People often ask if I will be having baby number three. My answer is a pretty definite ‘no’. So many people say ‘Oh but accidents happen’. What they don’t know is I had my tubes tied after the birth of my daughter. Of course there is still a small chance of pregnancy, but in reality my pregnancy days are behind me.
When I was a baby and child I had kidney problems. I required frequent hospital visits up until 6 years of age, where I was finally given the all clear. I still remember the doctor telling my mum and I that all should be fine. However, having children may be an issue as it could place extra strain on my kidneys. I wasn’t devastated as I was so young but it always stuck in my mind that I may not be able to have children.
Fast forward 25 years and my husband and I were in a position where we wanted a child. I became pregnant with Hudson after a miscarriage and he was born 6 weeks early. I then became pregnant with Scarlett after a very early miscarriage and from 25 weeks they thought she may come early. She was born full term but there were a lot of scans and worry throughout the pregnancy. My kidneys were never an issue but I carried both babies very low and breech. I also had incompatible blood type with Scarlett so there was a concern my body would reject her. My Ob/Gyn advised that this could get worse with each pregnancy.
At my last appointment before my c-section I was offered to have my tubes tied at the end of the procedure. He said it would be 10 minutes extra, no extra pain or costs.
I had never thought of this, but I after speaking to my husband I decided to go ahead with the procedure. The main deciding factors for me were:
▫I didn’t want to take the pill anymore or have synthetic hormones in my body.
▫My husband was carrying on about having his tubes tied. He believes he wouldn’t be as manly anymore 😩. I really didn’t want to have to deal with nagging him.
▫While the thought of a big family appeals to me, the cost of raising children is huge these days.
▫ I have two healthy, happy children. I didn’t want to risk another pregnancy where something could go wrong. Especially when I thought I may have trouble having even one baby.
▫I was 32 when I had Scarlett and didn’t want to add the age factor in as a risk with a third pregnancy.
▫If I ever desperately want another baby, I can still have IVF. I highly doubt this will happen, but it’s good to know your options.
Am I happy with the decision I made? Yes I am. Sometimes I think about the fact that I won’t have another new born. Yet, I am grateful and happy that I have have two children. There are some women who never get this opportunity in life. I am also now one of those women who loves to give other people’s babies big cuddles (then give them back to mummy or daddy when they cry or poop). I look forward to the next phase of life with my family; my children growing up, learning and discovering the world.
I have had no side effects, there was no extra pain and I feel just fine. Of course, as with anything. This is a very personal decision and everyone’s experience is different. Overall my experience was a good one. I wanted to share my story, you hear so often about men having tubes tied but not many women ever speak about it.
Rachelle xx
