Aunt Flo is a Mother...

My d&e was on Jan 7th. Exactly four weeks later - this past Thursday - I started spotting. Light spotting. Because of our "oops" moment there was a slight chance it was implantation bleeding. If you have implantation bleeding you pretty much spot for 1-2 days. Your temperature may even "dip". Which mine had. So I was in a bit of limbo for the past few days. But since I've been charting I watched my temperature continue to drop yesterday and barely go up today. If I was pregnant, it should have increased significantly...

Thursday spotting. Friday spotting. This morning nothing. But last I checked... it looks like Flo has, indeed, arrived.

OK... here we go, Flo!

I was ready with my mental streamers and balloons to welcome her back, but her arrival has felt a lot less like a party and more like a war. I need my advil soldiers to fight on my behalf, fending off cramps like I have never experienced before.

Usually cramps like this have something to show for them. You feel some progress when those cramps are accompanied by a heavy flow. But she's been taunting me. As I continue to spot lightly, the cramps are wrenching. It feels like I've been confined to a menstrual torture chamber.

I've been scouring the web chat rooms for other women's experiences after a d&e (or d&c) and there are all kinds of stories. Some women have completely normal periods, some have cramps like mine, and others report the heaviest flow they've ever seen. I'm still waiting for Flo's flow, but these cramps are unbelievable.

As I type this post, I sit with a warm body wrap covering my midsection. I've popped 6 advil gelcaps so far and I'm seriously considering the hard stuff. This is rough. But it's worth it. C'mon Flo... let's get this over with so I can get back to charting, back to trying, and back to having hope.