At 36, a child was just not in my plans

At 36 years old, I had my second pregnancy and my first abortion. My child is in his late teens and having another child was just not in my plans, especially since I am not in a relationship.

I chose to have a surgical abortion at the hospital. My health insurance covered all the costs and everything was very sterile and technical. The day before, the doctors performed an ultrasound (I didn’t see or hear anything) and a general pelvic exam. I was administered two antibiotics and was told not to eat or drink after midnight.

I arrived at the hospital at 6 am. They performed the abortion in the "general surgery" area so there were no baby-specific things in sight and nobody to judge my decision.

I had general anesthesia and I wasn’t even aware that I had gone out, let alone had anything done. It seemed like my eyes were closed for a minute.

In recovery, the doctor informed me that they thought I was 8 weeks, but the "product" looked about 10 weeks along. I took a couple of Ibuprofen and sat in recovery for about 90 minutes before I felt ready to leave.

I feel relieved and happy to have my body back. The pain is very mild (I’m writing this about 18 hours after the procedure). Just slight cramping and back pain but nothing some ibuprofen won’t handle. My first trip to the bathroom was filled with blood, but every other time has it was light pink spotting and hardly anything in the toilet.

I’m sad that I had to make the decision to terminate a life, especially after thinking I couldn’t get pregnant again, but relieved to have had the experience as quick and pain-free as possible. It’s a very brave decision to make, but I’m thankful for the option.