Friday, April 13, 2007

Save Those Pennies

My husband and I are uncertain about whether we want to have
another child. He is one of three and I
have romantic notions about having three grown children that I find very
appealing. I have some health concerns,
though, and I’m just not sure that I can handle a third so we are weighing our
options. Weighing our options has
brought the subject of birth control to the forefront of my mind lately. Obviously, a vasectomy is out of the
question. We aren’t ready for a
permanent solution. 





Penny
I recently discovered the IUD. It has been around for years and is immensely safer and less
controversial than it was in the seventies. There are two kinds, one that emits low levels of hormones and one that
is made of plastic wrapped in a thin copper wire. The latter is hormone-free and the procedure to insert it is
relatively pain-free and non-invasive. It is certainly a reliable, safe option that we should explore. 







I ran this possibility by my husband on a car ride
recently. He had never even heard of an
IUD and had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I told him that it had copper on it and
something about the copper created an environment in which fertilization was
nearly impossible. He was silent for a
minute and then said, “Where do they put this thing?"




I responded, “Well, it’s called an Intrauterine Device so
you figure it out.”





“Hmmm… do they have to put it in surgically?”





“Nope. It’s a simple
procedure.”







“How much does it cost?”



“Between $400-600.”





“Why don’t I just shove a penny up there. We’d save a lot of money and copper is
copper.”





“Excuse me?”





“Of course it would have to be made before 1981. Anything after that date is an alloy and it
doesn’t necessarily contain copper.”





Isn’t my husband dreamy? At his request, would you please save your pre-1981 pennies for us? My husband has our retirement tied up in
baseball cards and our reproductive fate in a glass jar beside our bed. Who says chivalry is dead?







25 comments:

  1. If anyone thinks this entry is too much information I apologize. I told the story to my friend, Alyson, and she said it HAD to go in the blog. I wrote it and agreed with her. It's pretty funny.

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  2. Here's also TMI.
    Have you thought about Natural Family Planning (NFP)? That's what we use (Have been for 7 years now) and we've had the desired effects. Not pg when we didn't want to be and when we decided that we were ready, we got pg first time, both times. Just a thought.
    I'll also be sure to save my pre-1981 pennies for you though! :)

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  3. lucky for you I work at a bank so I have an almost endless supply of pennies! I will look for one on monday! Good luck!

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  4. I miss Sean, when are you guys coming down for a visit?

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  5. Emily-
    Thanks for the info. Yes, I've considered NFP but it just doesn't give me the security I need. I need certainty and I realize this is impossible without complete abstinence but filling my body with chemicals is just the degree of certainty I need :)

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  6. Great Melinda. You'll be our birth control supplier. Perfect!

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  7. Joe-
    This is classic Sean, isn't it? As far as the visit, I'm not sure. We'll have to work on that.

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  8. Picture me,.... now, picture me with my fingers jammed into my ears well past the second knuckle..NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA... now, picture me with a sharp stick and my glasses off......

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  9. What year was the penny that Patrick ate and Jacquelyn saved?!

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  10. Alyson-
    2006. We've already been down that road.

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  11. Papa Dale-
    Now you know how your kids felt when they found out how they actually came into this world.

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  12. I like the IUD. $400-$600 isn't much to spend if it lasts for 5 years. I think it's cheeper than the pill and you can't forget to take it after you get it. Your insurance company may cover all or part of the expenses.

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  13. I thought having two kids under age 5 would be birth control enough. . . works for us!

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  14. Jules,
    I like the new picture. It shows just how wackie you are and has a nice view of your nursings.

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  15. Aunt Becky-
    What keeps my two kids under 5 from being effective birth control is that I know there is no way in hell we are having another one until at least one of them is in school full-time.

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  16. Uncle Carni-
    I'm glad you like the new picture. A friend of mine took it of me in mid-air during a failed hurkey (not sure if this is the right spelling) attempt at a gymnastic's center. She said she was going to use it to blackmail me in the future so I decided to beat her to the punch.

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  17. Uncle Carni-
    Only you would use the term "nursings."

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  18. Just FYI I have the copper IUD & am very happy with it. I think the PMS is a little worse but that could be because I went from pregnant to IUD so I was used to no period. If you don't want hormones or can't talk the significant other into a vasectomy than a copper IUD is the way to go. Women's Heath had a good article about the IUD awhile back - here is a link to it http://www.womenshealthmag.com/article/0,6176,s1-23-57-1150-1,00.html. Hope it's helpful.

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  19. Oh, Oh My. You two, Julianne and Sean, are priceless. We are forever in your debt for sharing such great personal (hysterical) stories with us.

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  20. Hey! I have the Mirena IUD and LOVE it! I will fill you in with my wonderful expierience the next time I see ya ;)

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  21. I also have the Mirena IUD. I love the fact that my period is no more than three days. AND ALMOST NO CRAMPS!!!!! Who can ask for more? I also love the fact that it is there and I don't have to remember to take anything. Good luck

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  22. J, this gives new meaning to "Saving my pennies" I nearly peed when I read this and lost the $0.72 I already had up there.
    Priceless.
    P.S. And concise and hysterical. A condensed version to Readers Digest in one of their "anecdote" sections would surely get you the $150 or whatever they pay.
    P.P.S. Not to imply the piece is only worthly of that. It just popped into my mind. Brilliant humor in weaving a story.

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  23. Thanks for all the IUD info Jodie, Candice and Linda. It certainly sounds like a great option.

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  24. Jeannie-
    It's my pleasure. Living with Sean is a daily adventure!

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  25. Tina-
    $.72? Damn. You could buy a Kit Kat with that.
    Thanks for the props. Coming from you that means a lot.

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