Some of you may know that Joshua and I have had a struggle getting pregnant since we got married. Months of heartache turned into years of sorrow that seemed to have no end. Even though we have only been married for a little over three years we have been praying for a little bundle since the first day. At first we just assumed, okay maybe we aren't as ready as we thought we were and Heavenly Father was just telling us we need to get our act together. But when two years came and went it started to feel like maybe this was one of those "struggles" people talk about having when they get married.
Joshua and I were always told when we first got married that marriage was hard, and we would have a hard first year together. But everything went according to plan. We live, love and are DEFINITELY happy! But we knew something was missing.
When we were advised that we should seek help in getting pregnant, it was such a shock. You don't ever think when you get married that the next step of starting a family is going to be a lot harder than it should be! Especially when medically they can't find anything wrong with us. That, I think is the worst part about it. It's called "unexplained infertility". And it means exactly that, "unexplained". Medically, they can't find whats causing us to not get pregnant. So after a LOT praying and buckets full of tears we decided that we would start the IVF process. IVF is In Vitro Fertilization. Basically, they surgically remove my eggs and fertilize them in a lab and implant the fertilized egg back inside me and VIOLA a baby is scientifically created! weird huh? The whole process is crazy! LOTS of medications and a VERY strict schedule! Just so you get a hint of some of the medications here they are:
And these are just the shots, it does not include the pills I have to take! It has not been an easy journey and it isn't over for us. However, we are so incredibly blessed that my mother works for one of the best IVF clinics in Northern CA. So the process, although physically and emotionally exhausting, was much easier for us than we expected it to be. But even if you aren't fortunate enough to have someone close to you helping you out like we do, there are great programs and clinics out there to help with the toll this type of situation takes on a couple. There are also a lot of great programs out there to help with the cost of medications for fertility treatments. We also have an AMAZING IVF nurse who happens to be LDS which was GREAT since there is absolutely no privacy within this process!! So it makes it a little more bearable to have someone who understands what garments are!! Also her husband happens to work across the hall from her as a chiropractor and was available to give me a blessing when things got rough!
You hear about people who can't get pregnant and automatically think "that's so sad" "I don't know what I would do if that were me". Then when it actually is you, your world is quite literally shifted into a whole new dimension. Watching every single one of your friends start their family with little to no effort is beyond difficult. Because you truly are happy for them, but it VERY hard not to feel envy or resentment. I think that is one of the hardest parts of all this. Just seeing happy families being started and knowing it'll never be that easy for you.
Who ever said making a baby is the best part, honestly had NO idea what they were talking about. Daily shots, medications and in our case doctors appointments everyday is not fun. We started this process on February 8th 2013 and unfortunately our first try did not result in a baby. But we are incredibly optimistic and are planning to go in for an FET (frozen embryo transfer) in January and hopefully this time we will have a healthy baby boy or girl!
And these are just the shots, it does not include the pills I have to take! It has not been an easy journey and it isn't over for us. However, we are so incredibly blessed that my mother works for one of the best IVF clinics in Northern CA. So the process, although physically and emotionally exhausting, was much easier for us than we expected it to be. But even if you aren't fortunate enough to have someone close to you helping you out like we do, there are great programs and clinics out there to help with the toll this type of situation takes on a couple. There are also a lot of great programs out there to help with the cost of medications for fertility treatments. We also have an AMAZING IVF nurse who happens to be LDS which was GREAT since there is absolutely no privacy within this process!! So it makes it a little more bearable to have someone who understands what garments are!! Also her husband happens to work across the hall from her as a chiropractor and was available to give me a blessing when things got rough!
You hear about people who can't get pregnant and automatically think "that's so sad" "I don't know what I would do if that were me". Then when it actually is you, your world is quite literally shifted into a whole new dimension. Watching every single one of your friends start their family with little to no effort is beyond difficult. Because you truly are happy for them, but it VERY hard not to feel envy or resentment. I think that is one of the hardest parts of all this. Just seeing happy families being started and knowing it'll never be that easy for you.
Who ever said making a baby is the best part, honestly had NO idea what they were talking about. Daily shots, medications and in our case doctors appointments everyday is not fun. We started this process on February 8th 2013 and unfortunately our first try did not result in a baby. But we are incredibly optimistic and are planning to go in for an FET (frozen embryo transfer) in January and hopefully this time we will have a healthy baby boy or girl!
