It's come to my attention that it is time for me to choose a post-baby form of birth control. Ugh. I've been dreading this since last spring (though clearly apathy is NOT the right choice here!).
My options are pretty limited while I'm breastfeeding. They consist of:
*The Mini-Pill
*The Shot
*Condoms
*An IUD
(Notice that breastfeeding [Lactational Amenorrhea Method] is absent from this list. That is because I have found many mixed opinions on the effectiveness of this method. While breastfeeding is supposedly 99% effective as long as you're exclusively breastfeeding, your baby is under six months of age and your period has not returned, I just don't feel it's real-world failure rate is that low, and will NOT be placing the possibility of another little Baby B in the hands of a faulty method!)
*The Mini-Pill (AKA the progesterone-only pill):
If you've had excellent luck with combination birth control pills, and can remember to take it at the EXACT same time every day, this is a great choice. I, however, got pregnant with little miss Ava on Yaz, and so a pill that is both less effective and more sensitive to any fluctuation in when you take it is not a great option for me. Dr. R even pointed this fact out at my 6-week appointment. Thanks, buddy.
*The Shot (AKA Depo-Provera):
Highly effective shot administered every three months. Sounds great, right? Nothing to remember everyday, nothing to worry about, etc. The cons, though, bum me out. Not only is it the form of birth control most highly associated with weight gain, it also requires doctors visits and shots (ick!) every three months, and can cause some pretty intense moodiness (I'm not sure how I feel about three months worth of hormones floating around in my system!) That being said, it works great with no side effects for a lot of ladies. I'm just not sure I want to be one of them!
*Condoms. Enough said.
*An IUD. This seems to be my best option, but I'm still quite skeptical. For anyone who doesn't know, an IUD is a little device inserted into your uterus to live until you're ready for a(nother) baby. It can be left there for 5-10 years, and requires no maintenance whatsoever. When you're ready, you just go in and have it taken out (both insertion and removal require an office visit), and voila! You can get pregnant again right away. I'm sure the many benefits are obvious: ease of use, long-lasting, immediate fertility upon removal, etc. What I'm interested in hearing firsthand is actual user experiences. Do you love yours? Hate it? Any side effects you wish you had known about beforehand? How was the insertion/removal? My doctor did warn me that while the insertion can be slightly painful generally, that it may be worse for me (and anyone else who has had a c-section) since my body has technically never had a baby. Interesting...
Anyhow, I'd love to hear any and all IUD experiences, both good and bad! If you don't feel comfortable sharing in a comment, feel free to email me at unexpectedlyexpectingbaby@gmail.com. Thanks, ladies!
Due to the liver/pancreas unhappiness potentially having been caused by many years on the normal Pill (on which I did have an accidentaly pregnancy...unfortunately for me, the kidlet-to-be didn't make it) I went with the Paragard IUD. It and the Mirena are the only two sold in the U.S. The Mirena contains low-dose hormones, which, if you can't have any hormones at all, is obviously out for me.
ReplyDeleteThe Paragard is a little copper device. Insertion wasn't so bad, I have a high pain tolerance, so if you don't, definately ask for the painkiller. There is more risk of explusion the first couple months you use it, but it's a good idea to check for strings every month after your period (basically feel around up there for em, they're not really long.)
The Paragard so far for me has worked flawlessly...my periods are heavier on it, so if your periods weren't heavy before, they might surprise you on the IUD...my periods were always pretty excruciating so a little extra pain isn't that big a price to pay to avoid another pregnancy, for now.
I don't have any complaints about it thus far, I've had it for about 4 months now. If you wanna be safe and go non-hormonal, the Paragard seems to work fine for me, no explusion, and you know I had a section, as well.
*hugs*
Good luck!
This is why I am using the one fool proof method- abstinence! LOL!
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