My blogging has been a bit behind. We had a bit of a wild week around here, which is saying something because there wasn’t much planned--it just turned into one of those weeks. From the look of my calendar from now until the baby comes we have a TON going on. Which is a good thing and a bad thing. I’ll do my best to keep updating, but I’m not promising anything.
So anyway, I missed out on a great opportunity to inform all you wonderful people of something near and dear to my heart last week. It was NFP (natural family planning) awareness week. Aside from our moral opposition to birth control Brian and I practice NFP for multiple reasons. Unfortunately, sex is not something that is really discussed in our society. Everything seems to be sexualized, but the wonderful thing that is monogamous sex between a husband and wife isn’t really even whispered about. It’s like people are afraid to talk about it or something.
Don’t worry, this like pretty much any topic, is not “scary” to me. In fact, I love talking about sex. I love having discussions with people about how wonderful sex can be. It shouldn’t be a taboo topic, instead it should be a topic that we discuss and educate ourselves on regularly. I’m not talking about going into detail about a husband and a wife in the bedroom--that should remain between you and your spouse. The joy that it brings to your life and the freedom that it can bring to your life should be discussed.
So let’s start with something pretty simple. What exactly is NFP and why do we practice it in our marriage? NFP is basically a way to follow your fertility. Often times women will chart signs and symptoms of their fertility so they are aware of the days they are fertile during their cycle. There are a lot of different methods that one can use but most will monitor things like fertile mucus and temperature. Once you become good at monitoring the signs your body gives you other signs become more noticeable too. It takes a couple cycles to figure it all out, but once you have it down it’s a very easy method to follow. Not only can it show you fertile days but it’s a great way of monitoring cycles that are troublesome. It’s a tool that a doctor can look at and determine why a cycle might be problematic. It’s a great way for a woman to be in control of her body--you always know what to expect and you immediately know if something is wrong. Plus, who doesn’t want to know how their body works? Why leave it up to a doctor who you see maybe once a year? Brian and I practice NFP partially because we are morally opposed to using artificial birth control of any sort, but an even bigger reason we use NFP is because it has made us even closer as husband and wife. Our sex life is something we discuss quite often. Not only do I know what’s going on with my body but Brian does too. It’s also something that has allowed us to better understand each other from the mental side of things. We all know that men have wild hormones and think about sex all the time--but did you know that women have those too? When a woman is in the fertile time of her cycle her hormones change to make her want sex even more too. What better way to understand each other than actually getting to feel what’s it’s like to refrain from sex during a time like this? I know for sure that I understand where Brian is coming from much better because I’ve physically and mentally been there too.
I could go on and on about NFP but it is a personal thing that every couple should experience together. I could tell you more about my personal experience but it’s always better to learn something yourself. Something that I encourage you to look into and educate yourself about. Don’t just blow if off because it might take some “work” from you. Below is a great article that gives many more reasons why NFP is such a powerful tool for women.
http://www.myfemininemind.com/2012/07/things-your-doctor-may-not-have-told_25.html
I welcome questions or comments about NFP. I’ll do my best to answer them, and if I can’t then I’ll find the answer or point you to someone who does know.
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