Today I found out that our friend - artist and activist Julie Devaney will be editing a new anthology of Canadian stories about the intersection of our lives with medical care, and how these experiences shape and frame our lives. It got me thinking about one of the most profound experiences I have ever had with the medical system that has forever changed my life.
In late 2005 my daughter Mattea was born. Within weeks of giving birth my midwives were asking me about what form of contraception we intended to use. In a public health course for new moms I was taking, we had recently discussed all the contraceptive options and I was leaning towards trying the IUD as a no-fuss approach to long-term birth control. When I approached my doctor about it she informed me that the IUDs on the market have a low level of progesterone in them, which some women react to with negative side effects. She suggested we start with a progesterone-only form of oral birth control to see how my body took to it.
Within a few days the blissful breastfeeding relationship my daughter and I had been having since moments after her birth came to an abrupt end. Every time she went on my breast she would start sputtering and screaming. It was becoming increasingly distressing for both of us. Finally, at both our wit's end, I got my husband to take us to a breastfeeding clinic at East General Hospital. After a long wait, the nurse, with a speciality in lactation, took time to assess our latch, and ensure milk was coming out, and at last, admitted she did not know what the problem was.
After another day or two of stressful screaming and crying for both of us, the penny finally dropped for me that all these problems had started just after I started the pill. As an experiment, I stopped taking it. And sure enough, within a couple of days our problems resolved themselves. At my next meeting of my public health moms' group, I took a moment to share my experience with the other moms. The nurse who ran the course was kind - she allowed me to speak, nodded her head, but did take a moment to report when I was finished that there was likely no connection between the birth control pill and my experience.
The urgent need for me to find a new method of birth control is what led to my discovery of fertility awareness - a form of contraception and body awareness that I have now been practicing for nearly five years, and teaching for nearly three. I later discovered through my own research that synthetic progesterone can increase milk supply. Since mine was already quite abundant, I realized that the problem had been that my daughter was choking. I remembered the spluttering, the coughing, the screaming. She was hungry, I had milk, but it was just coming out too fast.
Since that day my life has completely changed. Through working with other women I have discovered dozens of other birth control side effects that women experience that often go dismissed by the medical community. I have also discovered what havoc hormonal contraceptives can wreak on the female body if and when it comes time for a woman to try to get pregnant. It has become my life's work to help women learn that there are effective and healthier approaches to contraception, and that the menstrual cycle is a vital determinant of a woman's overall health.
As unfortunate as this event was - this intersection of my body, the medical system, pharmaceuticals, and the health of my newborn daughter - I see it as a gift that has brought me to into a deeper relationship with my body and onto the path of my life's work.
If you have had a similar experience, please feel free to share it in the comments. If you feel you have a powerful story to share, please consider submitting it - Julie is accepting abstract submissions for her anthology and submission guidelines are available from Tightrope Books. If you would like to learn more about fertility awareness, I recommend you pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Amazon link at left), or purchase a copy of the Justisse Method of Fertility Management manual,. You can also find yourself a fertility awareness educator; you can find a Justisse trained Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner in your area by clicking here. I provide education in person in Toronto, and by distance using telephone or Skype. I also run regular group workshops which you can find on our main page, or in the calendar bar to the right. Whatever you do, always listen to your body. Never let a health professional tell you it is "all in your head." You are the expert on your own body.
If you have any questions about fertility awareness, please don't hesitate to contact me at amyatredtentsistersdotcom.
Excellent post. This really speaks to my own experiences with the health care system (not as a mother, but as a woman), and the importance of educating ourselves on age-old approaches that are finding their way back to us.
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