ovulatory cycle – Blue Lotus Fertility

Ever Wondered What Your Uterus and Cervix Are Up to Each Month?

January 13, 2015December 26, 2015Leave a comment

Have you ever been curious as to what is actually happening in your reproductive system each month? Check out this 4½ minute animation of the cycle:

It is a brief explanation of the complexities of what happens in your body each month. You will be amazed at how intricate it all is – what extraordinary creatures we women are!

The Billings Ovulation Method® can help you to manage your fertility safely, successfully and naturally.

It is the most thoroughly researched method of regulating fertility available today – natural or artificial! Over 850,000 individual hormone assays and 25+ years of research into the role and function of the cervix in human fertility. Plus countless cycles of clinical study of women’s charts.

If you are interested in details of that research we can supply them, but probably you just want to know that it will work for you. And the best way to find that out is to give it a go. What have you got to lose?

The quickest and most efficient way to learn is to find your own individual, confidential tutor Franchesca Duval right here at Blue Lotus Fertility!

Labor Snacks, Sweet Simple Foods To Keep You Going

June 22, 2013December 26, 2015Leave a comment

Labor Snacks, Sweet Simple Foods to Keep You Going

The process of giving birth burns on average the same amount of calories as a 30mile hike! When thinking about snacks to have on hand think hydrating, juicy, and easy to prepare treats that the momma and birth support will enjoy. All drinks can be offered through a straw for ease and sips should be given to the momma at least once every 15 minutes to help her stay hydrated.

Here are some sweet simple snack ideas to get you inspired:

Home Made Labor Popsicles:

This is a simple way to stay both hydrated, and nourished throughout labor. Many women experience nausea with contractions, and these labor pops are a great way to head that off. The coolness is also refreshing and easy to take in.

You’ll need:

1-2 oz of dried red raspberry leaf

1 quart of water

Quart size jar with lid

Honey and lemon to taste

2-3 1mg calcium tablets

ice tray or paper dixi cups

To make the labor pops, steep 1-2 ounces of red raspberry leaf in a quart of water for at least 20 minutes up to four hours. Strain and sweeten with lots of honey and lemon, these will add much needed calories and lemon can help ease the nausea (as well as the red raspberry leaf). Crush the calcium tablets and add to the tea. Calcium is a muscle relaxant and can help with some aches and pains during labor. Pour the mixture into the ice tray. When labor commences, eat throughout the labor. They really are easy to eat when nothing else sounds to good! (credit to hakima widwifery).

Also Try Peppermint Tea pops, brew up a strong batch of peppermint tea and add a decent amount of honey to taste – the honey will give you a boost of energy while the cool refreshing peppermint will give you and your birth support just the thing you need to feel refreshed.

Honey Sticks are also great for a swift blood sugar booster – these can be snuck into a hospital which does not allow the laboring mother to eat foods.

Instant Miso Soup is a nourishing swift snack that can be prepared with simple not water in the hospital or added to some bone broth at home (see article on making bone broth for instructions and health benefits).

Fruits and avocado – think lite and easy snacks that can be presented on a beautiful plate can boost the laboring womans spirits.

Coconut water either from the can or from a freshly cracked young coconut provides electrolytes and hydration which is essential for a yummy smooth birthing experience.

Home Made Electrolyte drink:

In a mason jar of water fill with chilled fizzy water the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon, two pinches of salt and either honey or maple syrup to taste. The lemon/salt combo provides electrolytes like any energy drink without the added dyes and preservatives.

Once your baby is born the momma is going to be quite hungry (and rightfully so!) good post labor foods to have on hand are things that can be prepped/reheated easily that are rich in good fats and carbs. Think lasagnea, cheese tamales, good burger, her favorite comfort foods. The richness of the post labor meal will help the mothers breast milk to come in. Good fats and hydration are key to a healthy milk supply.

Happy Birthing and Snacking!

Avoiding Pregnancy

January 4, 2012January 4, 2012Leave a comment

Avoiding Pregnancy.

Achieving Pregnancy

December 31, 2011February 17, 2012Leave a comment

Achieving Pregnancy

Have you been trying to conceive but are unable to become pregnant?

Did you know that a woman ovulates once a month and that peak moment of fertility can occur on a different day from cycle to cycle?

Did you know that it is possible to bleed every 28-35 days and not have ovulated?

It is not the bleeding that is the sign of fertility but rather the ovulation. Ovulation can be determined through sensations felt at the vulva (opening of the vagina) throughout the day and visual confirmation of cervical mucus discharged. A simple charting of the days observations provide a record for women to look back over and get acquainted with the patters of their fertility. No temperature taking or internal checking needs to occur to correctly identify peak fertility each cycle.

Through proper charting a woman can identify prime time for love making to encourage conception of a child. Proper charting gives women an understanding of what their hormones are doing throughout the cycle and provides clues to understand if not conceiving is due to lack of ovulation each month. If we find that a woman is not ovulating we can then counsel on gentle lifestyle adjustments to bring her body into natural alignment so she can conceive.

What is Fertility?

December 31, 2011December 26, 2015Leave a comment

What is Fertility?

There is an unconscious story being told in our society that our fertility is a burden and liability. We are told that our fertility is something that we should suppress because having children before we want them can derail our life plans and end possible opportunities.

We are not properly taught about our bodies. Doctors and clinics do not have time to teach us so we take the prescribed methods of birth control such as hormone oral contraceptives, nuva rings, IUDs etc.

While these methods of controlling our fertility effectively prevent pregnancy they come at two major costs. The first cost comes in the form of women being robbed of the chance to fully understand their cycles. Women are only fertile during one time in their cycle and that time is easy to identify with proper training. The second cost comes from the high doses of chemicals that we now see related to increased rates of breast cancer and infertility in later years of life when women are ready to try and conceive.

If you are currently on a chemical form of birth control I invite you to ask your doctor or look online at the risks involved with using them, the list of contraindications is often longer than risks associated with smoking but no one seems to think twice about it. Why is this? I believe that people accept what is given because we think there are no other answers to harnessing our fertility. I am here to tell you that answers are available and they are simple, clear and more user friendly than you might imagine.

Lets start to reshape the way we think about our fertility.

Websters dictionary defines fertility as:

A) Producing or bearing fruit in great quantities <productive>

B) Characterized by great resourcefulness of thought or imagination

<inventive> a fertile mind

C) Capable of sustaining abundant plant growth <fertile soil>

D) Affording abundant possibilities for growth or development

E) Capable of growing or developing

When looking at fertility in it’s original definition it becomes less of something to push away and more of something to encourage.

Here at Blue Lotus Holistic Fertility and Contraception we are offering a new way of thinking about womens bodies. Holistic Fertility is a movement of being fertile with your mind, body and spirit working as one. Managing our fertility through daily awareness and observations puts us back into power because we are the ones knowing where we are in our cycles. When we put ourselves on hormones, chemicals or devices we become divorced from our innate cycle of fertility and loose touch with ourselves. How can we be whole beings when we are uneducated about such a large part of our bodies natural process? Many of us take the chemical route because we do not have access to any other information but I am here to tell you that there is a better way to prevent or encourage pregnancy.