Two months before my wedding date in January 2002, I started taking The Pill.
I don’t remember feeling particularly conflicted about it. Most everyone I knew was on it. The OB/GYN at the college health clinic handed me a script without blinking; she probably wrote dozens a day.
The tiny discs of pastel pills promised confidence – 99% “effectiveness.” I took it for four years (said with a whisper).
Looking back, I wish that I…hadn’t.
I didn’t have any scary side effects (not even the weight gain that some friends warned me about). Nor did I have trouble getting pregnant afterward (I got pregnant within a month of stopping). BUT – something inside of me just isn’t okay with messing with the chemistry of my body like that.
[I also don't think the Pill is as safe as people make it out to be].
I haven’t been on any hormonal birth control since the birth of my first daughter. I don’t ever want to be on it again. We plan to look into Natural Family Planning for in between babies. For now, we use artificial contraception.
But what about when we’re “done”? You know – done, DONE. (Will we ever be “done”? How will we know? Will we want to make it final?) I used to think, “Sure. Tim will go in get the surgery. The end.” Right? It’s so…effective.
But we’re rethinking that. How does one reconcile the beauty of modern medicine with trust in God? Don’t get me wrong – I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t go to the doctor. I think it’s awesome that people can get vaccines and heart transplants and all of that. I’m grateful that women have options now for giving grace to their bodies (I can’t even imagine being pregnant every year for the entirety of my childbearing years).
But I also wonder if birth control has taken something away from us. Hope? Trust? Sacrifice? The beauty of bigger families and saying “yes” to…life.
This post isn’t mean to be an answer. It’s meant to be a question and a discussion starter. Because these issues weigh heavily on my mind (and in my prayers).
What kind of birth control do you use and why?
* Photos are from our 2002 honeymoon cruise.
Welcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.
Today, we pulled into our new campground in Austin. We’ll be staying here for two weeks (the campground is sponsoring our stay). We could tell instantly that it was a very ritzy place with luxury motorhomes, boats, and vehicles at every turn. As I was looking out the window, I said to Tim, “There are A LOT of rich people here.” Our 4-year-old suddenly blurted out, “WE’RE not rich. We’re skinny!”
Before I begin, I want to be sure to emphasize that we are really enjoying this new lifestyle. We have a truck, a 5th wheel, and our family – and we’re seeing the country together. We’re making magnificent memories, stretching our brains, and expanding our hearts.
No real sense of “community.” This is probably the number one reason why most families don’t stay on-the-road indefinitely. It’s hard to build and foster strong friendships when you are a nomad. Don’t get me wrong – we are encountering fabulous people everywhere we go. Still, it’s not quite the same as having neighbors right next door. I can already sense that our girls miss having the familiarity of close friends a little bit (and maybe…so do I).
Has it only been 14 days since we launched the 
Learning. “I feel like my brain is literally expanding,” I said that to Tim a few days ago. Every day is a new day to learn. Not only are we learning the logistics of the RV world, we are learning from people and from places. We are confronted with new obstacles and new challenges…that require resourcefulness and innovation. After [too many] years away from formal academia, I am happy to be a student once again.
“I could never do this trip without you.” Tim and I have said that to each other about a hundred times since we started.
Other things? He sets up our non-profit projects, keeps our laptops in working order, writes posts for 
