Summertime....Child, your living's easy

A little nod to my girl Janis Joplin and my favorite summertime song...

Just trying to take it easy and focus on having fun and going to the beach as much as possible!! Also per my doctor's instructions, we are having "fun" sex and not the kind where I have to schedule it and then lay with a pillow under my butt for 20 mins. So far, so good!

Our appointment at the naturopath last month went well but the follow-up appointment this month should really give us a firm plan to stick to. What I like most about taking this route is that her first priority is getting us to a better level of health overall and then working on getting pregnant. I am fine with that and would like to ease back into all of this!


FERTILITY MASSAGE

Her first homework assignment for me, which was AWESOME, was getting a fertility massage (See my previous post on the Mayan fertility massage). It was a full body one and it was fabulous!! The point was to see where my uterus was sitting...well that little lady appears to be tilted toward my sacrum (tailbone) and that's not the normal place for it. My periods always start off dark, meaning that some is left over from my last one. That old lining can build up in your uterus and then the new lining will build on top of that...in some cases it could lead to the embryo having trouble implanting. Who knew?

One thing about having fertility issues is that you really find out how your body works. So my massage therapist worked on me for an hour and half then asked me to do some things at home to get the "old" stuff out of my uterus and allow for a new, fresh lining.

The timing of the massage should should be a week before the start of a new cycle, (I am scheduled to get my second one this Saturday). The point is to flush out the old stuff so if we are actively trying to get pregnant while I am getting these massages then it will just flush out the embryo. So, like I said, just fun times with no stress for now!

She did warn me that I could be overly emotional (more than usual) during the time leading up to the first day of my cycle and she was right...PMS was a bitch that week!


CASTOR OIL PACKS

My uterus is the focus for now so I am also putting castor oil packs on my abdomen every night, with heat, for about 15-20 mins. It pulls the toxins from the uterus and helps to move my uterus it back into its rightful place. My mom told me years ago to use castor oil packs for my cramps....it's definitely helping my cramps now, so there is something to these holistic remedies!

One thing to note when doing the pack, use heat from a water bottle or one of those pillows with the seeds that you put into your microwave, DO NOT use a heating pad. I am not sure why but that was per my doctors instructions. Also castor oil packs are useful for lots of non-fertility related things so check out the links below!

Here are directions on making a castor oil pack, or you can buy disposable ones from Edgar Caycee here.

Arvigo Maya Fertility Massage: Working Wonders

Time for a belly rub! If you are willing to try anything, take a stab at this one:

Arvigo Maya Massage is an abdominal massage for the reproductive and digestive systems that has been practiced for thousands of years. The non-invasive technique helps guide the internal reproductive organs into their proper position and relieve tension in the diaphragm since organs that have shifted have restricted flow of blood, lymph nerve and chi.

This technique was developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who moved to Belize from the US in 1981 and worked as a naprapathic doctor (a branch of chiropractic care). She met one of the last of the traditional Maya shaman, Don Elijio Panti and was taken on as his apprentice. (Panit passed away in 1996 at the age of 103).


As with any other natural healing, Arvigo Techniques seek to restore the body to its natural balance. Though the techniques are shown to have positive results for gynecological and gastrointestinal issues, the main results have been a boost to fertility.


According to Dr. Arvigo's website, the work is best known for the correction of the prolapsed, fallen, or tilted uterus and for the prevention and treatment of benign prostate enlargement in men, and for relief of many common digestive disorders.

Benefits for Women
Normally the uterus leans slightly over the bladder in the center of the pelvis, about one and a half inches above the pubic bone. It is held in this position by muscles, the vaginal wall and ligaments that attach it to the back, front, and sides of the pelvis. Uterine ligaments are made to stretch to accommodate a growing fetus inside and to move freely when the bladder or bowel is full. The ligaments and muscles can weaken and loosen, causing the uterus to fall downward, forward, backward or to either side.

A uterus in any of these positions is called tilted or prolapsed. Modern medicine has little or nothing to offer women with this problem. Options may include using the birth control pill, muscle relaxants, or surgery and women are generally told, "your uterus is tipped, but that is normal and don't worry about it." Yet women have a laundry list of physical and emotional symptoms that can be addressed and prevented with these simple, noninvasive massage techniques. When reproductive organs shift, they can constrict normal flow of blood and lymph, and disrupt nerve connections. Just a few extra ounces sitting on blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems in the body. By shifting the uterus back into place, homeostasis, or the natural balance of the body, is restored in the pelvic area and the surrounding organs. Toxins are flushed and nutrients that help to tone tissue and balance hormones are restored to normal order. This is essential for healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Old adhesions from invasive treatments to the pelvic and abdominal area, including fibroid tumors, endometriosis, and cesarean delivery are diminished when addressed by uterine massage. In addition, digestion, urinary and bladder problems can be helped.

Check out Dr. Arvigo's site for more info. She also has a link to practitioners in your area here.

 I found out about this therapy from an article my mom sent me from Oprah.com. Daphne Oz (daughter of  -- you guessed it -- Dr. Mehmet Oz), wrote about her experience with the massage. You can read that story here.