POPs aka Progestin-Only Pills aka The MiniPill
The following information is a little more personal than I typically share. However, I feel it is important to share experiences that may be common but may go unshared. And now that we have made public the expectation of our second child in June 2010, I feel free to share this information.
I began taking the mini-pill sometime after Sara Ellen was born. I had been afraid, before we got married, to use hormonal contraceptives because I didn’t know what it would mean for my body to think it’s pregnant. It was probably unnecessary to take the pills soonish after her birth because exclusive breastfeeding does delay ovulation. I have no idea if it’s return a few months before Sara Ellen’s 2nd birthday was a result of the pill, though it seems likely. The only obvious side effects I experienced were shorter, lighter periods. It was, however, frustrating because it was very slow in regaining any pattern and was less predictable as before Sara Ellen.
In mid-to-late June, Tim and I decided it was time for another baby. With the minipill, you simply stop taking it and can consider oneself fertile. The hormones are at a low level and must be taken at the same time daily to either prevent ovulation and/or conception. Though conception could happen immediately, it should take a few months for the natural cycle to resume. It was unlikely, but in early July I was wondering if I’d already become pregnant. I had so many crazy symptoms: hunger, mood swings, exhaustion. Turns out I went through some sort of withdrawal, something I was not expecting.
These pills worked just fine, I’m not suggesting otherwise. I took a lot of pregnancy tests because of the consistency of my cyclical inconsistency, and that was pretty annoying. Some reviews of pills, or promotions of other methods, talk about how daily dosing is a pain. I don’t thing that’s true. I had an alarm set. I did occasionally take it late or miss one. There have been plenty of opportunities for more surprise pregnancies. I believe that God will give you a child in the right time, even with consistent contraception. He has a plan set, no matter what ours is, there is so much we can’t see, and He knows precisely how His children will come in to the world, in time for specific events. There is a design, and it takes our choices into consideration.
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