Hey Lovelies,
We have NOT been responsible adults in regards to birth control since Bean Sprout was born. Really, what kind of birth control feels right or necessary after 3 years of active trying? Not to mention I am breastfeeding so that cuts a lot of our options. Well, we haven’t been using any. I’m pretty sure we bought a pack of condoms when he was tiny because you don’t want to get pregnant when you’re not sleeping, you don’t even want THAT child when you’re not sleeping, but they are unopened in a drawer somewhere.
But like… Do I WANT to get pregnant? Meh. Not really? I don’t really want another baby, at least not right now, I want to enjoy this time with my little boy. We aren’t really even 100% sure that we want more babies at all. It was actually never our plan to have more than one but that has become less clear the further we walked this path.
We know people that don’t even want children at all, so they’ve always made sure that their local healthcare clinic, (Southwest Care – click here for more information) provides them with enough birth control to prevent them from getting pregnant. Look, I’m sure they’d make great parents if it happened but it is not in their plans and it’s fine. That’s their choice. And we don’t even know if we want any more children, especially with already having Bean Sprout.
Uncertainty for the future aside, we are certainly not behaving in a way that prevents any babies. Are we “not trying not preventing”? I mean… I haven’t had a period yet since I gave birth, I am still breastfeeding 6ish times a day, we are labeled as infertile, and try as we might didn’t get pregnant for 3 years before… But we aren’t actively preventing. So what does that mean?
I have taken a few tests since Bean Sprout was born, just to make sure, because we aren’t preventing, but as he’s getting older it’s feeling more reckless to not prevent. Reckless because it’s a little exciting and a lot scary to think about more babies. We have always said we’d be ok with just one. Then we had our son and he was amazing, definitely ok if he is our only one. But what if we have another? What if we wind up wanting another? He’s pretty amazing, what if a sibling would be just as amazing or more so? But then I remember we are infertile… And that it’s pretty unlikely that I just accidentally get pregnant when not trying not preventing, no matter what the pregnancy test stash ‘to be safe’ implies.
What if we have to go through all that again just to try?!
Having so recently emerged out the other side of the pain I’m not super keen to reenter that world. So, why aren’t we being more careful? What happens if we start to hope?
…The Chicken
What you are doing isn’t exactly logical but is understandable, if one accepts that wanting a baby is not entirely a rational thing. I have always felt my desire for a child was a good part instinctive, not unlike sex drive.
I do agree with the comment above, that it’s not logical, but understandable, what you’re feeling and doing. I know. I was there. Except in my case, logic won out (enhanced by dire warnings from my OB about not getting pregnant for at least a year after a c-section), and I did go on birth control, just in case. But, yes, I get it – chances are SO slim, but what IF?
It tooks us about 1,5y to get pregnant, so I think I’ll just let it run its course after this baby is born. One and half year isn’t much but I’ll be 33 soon, so there is this aspect. I know it won’t be easy with a baby but we want more kids anyway so it seems odd to prevent myself from another pregnancy. I understand that you are afraid of slowly slipping back into TTC mode? I agree it feels so nice not to be trying anymore …