I had my baby girl in March 2009. Six weeks later, after consult...

I had my baby girl in March 2009. Six weeks later, after consulting with a good friend and my OBGYN, I had the Mirena put in. I have not had a period since before I was pregnant, which is nice, but I am still breastfeeding, so I am sure that plays some role. Over the last four months, several things in my life have changed, but I chalked it all up to being a new mother. I think my husband literally thought he had just lost his wife and best friend to motherhood. - I am tired all the time, regardless of what time I go to bed, and speaking of going to bed...That never happens before 2am! And there are some nights I can toss and turn until 4 or 5! Even when I do sleep, it's never very restful. I chalked this up to being a new mother, and having a baby that didn't sleep thru the night, but she has been sleeping thru the night for almost a month now, and still, I get no sleep. - I have been having a lot of lower back pain, which I blamed on my mattress. After some careful thought, I realized, I have had the same mattress for over 2 years now and never had any problems! In fact, it's the best mattress I have owned to date. - Moodiness....don't even get me started on this one! I can start an argument out of thin air! And still think I have just cause! My husband and I are going to Jamaica next week for vacation, and I got mad at him because he wants to take some scuba diving classes. Now, how I managed that one, I have no idea. I will be cleaning the house in pure silence, and just have constant angry thoughts running through my head. - As I said before, I am still breastfeeding, which is also a great way to burn calories. I have consistently lost baby weight over the last 5 months up until about a month ago. My weight just froze, and then started going back up. I put on 5 pounds in less than 2 weeks! Nothing has changed! I have started working out and keeping a closer eye on what I eat, but it hasn't had any effect. (My best friend had her Mirena put in 6 months before me, and she gained 40 pounds in 6 months. I am nipping this one in the bud!) - Water retention! Now this one, I have never paid much attention to. I don't really keep an eye on my water intake versus out take, but I did one day last week. I had lunch with my sister, and drank literally about 5 glasses of tea. Any normal person would need too pee most likely prior to leaving the restaurant, right? Well, I left the restaurant, went to the grocery store for about 1 1/2 hours, then drove 45 minutes home, all the time never even having an urge. It wasn't until after I had gotten home, unloaded my daughter and all the groceries, when I finally made a trip to the bathroom. That same night when I was getting ready for bed, I noticed my lower abdomen was swollen up like I was about 4 months pregnant again! - Sex drive....Let's just say I would rather lay in a bed of nails than have sex, and I used to be a very sexually active individual. And, it has definitely taken a toll on my marriage! - Absent mindedness....One of my best qualities that I "used to" possess was organization. I prided myself in it, and over the last few months, my husband tells me I am just all over the place. I can't think straight, I jump around in conversations, my memory is shot! I will start doing a load of laundry, walk away and wash some dishes, then 10 minutes later realize, that I never finished loading the washer or put the detergent in! Now, if all of this isn't enough, my OBGYN tells me that there is a small chance that the Mirena can get displaced, and if it gets too far gone, have to be removed surgically, but she said in all her time as a Dr., she had only seen it happen one time! So, I thought great! The chances of it getting dislodged are slim to none right? Well, I was talking to one of my girlfriends from high school the other day, and hers got misplaced! Now, she might be pregnant! I realize that the Mirena affects everyone differently, but after finding this website and reading posts for hours about all the terrible things women are going thru with this BC, all my symptoms seem to make sense, and I don't feel like such a crazy beast any more. I wanted to share my story in hopes that it may help another woman who thinks she has just gone nuts! I had my Mirena taken out yesterday. I was in bed by 11pm last night, still didn't get the most restful sleep, but it does take a few days to get the hormones out of your system. My lower abdomen is already noticeably flatter, and I just feel an overall sense of relief. I just wish I had researched this birth control before I went out and spent the money on it. There is an old saying that really rings true for me in this case, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"