Cycle Charting - What We Are Really Looking For

Do you know what having a baby reeeeeally teaches you? How to pay attention. Every little whimper, tummy clench or look in his eyes means something. And it’s so rewarding when you get it right! 

But sometimes I’ll project onto my babe a story that isn’t his. For example, if I’m feeling tired and done in, I tend to think he is too, and sometimes get into a right muddle trying to get him to sleep when he’s not ready. 

This is similar to cycle awareness in the joy of being a successful cycle detective, and the necessity to stop making up stories that aren’t true. It’s possible, and widely practiced, to observe your fertility without writing the data down. But the benefit of having things down on paper means you’re forced to see things exactly as they are, not how you wish them to be. 

This is the ultimate goal of tracking one's fertility. To see things clearly. No matter whether you’re tracking to avoid pregnancy, to conceive or to gain health insights, perfection is not the goal. Aiming for it only gets in the way of remaining aware of what is really happening in your body. 

You’ll miss days. You’ll lose your thermometer. You’ll get sick and find it all confusing. But if you keep coming back to your body with a tender listening ear, you’ll begin to release the narratives that keep you stuck and learn, humbly, to follow your rhythms with grace. 

It makes me sad when I see perfectionism spoil the beauty of cycle awareness. Yes, I encourage rigorous tracking especially at first, but being disciplined and committed to the process of learning is not the same as being perfect. Aiming simply for commitment allows for kindness to oneself and the awareness that perfection is unrealistic.

Love,