Scott Kara: No more mini-me's

After having two children the thought of having a third makes writer Scott Kara decide on getting the final cut. Photo / Thinkstock

You'd think, since my wife and I have decided not to have any more children, that the notion of getting the old snip snip would be straightforward.

Don't get me wrong, because the big V will happen, it's just that we're mulling it over a little longer. It may be a common procedure but it's a big deal. And from my perspective, going under the knife - or the snipper as the case may be - for a vasectomy warrants a little research about what exactly is involved.

It turns out the operation is simple. Quite literally a snip of the vasa deferentia - a couple of tubes down in the nether regions - under local anaesthetic. The thing is, at the end of it you are sterile. Crikey. It means giving up your baby making powers forever (unless you have a costly reversal of course).

Now, I'm not some chest-beating gorilla who thinks being a man is about the size and condition of your manhood. But after the operation there will be no more mini-me's entering this wonderful world, which, when you put it like that, is a little sad to contemplate.

My wife has had similar pangs of sadness after having our second little girl, Katie, a month ago.

Even after a somewhat trying pregnancy, during which she vowed Katie would most definitely be the last baby, she's been more than a little heavy hearted about not having another. I wouldn't call it having second thoughts, more like a minor mourning of not having the experience of birth and bringing a little one into the world ever again.

These feelings should pass - and besides, we've got our two lovely little girls. And the reality is two kids is all we can comfortably afford to have. So a vasectomy it is.

If you take a cold hard look at it, all it is is a form of contraception. It's just the finality that makes it different from other forms of birth control. But getting the snip is also a trustworthy option, which is exactly what we're after. So I suppose I better make an appointment then ... just not quite yet.