Why I Love My Period
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Hey y’all! Let’s chat about periods today!
I just got my period back at four and a half months postpartum. Which is not what I expected, because I got it back at two months last time! Especially since he has slept through the night for awhile now.
And this might sound weird, but I love having my period.
Honestly, it wasn’t always that way though. I used to be super negative about them for years.
When I was in my early teens we discovered that I had Grave’s disease, which basically means that my thyroid is over-active.
I had all these symptoms like insomnia, mood swings, anxiety, crazy irregular periods. Like, my periods would last for 2 months, then not come back for 6 months, then they’d last 2 days, then come back in 4 days, etc.
Not super fun!
That took me on a long journey of healing. I was able to heal my thyroid through diet and herbs.
Since then my periods have been very consistent! They are the average 28 day cycles, and periods about 5 to 7 days long. I’ve been amazed at how everything works together, diet affects so much!
Plus, the whole process of having babies and learning more about my body and how it works, I’ve come to really appreciate my menstrual cycle for the wonder that it is!
You don’t need to be a doctor to learn about your body and take control of it again! We need to be our own health advocates. We need to be knowledgeable about our bodies and how they work. Also we need to appreciate the cycles and processes our bodies go through, and not fight against them.
Why I Love My Period
I feel so grounded and reflective and just human when I’m menstruating. I feel very commented to my femininity. It is the same when I am pregnant or in labor, it is like the fulfillment of what is means to be woman.
I have heard menstruating talked about as another vital sign for a woman. Vital signs indicate the status of the body’s vital functions. These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a person and give clues to possible diseases. So when a woman’s period is very irregular or gone completely, it is a sign that something is wrong in her body.
HERE is a great podcast talking about “The Fifth Vital Sign”.
Our culture is so negative about a menstrual cycles.
Women whine and complain whenever they are on their periods. Girls are taught from a young age to dread it and hate every minute of it. They aren’t even given a change to enjoy it. It is just such a foreign idea.
Some women hate their periods so much that they will go on medical contraceptives, and risk all the side effects from that, just to make their cycle stop. That is insane to me.
I want my daughter to look forward to getting her period! I always want to talk about it in a positive way in front of her. Same with my post-pregnancy body, with all its stretch marks and extra fat rolls here and there. It is beautiful. And I have made it a goal to never speak negatively of my body of period in front of my children.
Once you really understand your cycle and know what is happening when you bleed, and why, you will come to see that it is not out to get you.
I always allow myself to slow down when I’m on my period. There are still things I have to get done. But I don’t need to go 100mph all day like I normally do.
We as a culture are always on the go!
We need things to happen so fast, instant meals, instant internet, instant everything.
Whereas we as humans, used to live a slower paced life. We stayed home and canned, and baked sourdough bread that takes 2 days to make.
It is ok to rest, take it easy, take a nap, not go to every outing that you normally would.
And you’ll be able to tell when you’ve over-done it!
Cramps can help remind you to slow down and listen to your body. They are your internal communication system, telling you that something’s up!
Y’all are going to think I’m weird, but…
I actually love cramps because they remind me of contractions and I love being in labor.
Yes, I know…super strange and uncommon!
But, just bein’ honest over here.
That cramping feeling to me, brings me straight back to the power I felt within myself as I birthed my babies!
You will start to be able to feel different kinds of cramps, different intensities and locations, and what they mean. Some cramps mean you need to rest more, some mean that you’d feel a little better with some essential oils, some mean you could use some more water.
I have found that changing your mindset around your period can help you have a better body image even!
Your body works in this perfect cycle, that God created, and it is so incredible once to take a moment to see it.
It is such an intricate system. And there can be such peace and harmony in embracing it.
And having my period also connects me to the possibility of having babies, and conceiving, and just the magic that is womanhood, and fertility, and menstruating!
Our bodies are made to have menstrual cycles, and stretch with pregnancies, and start to sag a bit, it means we are using them for the purpose they were created for!
So, will you join me in embracing our periods, and cultivating joy around them?
And blessings.
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I also love the idea that your cycle is a vital sign, I have always tried to stay positive even though sometimes it is painful or annoying! It is a sign that you are healthy and have a gift to create beautiful children!
I don’t have very many periods because of ecological breastfeeding though, which is fine with me too, ha.
I’m glad I stumbled across your site !