If you’ve been reading this blog prior to the start of this five-part story you may think you know how this ends. I had two kids before the procedure, and I have two kids now.
Guess what?
The third is not on the way.
That’s not to say, of course, that it couldn’t happen. To this day I remember the story the doctor said about the couple who had (respectively) a vasectomy and tubes tied, and still conceived a child.
That’s about as close to Immaculate Conception as you can get.
But outside of the odd medical miracle, it looks as though our childbearing days are over. And as I mentioned in the first part of this series, I truly believe that is for the best.
But what if we changed our mind?
What if for some reason we decided we wanted another child?
The doctor discussed this during the consultation. “It’s possible,” he said, “in some cases to reverse the procedure. There is no guarantee it will work. When we close off the system we try to make sure it stays closed. In cases where we’re asked to reverse the procedure, we have to work even harder to turn it back on. And insurance will not cover that procedure except in a very few rare instances.”
I’ve heard from a few readers about reversals, and children being added to families. The human body is a remarkably resilient machine.
But that won’t be happening for us.
In other words, we will no longer be getting ‘in the family way’ again.
Believe it or not, I’m the one who is a little bit wistful. In a small way it feels strange to know that I’m no longer able to contribute to reproduction. Logically I made this decision and I’m happy with it. But somewhere, deep inside, I feel different, and just a little bit sad.
So, with that said, would I do it all over again?
Yes. While this is not the right solution for every man, it was the right solution for me. I know some guys are nervous about the procedure – I was one of them. Yet having gone through it I can honestly say it was relatively painless, the recovery period was short and once I’d healed I felt as though nothing had happened. If I have scars I can’t feel them. And the best part is, everything works just as it did before.
Well, almost everything.
And if you want to know the truth, there are some parts that are working even better…
It’s great to be The Family Man.
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5 comments:
happy it works for you
i was also "fixed" .... when my son was six years old .... a very long time ago.
i sometimes regret it .. and then i slap myself back to reality. :)
You can always extend your family with all those poor babies that nobody seems to be able to care for ya know. But I would not recamend doing with we did and bring in 3 and then 4 and then 5 and then, you can't find eachother for all the little noses and butts to wipe.
Mom is right, is you guys ever get the urge to have another child, there are ways to fill that void wihtout feeling obligated to save for tuition. Foster parenting is an option, but it's that "too big", there's always Big Brother/Big Sister, or simplky volunteering at the local elementary to help kids struggling with math and reading.
That's is probably years away though. Chirs and Tommy will keep you guys plenty busy for now.
Personal question - which you may have answered, but I blog late at night... did insurance cover the vasectomy? Personal favor - can you email my husband and convince him that this is a good thing... he seems to think they're gonna cut off his dick while no one's looking!
I suppose there is always the option of freezing sperm before the snip.
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