Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Is that spotting or is my period just happy to see me?

Really? I'm having my first period? At six weeks? What about all those sore nipple moments and the wonderful scraping feeling that accompanies my milk "let down?" Are the 3 am feedings and the 6 am tummy rubbings all for naught?

OK. I'm certainly not breastfeeding for my benefit. (Well, OK, kinda, because it's thanks to the milk ducts, baby suckling and etc. that I'm able to enjoy my 1-to-2 year boob job and I AM enjoying it, thank you very much. So is Ross. So are the guys at the liquor store.)

Breastfeeding is damn good for baby. And I suppose if I was less well-fed, less healthy and less-vitamined, I'd experience a traditional effect of breastfeeding: birth control! Granted, as Kitty pointed out, "Irish Twins" and all my Catholic friends' families are proof that boob feeding does not stop ovulation indefinitely. But I expected a few months of padless and tamponless life post-natally.

There is a chance that the medium, but bright red bleeding I'm experienced (day two or three now) is a resurgence of my spotting. But I don't think so. And I might have even felt a cramp yesterday. And one today.

At our last midwife visit this week, I'm sure we'll further explore this subject. And I know they'll respond to me email query if I have anything to worry about.

But I wonder:
Can I assume this is a period? And if I do, does this mean I am HEALED? And if so:
Can I use tampons?
Can I have regular (by that I mean vaginal, frequent, fun) sex?
Can I exercise more vigorously?
Can I do push ups?
Lift my tiny 10 lb weight?
Do crunches?
Hike?
Bikram Yoga?

Don't know yet. And while I plan to do some research, I need to go buy more pads.

Man, I kinda thought that as long as I was shelling out cash for expensive diapers, I'd get to NOT buy "feminine hygiene products."

Grrrr. Argh. Pads it is.

(But really, it's kinda cool that my body is what it is.)

5 comments:

  1. jenny, you freakin crack me up. i think you should be making $ off your blogs, they are entertaing, informational and hilarious!

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  2. oh by golly, i spelled entertaining wrong.

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  3. thanks, mama! and if i go the money making route i'll totally have to start copyediting my stuff. BEFORE i hit publish. but don't worry, hastily typed comments will always be ok!

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  4. That Ginger is ridiculously cute. And are you wearing PIMPs right now? They seem like the nicest thing to wear for postnatal first-period/bleeding stuff. Or I'd also think about sea sponges instead of tampons, because they are soooo much softer and kinder to the vag.

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  5. elka: i must check out PIMPs. did it w/ some left over pads. what's a little bleach to a vag that has birthed a small human head? but yeah, for the future...

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