bodies (I'm thinking about the 100% organic, grass-fed, hormone-free sirloin steak with non-GMO corn-on-the-cob that you had for dinner).
So, I went to the doctor and I took out the Mirena ring. It was time to go to confession and be done with it.
When I went to the doctor, he asked "why do you want it out?". I simply told him that it was for religious reasons and that I would like to continue with a natural method. He had absolutely ZERO faith in me at that this point...he even gave me the crazy eye!! His next question "So, do you want more children? Because that's ultimately what's going to happen and with your track record, it wont take long." Again, I told him that we were open to children, but did not plan to actively start trying for another child right away. He again asked why I was taking out it. He also asked if we had taking a class in NFP. The amount of questioning and lack of confidence he displayed was very discouraging. He asked me four times if I was sure I wanted to take it out. YES! YES! YES! YES! In his mind, the only reason I should take it out is if we want more kids. :(
I had no support from my doctor, so I went home and started googling.
Now I get it! I get why every woman is on birth control. Because doctors shove it down our throats and preach that it's the only way to prevent pregnancy when that is simply not true. In all of my research, I found that doctors do not spend much time (if any at all) learning about NFP while in school. They are not familiar with it so they stick to methods that they know. NFP takes work and coordination with your spouse, it is not as easy as other methods. However, researchers have found that a method of Natural Family Planning that uses two indicators to identify the fertile phase in a woman's menstrual cycle is just as effective as the contraceptive pill for avoiding unplanned pregnancies.
The benefits to NFP are:
- Shared responsibility by husband and wife
- Virtually cost-free (who doesn't love FREE!)
- No harmful side effects
- No unnatural hormones
- Increased awareness of your body
- Increased libido
- Can be used throughout childbearing years
- Can be used in special circumstances such as postpartum, breastfeeding and pre-menopause
