Darling friend,
Thank you for receiving me in this way.
It is my honor to delve into the mysteries of life, together,
Here now, in reverence for ‘womb space’.
In short, the womb space is a divine power.
The ways in which they/she governs life, boundaries, and time, are ethereal and mysterious.
How she keeps time, how she heals, and turns on; we have much to learn.
I have witnessed this space turn into a holy portal for life and sustain vitality; the vitality of our human race - they sustain us all.
We share a collective energy and common experience in these wombs; and yet, they are all unique and individual. Each one with their own story to tell, each with a mood, a passion. Each requires specific nourishment, and ritual, based on the internal universe underlying the skin and bones. The song of our hormones must be encoded into our consciousness if we are even to begin to understand, 'womb space'.
Through an exploration of this space, together, we will attempt to find: higher states of consciousness, which foods best nourish us, how to look for signs and symptoms of imbalance/inflammation in our bodies (& how to counter these). This exploration is based in the concept of fertility, but can be a modality for healing ourselves in general.
So let's get to it!
The low down on fertility
This is the low down on fertility (from my humble perspective).
Hormones.
Eat well, move your body with your breathe, and chill the fuck out.
Thank you….
No but really; If you are just starting out on this wild and transformational journey we call 'motherhood',
First- get right with yourself, baby! Be easy on yourself.
An expecting mother wants to be as healthy as is physically conceivable to the mindbody.
We want to be healthy, but we don't want to stress about being healthy - set intentions for health with a positive outlook.
What does getting healthy look like?
What a blessing you asked!
‘Getting healthy’ is more simply put, feeling our best.
So I shall refer to is as such.
In understanding how to feel our best, we need to take note of what cause & effect reactions are keeping us from doing so. Get to the roots.
Here is a list of topics that will be covered in this series on fertilty:
ie: how we will "get to the roots" - feel our best // side note: All of these topics are deep! One can learn so much.
Im just skimming the surface to inspire the mindbody in these ways.
Take control of the nervous system, by addressing stressors in life.
Go on an elimination diet and keep a food journal, prioritize healing the body.
Enter into deep relation with the earth, giving back the blood.
Get in tune with the monthly cycle of menses and fertility, by tracking the blood.
The latter is a system with its own cultural ques.
There are many resources available, in print and online, to learn about tracking your cycle.
I’ll mention some things you can do today; and I also, encourage you to dig deeper.
CYCLE TRACKING
In the sprit world;
The God(dess) gives and takes life - the business of fertility and birth is theirs. To call in a conscious bleed, to call in a child to birth; is to enter into deep relation with this divine principle. In entering into relationship with her, we know, better yet, we feel; the well of intuitive knowledge that is stored in the subtle flesh of our bodies.
Begin this relationship, if you haven't already, by meditating with this divinity.
Get quiet in your mind and make an intention to connect with The God(dess) divine.
Speak directly with her about your body and what you are aiming to understand about your body, your flow, your fertility, etc...
Make an altar in your home that you can sit in-front of, while communing with the Goddess. Add things to your altar that inspire you and remind your body of fertility.
Bring offerings like water, herbs, and food to this altar when you come to pray.
In the physical world;
Start by keeping a calendar of your moon cycle.
Note which day you stopped bleeding (usually around day #4 ) so you can keep track of how long your bleed is. To be clear, the day you stop bleeding is not the last day of your cycle. You keep counting days until you bleed again.
There is usually 28 days or 24 days in between bleeds. So on day #28 or #24 or around that time, you will mark day #1 - again, when you begin to bleed again.
To track your fertility and ovulation within this timeframe - we use a basic recipe.
However, you know your body; and once you are in tune with the womb, you can feel when you are ovulating. I can feel the cervical mucous or "discharge" that occurs when I ovulate; and often enough - I can literally feel the egg blasting out of my Fallopian tubes.
"Ovulation" as we understand it, on average, occurs on day #14.
This starts on day #9, because as we know - sperm can live in the vagina for up to 5 days.
So "baby making sex" (sex in which your partner cums inside of you) on day #9 could potentially impregnate you on the day you ovulate, even if you don't have sex on this day; because the sperm is still alive inside of you. If you have a 24 day cycle, your 'fertile' day for ovulation is more likely, on day #10, in which case, days #5-#11 are 'fertile' days.
It's actually pretty simple!
Once you start doing it, you get the hang of it, and it is so satisfying when you KNOW how your bleed is coming.
I get PMS symptoms about a week before, so I use my calendar to understand my moods and hormones better in that way. I take my herbal teas, tinctures, and baths; preventively, to take care of myself. We have to be gentle with ourselves, the week before and days leading up to a bleed, as we are sensitive creatures. Feelings are okay, you know.
In summary: days to remember:
day#1 - the first day you bleed
day #9 - day #15: are days when you could potentially create new life - look on your calendar to see which days these are, and if you are trying to conceive; these are your days to go for gold.
WHAT IF...
If you are on the opposite spectrum, like I am currently, and use cycle tracking as a means of "natural" birth control - day #9-#15 are days you are either abstinent or really really careful.
I have been using cycle tracking as a means of birth control for many many years, and have had successful results thus far.
If your cycle is not regular, have no fear; there is much you can do to try and regulate it.
Herbs help regulate our cycle by regulating hormones, blood pressure, blood sugar, lymph, etc. The more regular we are in our cycle, the more keen we become in the imbalances that keep us from thriving *(bearing children).
If you have questions on cycle tracking, or would like to know more, feel free to reach out!
I am a birth doula, yogi, and clinical herbalist. I am in the business of babies - and I am honored when a new client reaches out to work with me on the basis of: fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum needs. contact me: Hello@thegroovydoula.com
A short list of Plant Allies for femmes:
(this is just a tentative list, please reach out to me or your local herbalist, with questions or do your research and dig deeper)
Tea for womb nourishing - red raspberry, nettles, cleavers, red clover, chickweed, maca, cacao, etc.
Herbs for fertility - tea of seeds, like fennel and coriander, cardamom, and nourshing herbs mentioned before, nettles, red raspberry, rose, red clover; herbs to balance hormones Herbs for regulating your cycle - vitex (chaste berry tree), black cohosh, ginger, turmeric, papaya, ashwagandha, motherwort, mugwort, and many more!
- cramp bark is an antispasmodic to the uterus; and a no brainer for period cramps.
Cramps are not necessary, and are usually a sign of inflammation, and therefore can be remedied with diet alone, on average, but in acute situations, this herb works to stop the cramping.
- Angelica archangelic can act as an abortifacient so I would not take it in any capacity if you are trying to conceive, but is also a tried and true remedy that I go to when the menses is late, to bring on the period.
- Beautiful and calming herbs like lavender, chamomile, rose, etc. are always a nice addition to our routines; I will mention nervine herbs and remedies for stress, next week - when we explore the nervous system as it relates to our cycle and fertility.
NEXT WEEK:
We’ll discuss ‘taking control of your nervous system’!
Stay tuned!
and please, tell your friends and sisters and aunties about this blog - so we can continue to grow our network and spread the good word about womb space and self healing.
Thank you so much!
bless you, love.
