Guess Who's Back?

So I, um, got my period.

I was pretty shocked to wake up yesterday to the arrival of good ol' Aunt Flow. I haven't seen her since October 2010 and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little surprised by her arrival. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and just about everyone I know who nurses their baby had to all but stop doing so in order for their cycles to return to normal. I suspect mine is early for one of two reasons:

1. After doing some online reading, (where would I be without BabyCenter?) it could be because Tory has recently started sleeping through the night. Well, not ALL NIGHT, but close. Lately, she's in bed by 9:00pm and sleeping straight through until 4:00am. After a quick feeding, she's back to sleep until 8:00am. We've had a few blessed nights of 9:00pm - 6:00am sleep and a few regressive 9:00pm - 3:00am / 3:30am - 6:00am / 6:30am - 9:00am nights as well. So, losing a feeding or two overnight could have caused my body to resume its menses. Or ...

2. Three weeks ago at my postpartum check-up, I decided to have the Mirena IUD implanted. I was all wishy-washy about what method of birth control I wanted to pursue, but ultimately decided some form of birth control was right for us ... at least for the time being. The idea of being pregnant at this very moment sort of throws me into a panic attack. I thought about taking my temps again but charting everyday (and obsessing over it like I did when we were trying to conceive) sounded liked a lot of work. So! An IUD it was.

Well, until it started to cause problems. Two weeks ago, I made an appointment with my OBGYN to have the IUD adjusted and it still wasn't any better. Let me side-step to remind you my sweet little Tory Girl still HATES her car seat and screams bloody murder every time she's in it. So a 30 minute drive to the doctor's office across town and through brutal I-94 construction isn't exactly something I enjoy doing every week. I could either have the IUD adjusted again which would likely mean I'd have to have a small same-day surgery to have it removed when we are ready to try for a baby again, or I could take it out now and go on the "mini pill," a progesterone-only birth control pill. I chose the mini pill. I am not going back to the doctor for the FOURTH TIME in four weeks.

I'm one of the lucky ones who's never had any issues with the standard birth control pill, so I had a few questions about how the mini pill was to be administered, and how it would affect by ability to nurse. My OBGYN was vague when answering my questions, only stressing I let her know as soon as I stop breastfeeding so I can switch to a combination progesterone / estrogen birth control pill. OK but, I still had questions...

I went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription and asked to speak to the pharmacist. A male pharmacist walks over (oh, great) and I asked him my questions.

ME: "Do I start taking this on a Sunday like the other birth control pill?"

PHARMACIST: "Yep." (Without even looking to see which type of birth control pill I was referring to).

ME: "Is this similar to the standard 28-day pill?"

PHARMACIST: "Um ..." (rips open drugstore package) "Yep, 28 pills here."

ME: "This is the progesterone-only pill. Is there anything special I need to know about this type of pill vs. the standard combination pill?"

PHARMACIST: "Ummm..." (Looks at package) "Nope, take one every day."

Thanks, buddy. Very reassuring. It's one thing to screw with my own body, but since another human being (my child!) solely relies on the things I ingest, I'd kind of like to be sure I do it right. Oh, and also there's the fact that another human being could be conceived if I screw it up!

So, I went home and googled "mini pill" to find the answers myself. AM SO THANKFUL I DID! Good lord. Apparently, this pill is less effective than other birth control methods because it contains progesterone only. It works by thickening the lining of the cervix to stop sperm from traveling to the fallopian tubes (not sure if anyone else cares about the logistics, but I found it interesting). Therefore, the mini pill is only effective for about 4-22 hours. It's vital it be consumed at exactly the same time everyday to ensure its effectiveness. (For example, if I take the pill at 9:00pm and have sex at 10:00pm it may not be in effect yet). Also, should my period resume (which is has) I should continue to take the mini pill every day, even through my period. There are no placebo pills in this version.

Uh ... HELLO! INFORMATION I THINK WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO LEARN ABOUT FROM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE INTERNET!

So, all this to say I believe my period started as a result of stopping the IUD and waiting a few days before starting the mini pill (I start it on Sunday). I can't say I'm all that confident in this method, but it's really my only option since the IUD was problematic and I can't take a combination birth control pill until after I'm done nursing. I guess there's always condoms, but I'm not sure my husband will be thrilled about that option. So! I best be setting an alarm every day to take this darn mini pill. And if I tell you we're expecting far sooner than you think I should be, than (surprise!) I wasn't all that good at it.