S T. ISI DOR E C AT H OL I C CHURCH
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING: H onori ng God ’ s Des i gn f o r M a r r i ed Lo v e
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hroughout our lives, we prepare Gretchen Marsh and what my sister for many things. We prepare to talked about.” go on vacation by doing the reSandra had an appointment search on locations, weather and with Dr. Gretchen Marsh and behotels. We prepare to purchase a gan charting with her. After a few house by looking at loans and conmonths, she asked Sandra if she necting with a realtor. would be interested in teaching Why don’t we, Sandra Ruelas NFP courses in Spanish for Spanasks, prepare for family planning? ish-speaking couples at St. Isidore. “We don’t really prepare for our “I’ve been a member of St. family in the sense that we don’t Isidore since I was 9, and I lived discuss how many kids we want to with my parents in Mexico for years, have or when we want to have them,” and then we moved back here,” SanSandra says. “This should certainly dra says. “While attending the trainbe something that is just as importing to become an NFP practitioner, ant, if not more so, than going on I almost gave up, but I thought that vacation or purchasing a home.” anything that is worth it is probably Natural Family Planning, or not going to be easy.” Sandra Ruelas NFP, offers us true methods of Shortly afterwards, Dr. Gretchen avoiding and achieving pregnancies that exclude the Marsh moved away, and Sandra continued to offer NFP uses of hormonal birth control. preparation in English and Spanish at St. Isidore and “Unlike hormonal birth control, NFP is a system of the surrounding parishes as needed. She would enshared responsibility for a couple,” Sandra says. “With courage people to go online and research the different the Creighton model, you can also monitor your fertilmethods of NFP and find what works for you. ity and follow up with a NaPro doctor.” “When it comes to learning about NFP, I say the NFP is particularly important for us as Catholics younger, the better,” Sandra says. “It is very empowsince it “honors God’s design for married love.” ering for young women and puts them in the driver’s “No married couple should have to decide beseat with their fertility. I often hear in introductory tween their faith and their fertility,” Sandra says. “NFP sessions couples saying, ‘If I had only known this fosters mutual communication and values life. There’s years ago.’” really no such thing as an ‘accident’ with NFP. You Currently Sandra is offering courses and introducknow when you’re fertile and have chances of achievtory sessions online, and individuals are welcome to ing pregnancy.” reach out to her directly to schedule a session or ask Sandra’s sister first talked her into attending an questions. NFP session with Dr. GM, but at that time, Sandra “Hormonal birth control has made it so that there didn’t think much about it. She had three children, are no consequences to our actions,” Sandra says. three fairly normal pregnancies, and then became “That can lead to a destructive path that separates us pregnant with her fourth. from God. NFP brings us closer to God’s Will.” “I had my first appointment with my OB/GYN at If you would like more information about Natural 12 weeks, and the baby didn’t have a heartbeat,” says Family Planning, please contact Sandra Ruelas at sanSandra. “What I immediately thought about was Dr. dra.ruelas@att.net or 530-870-0121.
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