Interview

In her own words: Jaclyn, 30 years old, mother of two

Jaclyn, 30, wanted to postpone her next pregnancy in order to devote time to building her business but a lack of access to her contraceptive of choice got in the way.

“I’m going to be an at-home mom and take care of this baby. And I’m going to start my business. That’s my dream. As soon as I have this baby, I’m going to get birth control because I want to fulfill my dreams first.”

“I had two children back to back. My doctor didn’t tell me anything about birth control. I was only 21 and he wanted me to get my tubes tied. He said, hey, do you want your tubes tied, and he was trying to force me to and I said, I still want to have kids so I don’t want to get them tied this early. I didn’t want to have another baby right away. I wanted to get somewhere in life and be stable and then have more kids. So I got the pill. That’s the cheapest form of birth control. But with the pill, you can’t miss a day. I couldn’t find them one day because my boyfriend took them. I don’t know if he hid them or flushed them down the toilet but he said he wanted another baby. I understand that but he’s not the one taking care of those babies, I am.”

“Insurance finally paid for an implant. I’ve had it in my arm for five years now because it costs $200 to get it removed. That doesn’t make any bit of sense to me. Why should I have to pay them to put it in and then to take it out? Anyway I know it quit working because I’m pregnant. I’m going to be an at-home mom and take care of this baby. And I’m going to start my business. That’s my dream. As soon as I have this baby, I’m going to get birth control because I want to fulfill my dreams first. I want one more, but not right now—in three years. I can’t afford the Nexplanon or an IUD because it’s thousands of dollars. So I’m stuck.”

“You should be educated about birth control by your doctor and also in the hospital after you have a baby. I think everybody should have some type of birth control when you leave the hospital.”