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Natural Birth
ohfour
member
Natural Childspacing/Birth Control?
ohfour
member
Just curious, how many moms on this board are also pro natural birth control as well as pro natural childbirth? It seems like these two opinions would coincide but I am surprised how many people are anti-drugs during labor but are okay with using hormonal birth control for example.
Or, is it more about what you want for YOUR birth experience, and less about the actual drugs?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Natural Childspacing/Birth Control?
I don't use hormonal birth control, I feel like it's unnatural. We used condoms for a long time, but after this baby is born I'm going to read, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and will be charting, and using condoms only during my fertile days.
I definitely choose natural birth because it's what's best for my baby and my body, and also because pain meds often lead to other more drastic interventions. If it didn't make a difference, you better believe I'd be getting the drugs:P!
I'm on the fence with the natural birth control thing. Once baby is born I will not go back on the pill........ we want to have our second around the time that our first is turning two...... plus condoms are so much cheaper
Once I started researching natural childbirth I also began to think about the artificial hormones in BCP (which I took for 13 years). I don't know how I'll feel about it once we are done having children.
Deciding on natural childbirth has led me to decide to cloth diaper as well and really pay attention to what kind of chemicals are in the everyday products that I use.
I think what I've noticed more and more is that researching one type of natural "thing" (childbirth, household chemicals, etc) leads to research on other natural topics also (I hope that makes sense).
In general I'm not a fan of medicine as a first resort, however, I had the most awful, horrible, long, painful periods until I discovered the Pill in college. I miss being on the pill, and DH couldn't wait to get me knocked up again after I started my period after DS was born (fortunately, he was nine months at the time and I only had four cycles before it was time to get KO'd again). DH and I are also uber-fertile, so I don't fully trust anything else. Even though DH will be getting a vasectomy after we're done with popping out babies, I may still go back on the Pill or some form of hormonal bc to avoid the mood swings and general misery.
I'm a fan of natural birth because I believe that most of our bodies are made for this and don't need any interventions.
Well, for me, I'm choosing natural childbirth because of the effects the drugs have on the baby (immediately and later in life) Also, when having the drugs you are more likely to have more medical intervention... which I want no part of.
As for birth control.... i'm not against it, but not an advocate either. It's really up to the woman to decide because after all she only has herself to think about... not a tiny human growing inside her :-)
I use natural family planning.
We plan to have a large family, so I'm not too worried about it now. I EBF for the first year because it keeps my period away (besides being good for baby) and then continue to BF with solids after that. After my last pregnancy it kept my cycles from returning until 16 months PP.
Our faith also plays a huge role in our family planning.
I am not anti hormonal BC. However, I don't take it myself because I don't the effect it has on my system and my body. The older I get, the more issues hormonal BC seems to give me. So, I went off and TTA for awhile before becoming pregnant. I felt great while I wasn't on it.
BC gives me migraines, lowers my libido, and in general just makes me feel like crap.
I don't use hormonal birth control either. I just don't buy that you can use it for years and then go off it with no lasting effects to your body.
(That said, NFP hasn't worked so well for us ... just look at my tickers!)
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/putalittlepolkainyourdot/?action=view
I can't take it. I've tried many different forms and the hormones in them cause side effects. I used the ring and had constant yeast infection. I used the patch and had severe skin reaction. I used the regular pill bc and it caused my cysts to flair up.
DH and I use this rhythm method and we just don't have sex when I'm ovulating because I have hsv and condoms cause me to have outbreaks.
Hmm... those two things aren't exactly linked in my mind like they seem to be for you.
I want a natural childbirth not for the "experience" but because I believe my body can do it, and because drugs have side effects that are not acceptable to me (both for me and for the baby). I know everyone's body is different, but the minor side effects I have experienced on hormonal birth control are acceptable to me (and it is only my body they are affecting).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not anti-medication in general. It varies by situation and by side effects.
I figure, if God wants me to have another, a silly little thing like the pill is not going to stand a chance
(I'm not making fun of you, it just made me laugh!)
Assume much?
One could say the inverse is just as true - women choose "the epidural in the parking lot" because their comfort overrules the possibility of risk to their babies and them.
Not everyone who chooses to have a med-free/low-intervention birth is a dirty hippie who's sworn off any and all medical or scientific advancement. My take on childbirth in the US is that yes, there are good things out there for high-risk pregnancies or labors, but just because doctors have the ability to induce anyone or give them an epidural, it doesn't mean it makes things safer or healthier for women and their babies.
I'll happily take Advil for a headache, and my children are/will be vaccinated, and BCP are a perfectly valid and good way to prevent pregnancy, so no, my med-free leanings don't line up with your assumptions.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I've said this since becoming sexually active, but I think I really believed my own unspoken "but come on, 98% effective totally means I won't wind up with a kid."
Now I'm pregnant in spite of two methods of birth control, and I have no choice but to believe it.
Mother's Day, 2011
My husband and I use NFP. We stayed pregnant free for a whole year without the use of condoms or birth control. Once we started trying is when we got pregnant. Our reasons are mostly religious. We just abstain during the time when I am most fertile.
I Agree 110%.. DH and i have been together for 10 years not using anything and All we can say is that we are blessed to have her...
This exactly.
I went off BCP about 3 years ago and I will never go back on.
Once we've had 2 children, MH will consider a vasectomy. (His decision, not mine.) We are not going to decide the spacing. We'll leave that up to God.
I used to be on hormonal birth control before I knew any better and then I discovered NFP and FAM. Of course, I was way more comfortable using FAM after we already had one LO because... we want more anyway and once we have the first one, well... the plan is to keep going, haha (you know, just in case my O date was miscalculated and we ended up with an "oopsie").
I realize that hormonal birth control might be easier for younger women in college and/or who are not married or in a committed long-term relationship... for obvious reasons. I still hope to teach my daughters the beauty of charting, whether or not they want to use it exclusively is up to them. But TCOYF will be required reading in our house.
Matthew Kevin
7/31/83-7/20/11
Met 1/8/00
Engaged 4/21/06
Married 9/29/07
Two beautiful legacies: Noah Matthew (2 yrs) and Chloe Marcella (8 mos)
Day Three
This is why I didn't like the pill, and I was on it for 11 years.
We successfully used NFP until one night of "make-up" sexy time (sorry TMI) now we are waiting for LO #1 any minute...
We will use NFP again... although I will be EBF so I hope my cycle will stay away for awhile
I agree with this. I started charting my cycles because hormonal birth control methods really changed my personality (in a negative way). After that, I started reading about urban homesteading and the natural food movement. One thing just leads to another. I do try to keep in mind that many sources are biased, so I do a lot of research before making decisions.
I got off hormonal birth control years before ttc. I didn't like what the pills did to my body. I felt that attempting an unmedicated birth fit in line with my general philosophy about drugs and medicine. Unfortunately, I didn't get an unmedicated birth do to an extreme medical emergency that required an emergency c/s to save mine and my baby's life.
But to answer your question, the two went hand in hand for me. I don't think I'll ever go back on hormonal birth control. I haven't yet started up charting to avoid but I plan to do so again.
Thanks for the interesting discussion. DH and I will use NFP but we haven't felt the need to avoid yet. I am on my second cycle charting TTC and I already feel much more aware and knowledgeable about my body.
With my first pregnancy I planned a homebirth until 37 weeks then had to change to an OB bc of issues with my midwife. I wasn't really prepared for a hospital birth and I should have researched more about procedures and what I did or didn't want done. I feel like the nurse was bossing me around telling me I couldn't do this or that, and because I didn't plan on the hospital unless there was an emergency, I wasn't quite expecting that. I ended up asking for the epidural which was a complete FAIL, so I did experience all the pain and just general feelings of childbirth. I felt that once I got past that point (where I asked for pain control) I acutally got things under control and was very empowered.
I plan on going natural next time, with a hospital birth with my OB. Hopefully we'll be able to discuss my wishes well in advance so some things can be worked out.
I do not by any means think that moms who want a natural birth are "dirty hippies" (obviously). Just wanted to clarify that.
I was just curious how many proponents of natural birth felt their beliefs and feelings transferred over into other areas of health and care. Seems like a lot of women on this particular board.
We use the rhythm method :-)
Completely agree with all of this. And having a natural birth is about not wanting the risks associated with the meds and interventions. BC has perfectly acceptable risks to me. Me taking BC also has no impact on another human being, whereas getting drugs during birth impacts my baby.
However, I was on the shot for years before TTC. I had problems when I got off and they had to give me pills to "jump start" my period after being off of the shot for 7 months with no AF. I will not be going back on the shot since I won't put my body through that again. But it has nothing to do with being against it, I just wasn't happy with what it did to MY body. However, I will get a copper IUD.
I hate condoms and so does DH and I won't use them with my husband that I've been happily married to for years. I also am not going to abstain from sex during my most fertile times to avoid pregnancy because I wouldn't want to NOT have sex at the time I most want it and it is most enjoyable. I think that is silly to deny yourself that. That said, this is all a personal choice, but this is what I feel about it for my family.
We use NFP and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I was on the BCP in college due to heavy menstural cramps but I hated the side effects and as I started to learn more about its negative effects I decided to stop taking it and try to manage my pain and cramps in other ways.
DH and I used NFP to avoid pregnancy for one year, then to achieve a pregnancy, which took us a little over two years. We aren't planning on going back to charting until we either feel that we have a good reason to avoid another pregnancy, or if we feel we need to chart in order to achieve a pregnancy.
I'm hoping between EBF and letting God do his thing, our next LO will come along whenever the time is right!
**butting in**
After doing all the research for my natural birth, this exact same thought occurred to me...why would I be do all this prep for childbirth, complain about hospitals treating childbirth like an illness, be so aware of and trusting in my body for this one day...and then treat my fertility like a disease by taking pills for it every day afterwards?
That, plus hating the way BCPs made me feel for the 6 months I was on them in college, is why we're charting and using condoms from here on out. It's actually incredible how many changes happen in your body during your cycle & how easy it is to figure out when you're fertile. I can't believe I missed these signs for most of my life!
Everything is so exciting when you're one!
My husband and I are pro-life and I have never and will never use hormonal BC because we believe life begins at conception, not when a fertilized egg implants in the uterine wall.
More than that, my fertility is not a disease and I hate the idea of treating it like one. That goes the same for childbirth.
We're thrilled with Natural Family Planning (which is different from rhythm, btw, I don't want anyone to hold the misconception that the two are synonomous) and the impact it's had on our marriage and our faith life. And I'm surprised how many people have said their faith plays a role in their sex life. I don't hear that much outside my church.
Also, required reading should be Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon. I've never had cycle problems (except for a luteal phase deficiency) so I've never been encouraged to use the pill to control pms, or irregularity, or acne, or whatever ailments the pill cures these days, but I still would like to encourage more women to look into changes in their diet to help with cycle issues. You can probably get the book at your public library. Think about it.
I used BCP for years due to ovarian cysts. I am perfectly fine using medicine to treat illness, but I don't think labor and delivery is an illness.
If my cysts return after LO is born, I may take BCP again. If not, then I have considered using an IUD.
Well...I've gotten pregnant on BCP, 2 babies on the first try, and one (a CP) with the natural family planing method endorsed in Taking charge of Your Fertility. We had a 5 day sperm make it through with no EWCM or even particularly creamy CM. So uh...no. I will be going back to the (non-hormonal, BTW) paragard IUD I had after K was born. It was fantastic.
I am the sort of person who won't take medication for a headache or a cold, so it never made sense to me to start taking things once pregnant that could effect LO. We will likely continue NFP after DD is born.
Home Birthing-Breastfeeding-Cloth Diapering-Baby Wearing-CoSleeping-Delayed/Selective Vaccination Mama to Charlie (5yrs) and Madeline (21mos)
We would prefer to use NFP.. That said, I am not very good at it apparently (even after a certified class on it, we got preg 3 mo later with our first). So we usually use condoms in between... Also, I thought I would have ~ a year of natural BC when I had my babies - due to EBF..DIdn't work out that way. I got my period back at 7 weeks PP with both my babies so far - and it was like clockwork from then on despite me EBFing for mobths after that...
I am trying to figure out what to do after we're done though (we want 4 - we're on #3 now). It will NOT be the pill. Thinking about an IUD - would prefer copper/non-hormonal but am scared by stories of terrible periods on it...