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!