Every day as women, in some way, we’re told what we should look like, what we should feel like or how we should be. But do you know what? We’re not a one size fits all race. We are a body of incredibly diverse human beings and every single one of us is different. Having said that, we do have our ‘normal’, and it’s all about what’s ‘normal’ for us. Not normal for the media, not normal for other people, but us. Singular.
Know Your Normal
Ami Holt, founder of Know Your Normal, wants us to become more aware of what’s normal for us. Women are hit over the head with rules and regulations to follow, especially when it comes to our health. But to think that what’s normal for me should be normal for you too is absolutely absurd. The Know Your Normal campaign is here to encourage all women, whatever our age, race or religion to get to absolute grips with what’s normal for you when it comes to your body and your health. Not only that, if anything does change or something abnormal, for you, is happening for you to report those changes; these could be in your boobs, your periods or even your unborn baby’s movements, even if it’s just for peace of mind.
Why Should We Know Our Normal?
Better than anyone else in the world, even doctors, we know our own bodies. Only we know when things aren’t right and only we can take that step to getting it checked out. That isn’t to say that every change will mean there’s a complication but, if there is, that with any luck it’s been spotted early and can be treated.
I know from experience when I was pregnant with Ted that when he had reduced movements, just how scary something like that can be. I always counted the kicks and made sure he had X amount of movements. There was a point where his movements were so reduced, and his growth had plateaued that I was kept in hospital overnight for observations and steroid injections should they have had to deliver him early.
How Do I Keep Track?
Know Your Normal have these fantastic period trackers where you can write down any and all symptoms you may feel you are experiencing, so if you should need to visit a doctor you can take this with you. Had the founder, Ami, not used this for her recent issues, her doctor may not have taken her so seriously and it has potentially saved her life. Not only does it track periods, but you have a box to tick for a boob check every single month! We need to get to know those fried eggs, watermelons, bangers or boobs, whatever you want to call them, so that we know when something’s not quite right.
Oh, not forgetting to make sure you tick off the box for a pamper night – SO needed, am I right?
But without these trackers, how have I been doing it? In all honestly, I haven’t really. I tend to have an ovulation calendar on the go and track my periods that way but I don’t tend to track any of my symptoms in the lead up to my period. I do check my boobs in the shower almost every day, it’s not just a monthly thing for me and when I was pregnant, I did everything by the Kicks Count book.
Can I Support Know Your Normal?
Without a doubt! Any contributions to the Know Your Normal fund are donated to our two chosen charities which will go a long way to making a huge difference to both Kicks Count & Coppafeel! UK and enable them to continue the amazing work they do to save the lives of women and their unborn babies.
Recently Ami, along with 10 other ladies travelled to Chester to take part in a photoshoot from which they would create a charity calendar for the campaign. You can check out some behind the scenes action by searching for #KYNCalendarGirls on social media. A launch party will take place in September and you’re all invited! There will be a press hour on the evening prior to the main event kicking off!
If you’d like to support this and purchase a calendar, you can do so here.
If you don’t know you normal then right now is the time to start! Women’s health issues effect every single one of us. Even if not directly, every single one of us has been affected in some way by breast cancer. 1 in 4 pregnancies result in a miscarriage. 1 in every 200 births ends in a stillbirth and roughly 1 in 15 women suffer from Polycystic Ovaries (PCOS) or Endometriosis. And as much as we might deny it, every woman reading this will likely tackle the menopause at some point. In one way or another, every single person will be affected by women’s health issues and Know Your Normal’s mission is to get people talking about them. They shouldn’t be a taboo subject and you shouldn’t be embarrassed, these things are happening to someone, somewhere every single day! KNOW YOUR NORMAL!
