Birth Control: What Methods Are Best?

With the massive number of engaged and pregnant friends I have, I feel it is time to write on the topic of birth control.  Whether you and your partner are wanting children right away or choosing to wait a few years, it’s something every couple thinks about and should discuss. Too often though, couples stop at “yes, we want kids” or “no, not yet.” There are a number of options when it comes to birth control today, and it’s all to easy to just have your doctor write a prescription without asking any questions. After all, they’re doctors! They wouldn’t prescribe anything bad, right? Or would they? Now don't misunderstand me! I am the first to declare that I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to be. However, I am a wife and mom who has done her research, and wishes simply to share her findings in hopes that it will help other people and save them some heartache. So as a friends who cares, I ask you, do you know what it is you are taking? And do you know how it affects your health and the health of your future children? Let’s take a look.

A Doctor’s Perspective.

In her book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride M.D. discusses the effects of hormonal birth control. She writes, “The contraceptive pill has the same damaging influence on vaginal flora as antibiotics. Steroids in the pill have an ability to suppress the immune system and change the composition of the bodily flora.” What she is saying is that the steroids disrupt healthy gut flora and can compromise the immune system. Compromised immune systems lead to a host of health problems. And unfortunately, a compromised immune system in mommy means a compromised immune system in baby down the road.  Dr. Campbell-McBride goes on to point out that, “A human baby is born with a sterile gut and acquires most of its gut flora from the mother. So if the mother has an abnormal gut flora, that is what she will pass to her child, predisposing the child to eczema, asthma and other allergies, and in severe cases to learning disabilities.” This means it is extra important that both prior to and during pregnancy, mommies limit their exposure to gut-damaging toxins and drugs. Dr. Campbell-McBride says that contraceptive pills, antibiotics, and other medications have this ability to compromise the gut. Something that would be wise to consider.

Another Doctor’s Perspective.

Dr. Carolyn Dean M.D., N.D. wrote an article that can be found on Dr. Joseph Mercola M.D.’s website.  In it, she states, “High-estrogen birth control pills contribute to breast cancer, embolisms and stroke.” She continues by saying that while birth control pills are effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies, “The risks far outweigh the benefits” and urges women to “stop taking [pills] as soon as possible.”  Side effects she lists include: Increased risk of breast cancer, increased risk of blood clotting, heart attacks, and stroke, migraines, gall bladder disease, increased blood pressure, weight gain, mood changes, nausea, irregular bleeding, benign liver tumors, and breast tenderness. Furthermore, use of contraceptive pills depletes the body of essential nutrients such as B vitamins,  vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc, among other things. She recommends women look into other, safer forms of birth control. I encourage you to read the whole article by clicking here.

A Pastor’s Perspective: Should Christians Use Oral Contraceptives?

For those of you who may be on the fence about the morality of the issue of birth control, you may find this incredibly helpful. In their book, Real Marriage, Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, discuss this sensitive issue. They list five levels of birth control and answer the following questions to determine if a certain type is right or wrong.  Here are the questions:

·      Is it lawful? Does God’s Word prohibit it?

·      Is it helpful? Does it help you grow in your walk with Jesus?

·      Is it enslaving? Does it hinder you from living free in Christ?

Here are the five levels:

·      Level 1: No birth control

·      Level 2: Natural birth control (practicing abstinence during ovulation)

·      Level 3: Non-abortive birth control (barrier methods)

·      Level  4: Potentially abortive birth control (The Pill, hormones)

·      Level 5: Abortive murder (Deliberately ending a life)

According to Driscoll, the first three levels pass the test, but once we get to the fourth, we find that contraceptive drugs, such as The Pill, actually have the potential to abort an unborn child—even though this is not what the well-meaning couple had in mind. Here is how it works.  Driscoll writes that “’The Pill’ is a categorical term for more than forty types of oral contraceptives…and are designed to override the female body’s normal cycle and ‘trick’ the brain into believing she’s already pregnant…Because female hormones direct the process of ovulation, synthetic hormones can be used to keep an egg from being released so that the sperm are not able to fertilize it. These same synthetic hormones can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting…and growing into a baby.” Driscoll goes on to point out that, “The Pill thins and shrivels the lining of the uterus so that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.” Basically, what this means is that synthetic hormones create a hostile environment for a newly fertilized egg, and can actually cause or force a miscarriage. Unintentional abortion.  For those of us who believe that every human being is made in the image of God and that all human life is sacred, this poses a problem.

My personal perspective

I personally have never use oral contraceptives as a means of birth control, but have known at least a dozen young ladies who have. None of them recommended it to me, and it is because of their experiences I chose to avoid it.  Every single one of them experienced at least one of the side effects that Dr. Carolyn Dean mentioned in the article above. And though miscarriage is not listed in Dean’s article as a side effect, the vast majority of the girls I knew had at least one after taking birth control.  Many of them had multiple miscarriages and/or great difficulty getting pregnant after having taken The Pill. That’s not to say that all miscarriages are related to contraceptives, because that simply isn’t true. However, The Pill seems to be responsible for many miscarriages today.

So are oral contraceptives a good thing or not? I understand there are instances where women have to take them for health-related issues, and it has significantly helped them. But I think as a general rule, these drugs are way over prescribed and are used by women who don't need them and would be far better off exploring other methods. I believe the risks they pose to mother and baby far outweigh any benefits, and since there are alternatives that are equally as effective, other options should be explored first.  I highly recommend reading this book, Natural Birth Control Made Simple, before choosing a method. Written by medical professionals, it explains in detail how the female reproductive system works, how to track ovulation, how to get pregnant, and how to safely avoid getting pregnant. These are things every woman should understand about her body, regardless of the contraceptive method she chooses.

So, before making any decisions, do your research and ask lots of questions. Your health and the health of your children are too important not to.

All I Have Is Christ

The Gospel message proclaimed beautifully and clearly. Christianity isn't about being good, religious, moral, or dutiful. Nor is it about groveling in self pity, despair, false humility, sorrow, and regret. It's all about Jesus! It's about what HE did on our behalf, because we never could. It's about grace! It's the  gift of true freedom and new life for eternity!

Even my very best works are as filthy rags. Nothing I do pleases God the Father apart from the finished work of Jesus. Jesus alone is my righteousness. Therefore, I can say, all I have is Christ.

All I Have is Christ

By Sovereign Grace Music, 2009

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still
But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

Listen Now! 

What Every Expecting Mama Should Know

Lately, several expecting friends of mine have been asking me about my experience and what I learned during my pregnancy with our son. Looking back, there are a lot of things I wish I had known. But, there are also many things I'm thankful I DID learn! Here are the highlights for other mamas who are trying to figure this out too.

One of the best resources I consulted during my pregnancy was The Birth Book by Drs. Sears. It gave me a detailed look into the adventure of pregnancy, childbirth, and new motherhood. It was a wealth of information, and incredibly relevant to today, despite the fact that it was written in the 90's. Perhaps most helpful were the questions it raised that I was then able to dialogue with my doctor about. The book also helped me write a detailed birth plan to help insure that my personal wishes were met during labor and delivery, which ended up being a life-saver! I personally was not comfortable going the traditional medicine route after gaining a thorough understanding of how certain common procedures work, so I chose to go the natural route. My doctors were much more supportive of this once they understood I had done the research. Regardless of whether a mommy wants a natural birth or drugs all the way, this book is a must read! You should know what you're facing. As mothers, we have the responsibility to educate ourselves for our own sakes and our children's. 

For those wanting to go the natural way, Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way and Husband Coached Childbirth by Dr. Bradley are essentials! The Bradley method has proven to be far more effective than Lamaze for several reasons, one of the biggest reasons being breathing technique. Breathing is so important during labor as you provide oxygen for yourself and baby. Bradley teaches deep, natural, breathing from the diaphragm as opposed to the short, quick, patterned breathing of the Lamaze method. Lamaze has been known to cause lots of tension and hyperventilation in mothers, consequently making pain worse and skyrocketing the chances of having an epidural. Learn more from the books!

That about covers labor and delivery, but what about when baby arrives? Baby Wise is a very popular book about establishing sleep and feeding patterns that was recommended to me by at least four people. While it did contain some helpful information, I felt more confused and frustrated as a new mother having read it. I felt like it encouraged me to go against my maternal instincts. One of the methods discussed is the "cry it out" method, also called CIO. In my experience, my baby never cried unless there was something wrong. Until your child is much older and you know that his cry is a cry of fatigue or bordom, don't employ CIO. Newborns especially only cry when they need something, and when they are hungry, they need to be fed- regardless of the clock. Babies have many huge growth spurts and need to be fed on demand in order to be healthy. In short, my opinion is don't waist your time reading this until baby is much older. At that point, the CIO and Parent Directed Feeding methods seem more applicable.

The early days of motherhood are an excellent time to start doing research on coming days with baby. Spend your time researching vaccination, medicine, and nutrition, because you may find that the status quo isn't good enough. Excellent resources (written by doctors) include The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care by Sally Fallon and Dr. Cowan, and The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. I HIGHLY recommend you read these if nothing else! Again, it is critical that YOU as your child's advocate do your homework. Please don't naively accept whatever a doctor tells you without validating information first. Wonderful, credible sources to consult on these matters include: Dr. Joseph Mercola, The Weston A. Price Foundation, VacTruth, National Vaccine Information Center, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (governement website known as VAERS), Dr. Tennpenny, Sally Fallon, and Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to name a few. Plus, read as many medical journals as you can access on these topics. After all, "First, do no harm."

In the days of early motherhood, I found wellnessmama.com to be a very informative and helpful website for natural alternatives to many common practices. For instance, check out this post to expecting moms about how to prevent common issues such as yeast overgrowth and group b step! This is one of those treasures I wish I had found prior to my son's birth, as the advice therein might have saved us both months of health issues. And just so you know, probiotics are highly recommended to help prevent many common prenatal and postnatal issues. Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explains in detail how beneficial bacteria (probiotics) are passed from mother to baby during birth, so be sure you have a healthy balance. Here is a short article about choosing a probiotic. I personally like this brand called BioKult, and have responded very well to it.

Exercise during and after pregnancy is also critical for your health and the health of your baby. It is important to find a routine that includes cardio, stretching, and strength training. I use this program by Lindsay Brin. Lindsay is the mother of three and just seems like a very real, down to earth person. I like her workouts because they are short and effective. Check out her website by clicking here.

So basically, here's the idea. Do your research, question everything, get sleep, eat clean, exercise, and take your probiotics. And most importantly, relax and  just enjoy this time! It will go by quickly.