Not Alone Series: NFP Baby

So, who's begun charting?! How is it going? What advice do you have/what method do you use? If you haven't, is something holding you back? Are you considering starting up?

I do chart, I started about two and a half to three years ago. I didn't really know about chart, NFP or any of that stuff before that. I mean there were always ads in the Catholic News (our weekly Catholic paper) for the engaged to come learn Billings et al but since I have never been engaged I just passed over it. Then I stumbled on a conversation in a forum where a few people were discussing NFP in their marriage (best method and all that) and whether a single person could really practice NFP, there was a single there claiming that she did (it was not pretty for her). That was seriously my start into charting. I started learning about what exactly NFP was and what it entailed and can a single person chart.


I discovered fertility friend for all my charting needs, they also have a phone app so I always have easy access to it. I get up every morning at the same time or around, take my temperature and then input that, the time and any other relevant info into my chart. Super easy. I find that I get very accurate results. My cycle is very regular and very much not 28 days.


Charting has helped me monitor my whole me not just my fertility. At a certain point in my cycle I get seriously dehydrated and my whole body goes dry, skin, hair, mouth, etc but if I start drinking extra liquids a few days before and work at staying extra cool I can usually stay on top of that little problem. Making a few tweaks to my personal care also helps. I am also able to adjust my diet as needed without giving up things I love for good just when I need to, like salty snacks for about 4 days and reduce sweets for a week.


Now I haven't been formally trained because here you can only start to learn after you get engaged and the couple attends together to learn all about mucus and finding your cervix, neither of which I know how nor feel prepared to do at this time.


For me the benefits of charting have been very good, because charting forced me in a way to pay closer attention to my body and what was going on in it. My twice a month acne is greatly reduced and sometimes non-existent, cramping virtually a thing of the past, dry skin is being handled. I am still learning me, how I work and what makes me not work properly.


Do you or don't you? Find out what everyone else is or isn't check out Morgan for the link up.