infant

Natural Family Planning: BBT and Charting

Whether you want to have a baby or are trying to avoid it altogether and also want to avoid hormonal birth control, you’ve come to the right blog! 

When I first learned about charting in my obstetrics class, I couldn’t understand what each point in the chart meant, but you can learn a ton. 

First things first, you need a way to measure your basal body temperature. This requires a special thermometer that measure to the hundredth of a degree because we are talking small but significant changes in temperatures. Luckily you can get them almost anywhere and prices vary greatly. Now that you’ve got your thermometer, you have to make sure to take your temperature at the same time everyday. Make sure it’s before you get up and start moving around, this temperature is measuring when you’re at rest, so it’s best to do it after about 4 hours of no activity, like in the morning before getting out of bed. 

There are different tools that try to make it easier for you to track your BBT, like the Ava or OvuSense, which are wearable trackers. One you wear on your wrist like a watch while you’re sleeping and the other is inserted like a tampon. 

So, now you’ve gotten your chart going, but now what are the key points you should be zeroing in on? Before ovulation, your temperatures will be lower and then there will be an exponential spike and then them temps will continue to stay high. Sometimes there will be a slight dip in temperatures before the spike, which is called an ovulation dip. 

There is so much more to track, and we will save them for another post, this should get you on the right track though on starting to track your ovulation. Check back later for more ways to track your fertility. 

Tongue Ties: Sally Isn't Selling These by the Seashore

I will be honest, when I first started working with babies and tongue/lip ties, I had no idea what I was talking about (sorry to my first few patients, I know so much more now). I honestly thought they meant tongue twisters and had to go home and look them up. 

I still send people to the professionals on the subjects, IBCLCs and pediatric dentists as I can only tell when they are really bad. I always say we all would do better for our patients if we just stayed in our lanes. 

Are you like I used to be and confused? 

I got you! Tongue ties and lip ties are a common diagnosis I hear about from patients when they are having breast feeding issues with their babies. When there is a tie of the tongue or the lip, it changes the way the mouth and tongue can work. If the tongue and/or the mouth can’t work at their best, then breastfeeding will be difficult for the baby (and in turn, the mom). Oftentimes, there will be pain on the mother’s part and frustration and colic on the baby’s end. Luckily, there are almost instantaneous ways to fix them via tongue/lip tie revisions as well as adjustments and soft tissue work.

When I’ve spoken with the dentists in town that do tongue tie and lip tie revisions, they prefer that their patients get body work done prior to and following the treatment. The exercises they give you following a revision are important to prevent scar tissue from forming, which opens up a whole other can of worms when it comes to breastfeeding. 

As a chiropractor, I am always trying to get a patient’s body to move as close to optimum as possible. When we can do this, everything just goes smoother, including breastfeeding. However, when it comes to tongue ties, looking at breastfeeding is SO SHORT-SIGHTED. It can affect someone their entire life (just ask me). It can lead to TMJD, texture issues, speech problems, etc.

I was a formula baby and never had a problem eating or gaining weight (Awesome.), I was happy all the time and never showed any signs of discomfort, so my parents (and many at the time) never even heard of tongue ties or lip ties. So now I am one of the lucky ones who gets to deal with TMJD, a texture problem and neck tightness. Sure, I could get it revised, but I’ve figure life out now and am lucky to be married to someone who can fix it. 

My adult patients who have had their ties revised have some pretty amazing things to say about it. 

What I typically look for and notice is that a baby may only open one side of their mouth or have a side preference. They may also have tightness at the top of their neck. By using an adjustment and some soft tissue work, we are often able to get them back to feeling better quickly and their recovery following a revision is quick. 

If you suspect your child has a tongue tie or a lip tie, please reach out to see if we can help and as always, if not, I will be glad to give you the names of our favorite professionals. 

Our number is (210) 323-2163.