I was familiar with taking “the Pill.” I currently had been taking it over a year. My husband and I already had two little boys ages 4 and 2 ½. It wasn’t difficult for me to remember to take it each day. It was a part of my morning routine.
One month, as I was still consistently taking my pill, I began to experience some cramping. I believe it continued for a few days. If I remember correctly, I was on my third week of my pill pack, which was still a full week away from the week of my period and the “green pills.” The cramping was a similar feeling to when I would start my period or the first days leading up to it. But it was strange to me that it was happening earlier than it should. I started feeling like something was wrong with my body. I remember feeling slight nausea at times (almost like carsickness) and decided that something about the pill that I was taking was not working right with my body. I was also very tired, but I was always tired. I was a busy Mom with two active boys.
The green pill week arrived, but my period didn’t. Still, pregnancy didn’t occur to me. I had been taking my pill for so long that my periods were very light, almost non-existent. I had an annual doctor’s appointment scheduled with my OB three days after I finished the pill pack that I was on. I decided that I would not start another pack until I saw my doctor.
So three days later, during my annual appointment, I requested new pills. As I told my doctor about my symptoms, he looked puzzled stating that “those are not common complaints associated with taking this pill.” He gave me some new pill samples and told me to start them after my next cycle. But he told me that if I didn’t get my period soon, then I should take a pregnancy test. Staring at my blank face, he reminded me that the pill is effective when taken correctly, but not 100% effective.
A week later when I was still late, I took a pregnancy test. The result was negative but I knew that something was different with my body. One more week passed and this pregnancy test confirmed it, POSITIVE. Now I had something new to worry about. I had taken birth control pills without knowing that I was pregnant.
It is recommended that you STOP taking the birth control pill as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. If you have discovered that you are pregnant and have been taking the pill, consult your doctor.
I traced my weeks backwards and found the day that our new baby was conceived. I believed that I was very diligent about taking my pill. Why did it fail me this month when it had always been reliable before?
When taken correctly, the birth control pill is 99.9% effective. There are factors that will bring this percentage rate down. If you miss days, if you are taking antibiotics that decrease the effectiveness, or even not taking the pill at the same time each day. If this is your form of birth control, then you must follow the steps in taking it correctly.
I have no way of knowing why the pill failed me. It seems only likely that somehow I made an error in taking it. However, my husband and I believe that against all odds (including, birth control) our baby boy’s existence was truly meant to be. We couldn’t be happier.