SCBP now offering midwifery care!

It's official! I am now an apprentice midwife! I am thrilled to announce that I have been accepted as an apprentice for Jane Kirby, a St. Paul-based certified professional midwife! If you want to find out more about having us provide your prenatal and midwifery care for your upcoming birth, please click here.

Prayer for Families (Pope John Paul II; Aug. 15, 1980)

I have found the following prayer to be a rich trove of wisdom for times of reflection and so I want to share it with you... I suggest meditating on one intercession at a time and expanding them into specific prayers for your loved ones and those whom you do not yet know!

Lord God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
Father, you are Love and Life, through your Son, Jesus Christ, "born of woman," and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of divine charity,

Grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true sanctuary of life and love.

Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.

Grant that the young generations may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love.

Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weakness and trials through which our families sometimes pass.

Grant that, through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family.

Through Christ our Lord, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life for ever and ever.
Amen.

Fertility Matters! Learn more about yours!

Two couples recently graduated from the summer session of SCBP's "Fertility Matters" course. Though they entered the course for very different reasons, (one couple is getting married soon and wants to learn how to postpone pregnancy for a time; the other couple wants to sustain a healthy pregnancy) both couples seemed equally pleased with the course. It is an honor for me to be able to be a small part in these big events in the lives of my students. I enjoy the time we spend together in their private counseling appointments pouring over their charts and learning the "secrets" contained within. It is a joy and a privilege to see women AND men learning about the amazing ways that their bodies were designed and growing in appreciation for each other and their Creator.

New sessions start every season, and if my schedule allows, couples can begin the course privately in between scheduled sessions. Scholarships are available on a first ask-first receive basis, so there is no need to let finances get in the way of taking the course. Natural family planning is safe, healthy and effective and a boost to your marriage and your relationship with God! So...head on over to our website and learn more!

SCBP is in the news!

Chris & I had a blast being interviewed by Maria Wiering, a reporter for the Catholic Spirit, about why we decided to use Natural Family Planning! This article has some very complimentary things to say about us! WOW! Thank you, Maria! And thanks to Dave Hrbacek for this beautiful photo!

Read more here!

Fertility, Birth & More on LOST

While I don't typically wade into the often choppy waters of popular culture, my little reveal of the day is that I'm a colossal LOST fan. Now that the show is finally over (dry the eyes here), I thought I'd take a few to reflect on the fertility-birthing themes that played throughout the show. (For those of you who somehow managed to steer clear of LOST, this review will probably have you a bit lost--but I'll try to keep to the take away for your benefit.)

Chronologically, fertility precedes birth, so I'll start there. While in the end, the writers didn't manage or choose to spell out what made baby-making such a precarious endeavor on the Island, they did manage to point out something that most of us in this contraceptive-normative culture might miss: fertility matters. (Okay, yes, that is the name of one of SCBP's new classes!) All shameless plugs aside, fertility on the Island, as in real life, is, at its core, very very important to one's identity. When Jin and Sun conceive on-Island, while they are in the end merely characters, the joy in giving life that they represent is real, and reflects the universal human desire to give life. While we humans can be brutal, we yearn, deep within, to be Co-Creators, to bring more joy into the world. To see love made manifest; enfleshed.

There's probably much much more that could be said about that, but I don't want to wind up here without reflecting on the birth theme in LOST. As a childbirth educator, and someone who has actually given birth, I got a huge kick out of each and every birth that happened on LOST. One minute a heavily pregnant woman is going about her business (which on LOST could be anything from evading evil Ethan to watching a rock'n'roll + classical piano concert), and the next minute the contractions have kicked in so hard that the baby falls out (sans umbilical cord), complete with the requisite---though obviously unnecessary---"PUSH!" command. Many was the time I shook my finger at the screen and scolded the writers for not giving "me" a call before writing their next birth scene!! Theatrical elements aside (and believe me, it took me 3 years to set them aside), several of these birth scenes had me in tears. (For you fellow fans: the most memorable for me was Aaron's original on-Island birth. What was yours?) Despite the writers' lack of birthing know-how, they managed to capture the "spirit" of giving birth in this fallen world---its aching beauty, the co-mingling of the joy of bringing forth new life with the small, though real possibility of death. Now if only they had shown Claire (modestly) breastfeeding at least once... (How did Aaron survive all those times Claire wandered off into the jungle without him?--maybe on imaginary peanut butter.)

May Fertility Tip: Conceive with Regular Cycles

Did you know that if you have long cycles, you may have an increased risk of miscarriage, even if you conceive during your most fertile days? Women who are TTC and who typically ovulate after cycle day 21 should work toward shorter cycles to increase their chances for a healthy pregnancy.

Every woman has the occasional long cycle--ovulation may be delayed due to stress, travel, or other unusual circumstances. This is part of your body's amazing design: conception isn't a good idea if you might be in danger. Your body "knows" that pregnancy is a time when you should be stable and at peace.

However, if you typically ovulate later than cycle day 21, you will increase your chances for a healthy pregnancy if you take some time to work on developing more regular cycles before TTC. Achieving more regular cycles is easier said than done. SCBP is developing a health-promotion program for couples planning or trying to conceive. We can help you develop a plan to help encourage more regular cycles. Contact us if you are interested in finding out more!

3 New Twin Cities Birth Centers!

Have you heard? 3 new birth centers have opened/are opening in the Twin Cities!! This is fabulous---I am thrilled to see so many new birthing options for women in our area. I am so excited! Check them out!