Weddingbee boards

I had my first class this week for Sympto-Thermal. My feeling was that if I do the class now, then it is one less thing I have to panic about right before the wedding.

Both myself and my FI both enjoyed it. We attended a class taught by the Couple to Couple League, but it was advertised through our Archdiocese's website. We were one of four couples there so it really seemed more personal. I've been reading "Taking Control of Your Fertility" so I was sort or familiar with what they were talking about, but it was nice to have them walk us through the process. The materials they have are pretty self explanitory so I guess you don't have to attend a class, but it is nice to be there in person so you can ask when you have questions and they can offer their personal experience to explain things.

All my friends praise Creighton over Sympto Thermo, though I have a few friends who are very happy with Sympto Thermo.  I'm starting my into class for Creighton next Monday.  It is a bit more expensive to learn, but it seems it starts with one long class.  Then you get a private instructor who goes over your chart with you bi-weekly for a month or two for a more personal indepth approach.  That is then reduced for a period of time till eventually the person is available to you on-call for up to a year after you began classes.  However, each meeting costs something, though I was told if we can't afford it, they won't refuse to train us.

There are also Creighton doctors who are trained in Napro-Technology that can look at your chart to help you with more problematic feminine issues.  Its more of total fertility care.  Granted, Creighton doctors aren't everywhere, but the Institute tries to provide they best they can to help people with their individual cases. 

Creighton is pretty much a scientificized Billings method.  Its mostly based on mucus observations, but rather than trying to figure out if its "sticky", "eggwhite/stretchy" or "dry", you're actually measuring how far the mucus stretches (in my understanding).  I haven't taken the class yet though.

Symto Thermo is taught in about 4 or 5 classes and that's about it.  It relys on mucus and basal body tempatures.  I self taught myself it a number of years ago from a book.  I understood the mucus part fairly well and now find it pretty noticiable even without charting.  But my tempature always seemed all over the place.  I think my thermeter was broken.  However, my understanding is that you need a consistant night sleep to get down to your basal body temperature.  You can't have a fluxuating sleep schedule and you have to take your temperature at the same time every morning for it to be accurate.  I think there's also a part with checking your cervix, but I was never comfortable with that, nor do I think I'd have the ability to really tell if its moved or changed.

I'm going with Creighton because I already know the basics of charting from a book, but wanted something more in depth.  Plus I know some of my friends had a lot of questions about charting after they were married and became sexually active.  Things also seem to get screwy for some when your nursing, though my mom said the nursing worked all by itself for her.  She never ovulated while nursing, never her period returning during it.  Other friends I have have said that it has returned and then is the most irregular cycle there is while they're nursing.