Everything looked good at our monthly check-up yesterday. Baby tried to hide from the Doppler machine, as usual. I love my sneaky little baby.
I talked to the midwife for a while about post-pregnancy contraception. I know someone who got pregnant again TWO months after having her first baby. I live in fear of that happening to me.
I don't much enjoy the thought of having to worry about birth control again-- it was so nice to just not care for a while. But since I don't want to be breastfeeding an 8 month old baby while it's stretched across my 6 months pregnant belly, Husband and I have been talking about what we'll do after the baby gets here.
I explained to the midwife that birth control pills make me crazy. She said that means I can't use the patch or the ring, either, because they all have estrogen in them. She said that there is a "mini pill" that doesn't have estrogen in it. So no craziness or other bad side effects. The downside is that it's less effective and you have to take it at the EXACT same time every day. The shot also doesn't have estrogen, but it lasts for 3 months, so if you have bad side effects you can't just discontinue the medication.
Then the midwife talked to Husband and me about some intrauterine devices. They can stick it in during an office visit and it can last up to 5 years (or longer, depending on the brand you choose). It's over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. You don't have remember to take a pill every day or go get shots. IUDs make your periods lighter and maybe even stop altogether. You can even choose between IUDs that release hormones and those that don't.
The down side? It costs $750 and my insurance won't cover it. Bastards. Husband and I are still considering it, though.
$750 is for 5 years, so it's only $12.50/month. And it's way cheaper than another pregnancy and baby. My mom got pregnant with my little sister when I was 3 months old. One of our professors has two kids that are 9 months apart. It happens. Good thing to think about this in advance. Condoms are also great because there are no hormones and you can easily decide how far apart to space pregnancies without planning around the lingering hormonal effects that can delay return of fertility. They're very effective if used correctly! Enjoy not having to worry about contraception for the next few months- the deed is done on this one.
ReplyDeleteHusband and I discussed condoms. We're just so used to not using them that I think we'd be irresponsible.
ReplyDeleteThe midwife said that once you remove the IUDs, you are immediately returned to fertility. That sounded nice to me, even though right now I can't imagine wanting to get pregnant again.