menstruation

[mamajoan]

Originally titled "menstruation and masturbation," but then this post got too long so the other half will have to wait.... ;)

I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to get my period soon. Currently I haven't menstruated in over sixteen months and I'm lovin' it. I don't miss it at all. ;) However (without getting into any of the potentially squicky details), when I was trying to conceive I learned how to read all the signs of ovulation, and I've been noticing those signs over the last week or two, so, yeah. I sense it coming. I could be wrong.

And I have this crackpot theory about the holistic awareness of the body and that when you start to menstruate again after baby is a sign of your fertility, of your body thinking you're ready to start working on the next baby -- even if the body's idea of same may differ radically from the mind's. ;) I mean, in an evolutionary sense, you should get crackin' on the next baby as soon as possible, even if that doesn't work as well from a practical point of view.

Breastfeeding is another factor, of course. On average, moms who aren't nursing get their periods sooner. Again, from the evolutionary POV, if you're not bf'ing, the body assumes that the baby must have died (the body doesn't know from formula, and historically babies died a lot more often than they do now) so you should get to work on the next baby ASAP, for the greater good of the species. And moms who are still breastfeeding often get their periods back once the baby starts eating some solid food (as in my case), probably because the reduced frequency of bf'ing suggests to the body that the baby is getting closer to self-sufficiency, or at least getting easier to care for.

Anyway, if my body thinks I'm ready to conceive #2, it SO has another think coming. :P I definitely want at least one more kid, but man, right now I can't even think about that. I'm so strung out and tired 95% of the time, and have so much to do, I can't even imagine being pregnant on top of all this -- let alone having another little baby around. I figure I'll start thinking about it when Isaac gets to around a year and a half, depending on what's going on in our lives by then.

Speaking of how much I have to do, coping with a period along with everything else in my life right now would really be an annoyance. I hope I'm wrong about the ovulation. Ah well, we'll soon see.

Comments

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

8-9 weeks with Sophie, 5 weeks with Eric. I'm not kidding. Weeks, not months.

I am so fertile. Fortunately, Ken is no longer. :)

[kenboy.livejournal.com]

I can't recall offhand if Rhonda had a decent break or not, but I can tell you that several of the mothers on her internet mommy's group, all of whom were orginally due to give birth to their first child in November of 2001, have now given birth to their THIRD child.

Nate is two years, three and a half months now, and I can't for the life of me imagine having another one on our hands before he turns three. He's a great little guy, but still.

Re:

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, I think that between 2 and 3 years is the ideal spacing, hence why I plan to start thinking about it at 1.5. Some of the women on my due date group are already trying to conceive again and I'm just like, are you nuts???

[wyldreamer.livejournal.com]

I hope you're wrong. :)
I hope mine stays away for a while longer, my girl just turned 6 months and I have yet to get it back.