I quit birth control. Obviously.
Remember when we said I'd take this writing thing slow? LOL. I need to ride the wave while I'm on it. Going through my list of blog topics made me want to write a little.
Recently I spent my first week with Nugget by myself. My husband goes out of town once every couple months and he can usually plan those weeks for when Nugget isn't at our house (we have his every other week). But this most recent time (and next time actually) was/will be a during a Nugget week. I've been around kids my entire life and have taken care of children since I was about 6 or 7 years old. This was nothing new and nothing I was nervous about. We have our routines, designated bath-nights, daycare days, school days, he goes to his Grandma's once a week and also to his Great Grandma's once a week. The only reason I was a bit apprehensive about having him on my own that week was that it was also my first week on first shift. So not only is that one hell of an adjustment, but then I also had to solo-s'mom it for the week. It was a breeze, honestly. I'm so well-organized and I plan ahead so much that it was fine. As I expected. Being the only one to pick him up and drop him off is more time-consuming, that is for sure. If you forget something or are running behind, there's no one to have your back quick. I do, however, have some amazing in-laws in my corner to help me in every way they can. My mother in-law, grandmother in-law, aunt in-law, grandfather in-law, all of them are so incredibly kind and generous all the time. If I need something (whether it has to do with my step-son or not), they are on it immediately. The in-law situation can be tricky, awkward, or just difficult. But I was blessed with an amazing family I married into. I thank the heavens for it every day! Anyway, this next business trip of my husband's will obviously be during the summer and Nugget won't be in school this time. Luckily we also have a great childcare provider in town and she'll be taking him on a few more days a week while we are at work. I plan to take him to a movie in the park they are holding here in town that week! It'll be nice to get some one-on-one time with him. He also gets $5-$10 a week when he is with us for cleaning his room up every night, making his bed in the mornings, etc. so we go to the store and get a small treat or toy as a reward with his allowance. I'm sure we will do that too that week. It's not as stressful as one might think. Eventually I could be alone with a baby AND with Nugget while my husband out of town. OH BOY. I'm honestly looking forward to it.
Speaking of babies, that reminds me: I've been off birth control since around the end of February. I've wanted to quit my birth control since I was about 20 for many reasons but I wasn't sure I was at the best point in my life to potentially get pregnant yet. I was still in college, I wasn't married, I hadn't bought a home yet. Not that you need to finish all of that first, but I personally preferred it that way. So I waited until I graduated, then we had a plan to get married and buy a house within 6/7 months so I wanted to wait until then. Once that time came, we also realized we didn't want me pregnant while on third shift. And finally early this year, I got onto first shift and we finally pulled the trigger. Turns out I should have stopped taking it sometime last year because I'm still not pregnant. My step-mom had actually said I should go off earlier than I wanted to. I should have listened! I just didn't expect it to be long before it happened, but here we are. I want to wait a year before worrying because of how likely/often it takes healthy couples to get pregnant. It's just wild to me that I was so worried and careful for so long when maybe I didn't need to be. I'm glad I was, but still. Who knows?
Wow I got a little off-topic here. I wanted to talk about the differences I've seen now that I'm off birth control. I was really scared to see what my weight and skin would do. My skin has changed, but I wouldn't say it's bad. I do have to take care of it a little more carefully/often. My weight, something might be going on there. I've gained 8 pounds or so but I don't know if that was the shift change or coming of birth control. I did just start Keto again 4 or 5 days ago and there hasn't been a change in my weight. I'm wondering if that has something to do with it. Usually when I detox and quite carbs, I lose about 3 pounds in the first week. I haven't lost an ounce yet in 4 days though, so that is unusual. I'm not entirely sure yet though. I'm not expecting my anxiety to ever completely go away but it did get better after I quit my BC. My migraines have decreased, too! I've had migraines since I was in 4th grade and I found the cause has changed over the years. First it was because of my blood sugar and being hypoglycemic, then it was usually from caffeine withdrawal, then it may have been a birth control side affect, and now I think its purely hormonal. After switching to Keto, I only get them the week before my period. It could be every day that week before, or just one day, etc. I've read the dip in your estrogen levels before you get your period can cause headaches. Either way, since quitting BC its been very minimal. I didn't get a migraine at all before my most recent period. Crazy! I can't remember the last time that happened, but I won't argue lol. Maybe if you suffer from migraines and have tried everything (like me) and take BC, it might be time to stop taking it! I've had fewer migraines in the past 6 months or so than ever before. Could be worth trying for you too. I’m just glad crazy shit didn’t happen to me once I quit taking BC. I’ve heard wild stories about what the body does after that. I’m pretty lucky in this case.
Thanks for listening to me babble. It's all in the hopes of benefiting you, too!