Learning about the birds and the bees...
Not sure how it went down for you in 5th grade. But, that year at Birdwell Elementary, we were separated into boys and girls. The girls had to go into Mrs. Perry's class, while the boys stayed in Mrs. Boseley's class. They proceed to play a video, and our good old friend from "Annie" tells the girls about the birds and the bees. Our favorite red headed orphan explained our bodies and the basics of how a baby is made in a simplistic approach that a 5th grader could understand. Pretty straight forward.
Fast forward to 9th grade at Robert E Lee High School in Health class...we get separated into boys and girls again. As we head to a different room, I remember thinking, "Seriously, I think Annie already covered the basics. I think we are mature enough to handle being with the boys" (because I was so grown up/mature - NOT). As the video starts, it goes into an overview of our anatomies and the biological details of reproduction. No biggie...right? Then the video takes a turn in direction and covers prevention and the dangers of unprotected sex (this is where I am super relieved that we are separated into boys and girls). The video proceeds to bust out with the scare tactic of showing us graphic, real STD close-ups for 20 minutes...and these are not the tame textbook illustrations...this is the real thing people. I laugh when I am nervous, so needless to say, I nervously laughed the entire way through. I remember looking around me and realize I am of the few freshman in the class, as the other upperclassmen are maturely viewing and remain unaffected by this video. Maybe they discussed ovulation, but all I can remember was the prevention part, as I am still haunted by those disturbing images.
A couple of years later, I am sitting in my Chi-Omega Monday meeting (shout out to Xi Kappas!), and a special guest visits us to talk about dating and abstinence. She goes into telling us the dangers of frontal hugging which can lead to unwanted babies. She demonstrated the proper ways to hug a man and ingrained "nothing good happens after midnight". Please do not get me wrong, I am a believer in abstinence and God's design for sex within marriage. I just thought it was an another interesting "group discussion" about preventing pregnancy. It was not too long afterwards, I came back to my room in the house, "the cave", and saw this image with a pregnant woman with a line draw through it posted on the bulletin board by my roomie, Kelly Ann (what fun memories with Kelly Ann and Amanda). I died laughing when I saw that.
My point is...that in my whole life, nobody really sat down and talked seriously about what you should do when you are ready to have a baby. Basically, I knew about the birds and the bees but was not prepared for what to expect if you cannot get pregnant by just having sex with your husband. I felt super ignorant when it comes to the fertility process, but looking back, they don't really train us on how to get pregnant...just how to avoid pregnancy.
When I started trying, I really thought it was going to be super easy to get pregnant. I really had not thought about the possibility of not being able to get pregnant. So when I found out that I had some major problemas, I was super scared because I had no clue what was going on or what to expect. I am not saying we should live in fear or not have fun in the process and make it just about science. I just think it is important to be informed about what obstacles may be presented to you. We don't talk about this unless we know a close relative/friend going through it or are experiencing it firsthand. And, many of us, do not talk at all when going through the trials of infertility.
So, over the next few blogs, I am going to share some of the things I learned through my experience...stay tuned.
Love you all!
Fast forward to 9th grade at Robert E Lee High School in Health class...we get separated into boys and girls again. As we head to a different room, I remember thinking, "Seriously, I think Annie already covered the basics. I think we are mature enough to handle being with the boys" (because I was so grown up/mature - NOT). As the video starts, it goes into an overview of our anatomies and the biological details of reproduction. No biggie...right? Then the video takes a turn in direction and covers prevention and the dangers of unprotected sex (this is where I am super relieved that we are separated into boys and girls). The video proceeds to bust out with the scare tactic of showing us graphic, real STD close-ups for 20 minutes...and these are not the tame textbook illustrations...this is the real thing people. I laugh when I am nervous, so needless to say, I nervously laughed the entire way through. I remember looking around me and realize I am of the few freshman in the class, as the other upperclassmen are maturely viewing and remain unaffected by this video. Maybe they discussed ovulation, but all I can remember was the prevention part, as I am still haunted by those disturbing images.
A couple of years later, I am sitting in my Chi-Omega Monday meeting (shout out to Xi Kappas!), and a special guest visits us to talk about dating and abstinence. She goes into telling us the dangers of frontal hugging which can lead to unwanted babies. She demonstrated the proper ways to hug a man and ingrained "nothing good happens after midnight". Please do not get me wrong, I am a believer in abstinence and God's design for sex within marriage. I just thought it was an another interesting "group discussion" about preventing pregnancy. It was not too long afterwards, I came back to my room in the house, "the cave", and saw this image with a pregnant woman with a line draw through it posted on the bulletin board by my roomie, Kelly Ann (what fun memories with Kelly Ann and Amanda). I died laughing when I saw that.
My point is...that in my whole life, nobody really sat down and talked seriously about what you should do when you are ready to have a baby. Basically, I knew about the birds and the bees but was not prepared for what to expect if you cannot get pregnant by just having sex with your husband. I felt super ignorant when it comes to the fertility process, but looking back, they don't really train us on how to get pregnant...just how to avoid pregnancy.
When I started trying, I really thought it was going to be super easy to get pregnant. I really had not thought about the possibility of not being able to get pregnant. So when I found out that I had some major problemas, I was super scared because I had no clue what was going on or what to expect. I am not saying we should live in fear or not have fun in the process and make it just about science. I just think it is important to be informed about what obstacles may be presented to you. We don't talk about this unless we know a close relative/friend going through it or are experiencing it firsthand. And, many of us, do not talk at all when going through the trials of infertility.
So, over the next few blogs, I am going to share some of the things I learned through my experience...stay tuned.
Love you all!
The Polands are staying tuned for more.
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