Going Under...Prayers Appreciated
This Wednesday at noon I will be put under for a hysteroscopy, a surgery of the uterus to remove the Mirena IUD. This morning all the pastors at my church prayed for me, and I would appreciate your prayers as well.
My story of the Mirena: What I wish I knew 1 year ago--
The morning after Ruby was born, my midwife came to my hospital room and discussed birth control options with me. I was completely against IUDs, particularly the Mirena, as a young woman in my church became pregnant on it (1 in 300 women will carry a healthy baby to term with the Mirena). Midwife refuted the rarity and insisted it was a wise option because it was safer and easier than the pill.
The price was nice as we own a small business which means we pay 100% of our health insurance. Despite the high cost of the Mirena (a whopping $650), it would allow us to save $600+ per month as we would opt to decline maternity coverage on our family health insurance plan. With our business only 7 months old, the price looked right.
I called a neighbor, a wonderful lady who established a crisis pregnancy center in a small town near Gainesville, for her opinion. She is a nurse and is very bold about her love for women and their unborn babies. She wasn't versed in the Mirena's methods so she called a few obgyns and a few days later called me with promising news. She said that her doctor friends agreed that the modern IUDs were safe and didn't cause abortions or miscarriages like the ones of the 1970s & 80s.
Moving forward exactly to the first anniversary of my Mirena--at my Southern Miss girlfriends' reunion with Kristen, Rebecca, and Souhaila. We talk about everything as close friends do, and these friends are like sisters--the BFF type :) All four of us in the process of growing our families, the topic of the Mirena comes up. Dr. Souhaila, aka Dr. Compassionate, explains the reality of IUDs in medical terms and then in a way I could understand. Rebecca, whose husband is Dr. Chris, confirms that she and Chris found the same research. I was floored. Why couldn't I find this? Basically, both Souhaila & Chris found the information in medical research of which both could understand and deduce because of their backgrounds.
The day we fly back to Florida, no sooner do I strap my kids in their car seats do I phone my midwife for an appointment to remove the IUD. November--failed attempt to remove the IUD. Failed painful attempt. December--one sonogram, one pain pill, 7 anesthetic injections & three failed attempts to remove the IUD. Failed PAINFUL attempt. January 13th--Outpatient surgery scheduled to remove IUD. Both my midwife & gyn admit & agree that the Mirena and modern-day "safer" IUDs still allow for pregnancy (Both stated this only after I presented what Souhaila explained to me--and midwife & gyn said "Oh, well if you look at it that way, then yes 'misscarriages' do happen but not every month")
The whole removal process would likely have been just one irritating appointment after another if I didn't know the harsh reality that maybe I had killed innocent babies made with my husband's and my very own DNA...and most importantly, created by God in His image. Oh, this played over in my head too many times to count. There were days when my little Sable would see me crying when I was cooking or working or reading books to her and Ruby.
The Holy Spirit would comfort me through my 2-year-old. Sable would say over and over, "Mommy, you're sad" in a tender, sweet voice of innocence and then, "Mommy, Mommy, you want your daddy to hold you? You want your mommy to hold you?" Nothing like my very own daughter ministering to me. With tears streaming down my face, Sable changed her phrases from the above to, "Mommy, come here and let me hold you." And if she was eating, she would wipe her hands and then wrap them around me so tight. Then she would look in my eyes and say, "Mommy, am I making you happy? Are you happy now?" Only when my tears stopped would she unwrap her hands from my neck and return to what she was doing.
I've experienced deep sorrow since the night Souhaila & Rebecca revealed the truth to me about the Mirena, yet I've also experienced deep gratitude. I'm so thankful to know the TRUTH so that I can honor God with my whole body, for my desire is to make it His temple. I'm so thankful that I had two amazing, healthy pregnancies. I'm so thankful to have two healthy children born into my life from my own body. I'm thankful that the ultrasound photos from December showed the doctors, who showed me, how incredibly healthy my uterus is. I'm thankful for a forgiving God who allowed me to make right what I made wrong. I'm thankful that He comforts me through His Word--His own flesh (John 1) and how awesome that He comforts me through the words of my daughter--my own flesh.
And I'm so thankful to have you praying for me this Wednesday as I have surgery. Please also pray for my quick recovery. My gyn said I should plan to have "movie days" with my toddlers on Thursday & Friday. I almost cried but instead laughed when she said, "If you had boys, it would be different. They're full of energy. Sweetheart, plan to watch videos with your girls while you recover." If only my doctor could see how my girls out-run, out-climb and outlast all the boys on the playground...all I can do is laugh and be thankful for my full-of-life girls!
My story of the Mirena: What I wish I knew 1 year ago--
The morning after Ruby was born, my midwife came to my hospital room and discussed birth control options with me. I was completely against IUDs, particularly the Mirena, as a young woman in my church became pregnant on it (1 in 300 women will carry a healthy baby to term with the Mirena). Midwife refuted the rarity and insisted it was a wise option because it was safer and easier than the pill.
The price was nice as we own a small business which means we pay 100% of our health insurance. Despite the high cost of the Mirena (a whopping $650), it would allow us to save $600+ per month as we would opt to decline maternity coverage on our family health insurance plan. With our business only 7 months old, the price looked right.
I called a neighbor, a wonderful lady who established a crisis pregnancy center in a small town near Gainesville, for her opinion. She is a nurse and is very bold about her love for women and their unborn babies. She wasn't versed in the Mirena's methods so she called a few obgyns and a few days later called me with promising news. She said that her doctor friends agreed that the modern IUDs were safe and didn't cause abortions or miscarriages like the ones of the 1970s & 80s.
Moving forward exactly to the first anniversary of my Mirena--at my Southern Miss girlfriends' reunion with Kristen, Rebecca, and Souhaila. We talk about everything as close friends do, and these friends are like sisters--the BFF type :) All four of us in the process of growing our families, the topic of the Mirena comes up. Dr. Souhaila, aka Dr. Compassionate, explains the reality of IUDs in medical terms and then in a way I could understand. Rebecca, whose husband is Dr. Chris, confirms that she and Chris found the same research. I was floored. Why couldn't I find this? Basically, both Souhaila & Chris found the information in medical research of which both could understand and deduce because of their backgrounds.
The day we fly back to Florida, no sooner do I strap my kids in their car seats do I phone my midwife for an appointment to remove the IUD. November--failed attempt to remove the IUD. Failed painful attempt. December--one sonogram, one pain pill, 7 anesthetic injections & three failed attempts to remove the IUD. Failed PAINFUL attempt. January 13th--Outpatient surgery scheduled to remove IUD. Both my midwife & gyn admit & agree that the Mirena and modern-day "safer" IUDs still allow for pregnancy (Both stated this only after I presented what Souhaila explained to me--and midwife & gyn said "Oh, well if you look at it that way, then yes 'misscarriages' do happen but not every month")
The whole removal process would likely have been just one irritating appointment after another if I didn't know the harsh reality that maybe I had killed innocent babies made with my husband's and my very own DNA...and most importantly, created by God in His image. Oh, this played over in my head too many times to count. There were days when my little Sable would see me crying when I was cooking or working or reading books to her and Ruby.
The Holy Spirit would comfort me through my 2-year-old. Sable would say over and over, "Mommy, you're sad" in a tender, sweet voice of innocence and then, "Mommy, Mommy, you want your daddy to hold you? You want your mommy to hold you?" Nothing like my very own daughter ministering to me. With tears streaming down my face, Sable changed her phrases from the above to, "Mommy, come here and let me hold you." And if she was eating, she would wipe her hands and then wrap them around me so tight. Then she would look in my eyes and say, "Mommy, am I making you happy? Are you happy now?" Only when my tears stopped would she unwrap her hands from my neck and return to what she was doing.
I've experienced deep sorrow since the night Souhaila & Rebecca revealed the truth to me about the Mirena, yet I've also experienced deep gratitude. I'm so thankful to know the TRUTH so that I can honor God with my whole body, for my desire is to make it His temple. I'm so thankful that I had two amazing, healthy pregnancies. I'm so thankful to have two healthy children born into my life from my own body. I'm thankful that the ultrasound photos from December showed the doctors, who showed me, how incredibly healthy my uterus is. I'm thankful for a forgiving God who allowed me to make right what I made wrong. I'm thankful that He comforts me through His Word--His own flesh (John 1) and how awesome that He comforts me through the words of my daughter--my own flesh.
And I'm so thankful to have you praying for me this Wednesday as I have surgery. Please also pray for my quick recovery. My gyn said I should plan to have "movie days" with my toddlers on Thursday & Friday. I almost cried but instead laughed when she said, "If you had boys, it would be different. They're full of energy. Sweetheart, plan to watch videos with your girls while you recover." If only my doctor could see how my girls out-run, out-climb and outlast all the boys on the playground...all I can do is laugh and be thankful for my full-of-life girls!
Comments
Also, thanks for sharing this! I got married a few weeks ago and have been discussing bc options with my husband. This is a great reminder to continue to research before making my final decision (I'm scheduled to get on the Nuval Ring - coincidentally my appointment is on Wednesday morning too.)