NFP: The Lazy Way
With all the talk about checking you temperature every morning, checking and charting mucous, and even checking your cervix position, just the mention of using natural family planning to get pregnant can make a girl run the other way. (seriously – you can’t be lazy about it if you’re trying to prevent!) It sounds like a lot of work and really it can be. It can take up time and energy and it can also take the fun out of ….. you know. When being intimate is all scheduled and planned the intimacy tends to be strained or pressured.
So here is a Lazy Persons guide to natural family planning:
- Have sex every other day. Or at least every third day.
Yup, that’s it.
Everyday actually gets to be to often in the aspect that the man’s sperm count isn’t as high as it needs to be. Give him a day off so his little guys can recuperate. You want the sperm to be many in number and strong in swimming. Being intimate every 48-72 hours gives both of your body’s a chance to rest, as well as allowing a short enough period in between bedroom sessions to keep the sperm alive in case you do ovulate.
Checking and charting does have a purpose, and I personally found it helpful when I first started looking for ovulation signs. And it can also be extremely helpful in conceiving, but, if treated correctly, your body has it’s own features in allowing conception even when you aren’t intimate on the exact day you ovulate.
Anyone else notice how I’m de-stressing this week? 
I just noticed my last 2 posts are all about being lazy! Ahhh, the cold weather brings out the couch potato in me.
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Take a day off
Yesterday I had the pleasure of heading over to a friends house and spending some time chatting with her. After spending the day with her I also got to see 2 of my sisters on my way home and we spent an hour laughing and joking, and just being sisters. Getting out of the house and away from my own stresses really boosted my mood and I enjoyed myself immensely. At the end of the day I realized it’s what I had needed.
Life tends to be overwhelming at times no matter what season of life you are in. And it reminded me how stressful infertility can be. Very stressful in fact. Days can be filled with checking and charting and worry and overall obsession. Plus the fact that we tend to talk about it with our husbands constantly and maybe some friends that are going through the same thing. Or if we don’t have friends, there is a huge online network of infertility groups and forums where you can also worry about what other people are going through. All of this built up worry and over thinking can really bog down not only your life, but who you really are.
So, before it gets to that point, you need to take a day off. And if you are already to that point, you really need to take a day off! Nothing can refresh you more than taking a day and doing something you love. Go out with a friend to dinner, (just make sure to tell her beforehand there is to be no baby talk!) take your husband bowling, walk along the beach (oh, how I miss summer!) or just head to a friends house for a day of chatting. And just a little tip – talking about the past always brings more fun! Who doesn’t love to laugh at all the things you did when you were a kid? Maybe have a no kids night at the parents house and watch old home movies!
Being absent from infertility for a day can boost your mood and really give you a rejuvenated spirit.
Most importantly of all, if you are really struggling (anger, jealousy, contempt), spend a day with the Lord. Go outside or to a quiet place in your home and spend time reading the bible and praying. Let him know how you feel, cry out your struggles, even tell him how much you hate what you’ve been going through. (believe me, He already knows your heart and any anger inside, so it’s really no surprise to Him) If you allow yourself to really let go of the feelings you harbor, you’ll be amazed at what a new person you really become. Plus, when it all comes down to it, we actually have no control over our fertility. He does. And if you feel like there is a hole in your life, that something is missing, he is the only one that will ever truly fill it.
