Taking charge
I actually heard about it a very long time ago (at an LLL meeting in Idaho, so not pre-Ben, unfortionately) but hadn't managed to get around to reading "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" because I didn't really see any pressing need for it at the time. Well, the book came up again at my most recent LLL meeting, and then sugabeats mentioned that she had used it to try for a girl. WHAT? They have sex-selection books I don't know about??!?!!?!?!?!?
So upon her mentioning it, I decided to go get it from the library. I had to put a hold on it as it wasn't at our branch, and Stephen saw the notice that came in the mail. "Ahem," he said. " ' Taking Charge of Your Fertility,' huh?" and I was like, "I want to know why I don't have my stinking period and if I can ever expect to see it ever again," and he was like "uh-huh. sure."
Well whatever. Anyway, I read it and thought it was very good. I knew a lot about that stuff already (the cervical fluid part was how I knew Ben got made when he did. But boy oh boy is that another story for another time) and I knew about charting because my step-mom charted to get pregnant with my kid brother, Daniel. But I didn't really know the details of it, and especially liked learning about 18 high temps in a row. Holy crap that sure could have saved me about $80 over my lifetime. (Two miscarriages, Ben, and a couple of scares when I was younger.)
The sex-selection chapter, I was sad to see, was just a recap of Dr. Shuttles' method, which I (duh!) already knew about. Basically, if you want a boy, its pretty easy to get one. If you want a girl, it gets harder. If you want a girl and are following Niddah (that story is even longer ... lets just say things are starting to look up a little in the spiritual department in our household ...) then you never ever ever ever get to do it, ever. I can't even begin to think about that right now.
Anyway, it was really good, and I recommend it to all the ladies on my friends list. Heck a married guy would probably benefit from knowing this stuff too! Though his wife would have to read it as well, otherwise there's not really a point. Not like he can check her temp and cervical fluid without her noticing :-)
Frustratingly though, its information about nursing moms was sparce and unhelpful. Basically, my situation isn't unheard of, but its quite unusual and no one has any advice for me other than "wean" or "be happy for what you've got."
The thing isn't that I miss my stupid period (who would?) its that its like being 13 again. I'm a loaded gun and it could come at ANY TIME. Not like being an adult woman where you just know which day to put a pad in and it come sometime before dinner. Man, I can't even imagine if I were in a meeting or something else horrible like that ... uggghhhh. It's the waiting that's killing me. Seriously, I haven't had a period since March of 2005, and even that wasn't a regular one, it was a miscarriage.
OK, done babbling now. Go get the book. It's worth your time, whether you are planning a pregnancy or using it for birth control.
So upon her mentioning it, I decided to go get it from the library. I had to put a hold on it as it wasn't at our branch, and Stephen saw the notice that came in the mail. "Ahem," he said. " ' Taking Charge of Your Fertility,' huh?" and I was like, "I want to know why I don't have my stinking period and if I can ever expect to see it ever again," and he was like "uh-huh. sure."
Well whatever. Anyway, I read it and thought it was very good. I knew a lot about that stuff already (the cervical fluid part was how I knew Ben got made when he did. But boy oh boy is that another story for another time) and I knew about charting because my step-mom charted to get pregnant with my kid brother, Daniel. But I didn't really know the details of it, and especially liked learning about 18 high temps in a row. Holy crap that sure could have saved me about $80 over my lifetime. (Two miscarriages, Ben, and a couple of scares when I was younger.)
The sex-selection chapter, I was sad to see, was just a recap of Dr. Shuttles' method, which I (duh!) already knew about. Basically, if you want a boy, its pretty easy to get one. If you want a girl, it gets harder. If you want a girl and are following Niddah (that story is even longer ... lets just say things are starting to look up a little in the spiritual department in our household ...) then you never ever ever ever get to do it, ever. I can't even begin to think about that right now.
Anyway, it was really good, and I recommend it to all the ladies on my friends list. Heck a married guy would probably benefit from knowing this stuff too! Though his wife would have to read it as well, otherwise there's not really a point. Not like he can check her temp and cervical fluid without her noticing :-)
Frustratingly though, its information about nursing moms was sparce and unhelpful. Basically, my situation isn't unheard of, but its quite unusual and no one has any advice for me other than "wean" or "be happy for what you've got."
The thing isn't that I miss my stupid period (who would?) its that its like being 13 again. I'm a loaded gun and it could come at ANY TIME. Not like being an adult woman where you just know which day to put a pad in and it come sometime before dinner. Man, I can't even imagine if I were in a meeting or something else horrible like that ... uggghhhh. It's the waiting that's killing me. Seriously, I haven't had a period since March of 2005, and even that wasn't a regular one, it was a miscarriage.
OK, done babbling now. Go get the book. It's worth your time, whether you are planning a pregnancy or using it for birth control.