Baby I'm back!!
Hey girlies! Here's the weekly tea.
Michelle here! For those of you who may not know, my husband and I welcomed our first baby on June 7th. Her name is Eleanor and we’re calling her Ella. Melanie made a visit to Denver last week to meet her and it was so good for us two to be reunited.
FAV CLEAN PRODUCT THIS WEEK:
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Honest sensitive face and body lotion: This lotion scores 100 on Yuka (this is the best score!) and it nourishes deeply with no fragrance. Soo so helpful living in dry Colorado and no fragrance which means happier hormones. Also feel better if this touches baby’s skin knowing it’s clean!
WHAT WE'RE UP TO THIS WEEK:
We’re ramping back up with TNB to have some fun new things coming this fall. We’re hoping to up our social media game including entering the world of TikTok. If you have any tips let your girls know lol.
I just had my 6 week postpartum visit and my midwife was in full support of me going back to using the sympto-thermal method for birth control. Yippie! We love a provider that 1. Actually knows what different fertility awareness methods are and 2. Are supportive and encouraging!
Last but not least, we’ve been chatting so much recently about how we wish we knew this information WAY before we had to decide what we were doing for birth control. We truly believe that this information should be required to be shared with teens around the US so they can fully understand their body and make more informed choices in early adulthood. Mel is actually going to be presenting on cycle health to young girls and their moms next month!
WHAT WE'RE CHATTIN' ABOUT IN OUR GROUPCHAT:
This article by Helen Vuong, a fourth-year osteopathic medical student at California Health Sciences University, discusses the value of educating teen women on their menstrual cycle because it:
- Improves reproductive health literacy. Many teens have a limited understanding of how their cycle works and what their body is showing them through fertility signs. Like how amazing would it have been if we didn’t think of “discharge” as gross or embarrassing but as a vital piece of our menstrual cycle health at that age.
- It helps identify potential health concerns earlier. As y’all know, charting can help identify concerns such as irregular cycles, abnormal bleeding or other symptoms that may be related to a hormonal or other health concern. Meaning you get a more inside look at your own body with real data to take to your provider.
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It supports lifelong health. The article emphasizes that fertility awareness is about WAY more than preventing or achieving pregnancy. Understanding the menstrual cycle can empower teens to understand and observe their overall health, appreciate the menstrual cycle as a vital sign and not be grossed our by it, and to make lifestyle choices that support their hormonal and reproductive goals over time.
While we don’t recommend our current on-demand course for teens, we are hoping to bring in teen education to our offerings over the next few years. If you or anyone in your network is passionate about teenage education (or maybe is a high school gym teacher ◡̈), we’d love to connect! Or if you have any piece of information that you really wish you knew as a teen, hit reply and let us know!
That’s all for this week!
Xoxo,
Michelle & Melanie
