Immaculate conception is back!
I woke up in back labour the other day. I was a titch surprised being as I hadn’t realized I was pregnant. I was having slight discomfort through the night, in that half-awake/half-asleep state where you’re pretty certain that you’re dreaming it all. But then as you really wake up, you realize that the ‘something’s not quite right’ feeling that you’d be grappling with throughout the night? Is actually back labour. Even more baffling? The fact that you haven’t been pregnant in 8 years.
I might have gotten a little growly as I left sleep behind. “What the FUCK is going on? This is not freaking possible!!!”
David gave me a “Huh…? Wha…?” Then pat-patted me on my low back – whereupon I may have screamed a bit – then we were both pretty awake.
“I’m up! I’m up!” says David.
“I’m having back labour!!”
His eyes got really wide.
“Did you forget to tell me something?” He feels my flat stomach.
My stomach is also cramping. I wince as I roll onto my side and leave the bed. I walk at the pace of an elderly tortoise to get to the bathroom. Then it all becomes clear.
“It’s okay!” I yell. “I’m just bleeding to death!”
Turns out, as I make my way through peri-menopause, I’m experiencing ALL the symptoms associated with menstruating. I have never had back cramps – not once – not even in labour with my two pregnancies, but on this particular morning, with this period I get all the bells and whistles. I mean, what the hell, right? Sure, throw me a curve. Migraines with my cycle – nope! Not until the last time around. Bring it on you bastards! If this is a menstrual throw-down I’m fighting back!!
I’m on these freaky pills to try to regulate my wonky cycle – my cycle is still only at the 3 week mark – but I am getting all these new symptoms – so that’s a plus, right? So I’ve decided that I’m abandoning the medical system now. I’ve given it a shot for the last three months – my periods are actually WORSE than when I started. So, no thanks. I’ll stop with the pills, deal with the inconsistency and then perhaps I won’t wake up thinking that immaculate conception is back. Before I went on the pills, I hadn’t had my period in three months – I was okay with that. This period renaissance? Not so much.