I just had my tubes tied and my husband his vasectomy, both at age 29.

So happy to be finished! I’ve known I was childfree since age 6. My mom got her tubes tied at age 26 and I always thought that was kind of old and I wanted to have my life together more than she did when she was done, so I wanted mine done by age 25. <br><br>I had just moved abroad when I turned 25 and it was just not the time to do it, plus I knew being childfree would make it more difficult so I wasn’t ready for the fight. I started researching at 28 and boy did it take some leg work. We’re living in a South American country now and I had to go to my primary, then get a second opinion, then get another second opinion, then beg the doc to take me seriously and stop trying to convince me to get my IUD replaced (lol) then go to a different country for a second opinion… then wait a few months for insurance to finally cover it. <br><br>The doc I finally found was wonderful and respectful. She also did my husbands vasectomy at the same time. Both went super well!<br><br>For anyone who is interested, below are my impressions of the procedures. I was also in the hospital one night afterward for observation. <br><br>**My impressions of the process and recovery**<br><br>**The Process**<br><br>I was awake for the whole thing and it was super short. I didn’t feel them put the epidural in but did feel some major pressure when they put the numbing shots in my torso. The numbing shots felt like a little bee sting, but for a few seconds it felt like a whole nest of bees stinging at once, so that was tough, but not traumatic. Then it was pain free for a few minutes and I didn’t feel much of anything. <br><br>I could feel them moving things around but didn’t feel pain. I could feel them rubbing my abdomen really hard, which was a bit surprising, but it was not uncomfortable. <br><br>I felt a couple little pinches here and there when they were stitching but it was nothing compared to the numbing shots. It went very quickly. <br><br>**Afterward**<br><br>I was really sore for a few days, but nothing terrible. I spent about 3 days just lying around and then took off the whole week. I think I could have gone back to work after 3 but I’m not a physical laborer so I wasn’t worried about my work. <br><br>I didn’t have any of the other symptoms I’d read about- no bloating, no nausea. I did have some bleeding, but nothing terrible. Not even enough to fill a tampon. <br><br>I did have some stabbing pains, but they went away in a few days. <br><br>I had a little discharge from the incisions, but nothing gross. Not enough to put a bandaid on. My husband did have one bandaid to cover his incision. <br><br>**Hospital Stay**<br><br>Recovery was pretty uneventful, thankfully. We had a private room and it was really nice. There was a TV and a bed for my husband to sleep in. <br><br>I have to say, it was kind of nice to have someone else take care of me for a day. We got meals and snacks and drinks, they gave me a bath, etc. <br><br>I didn’t feel any pain at all because of the medication, but wow did I feel groggy. I couldn’t even watch tv I was so out of it. I was so glad my husband was there because I couldn’t even call for the nurse on my own. <br><br>**So far**<br><br>We just got back home yesterday so I’m still recovering, but I’m feeling really great. I’m definitely ready to be back to my normal routine and it looks like that’s going to happen soon. <br><br>It feels so GREAT to be done!<br><br>**TLDR:** got my tubes tied and husband got a vasectomy after months of leg work. Super happy to be done and it really didn’t hurt that bad.