As some of you may know, David and I have been fervently praying for a child for the past couple of years. Month after month we would wonder if our prayer had been answered and time and time again the Lord revealed that that was not part of His plan (at least not yet). Everyone around us assured us we would get pregnant yet after 2 years of trying and still no success we decided to seek counsel in an infertility specialist. We have both undergone test after test and it was recommended to us that to increase our likely hood in having a child we should under go IVF. After prayerful consideration we decided to move forward with the IVF process.
There were some hiccups along the way as the first specialist we were seeing had deceived us as far as our financial obligation. It was a bit of a disappointment at that time, as we were informed on the day we were supposed to begin the treatments that our out of pocket would be upwards of $7,000. Yes, IVF holds a hefty price tag but we have been very Blessed by Davids health plan that we carry- they cover 100% of our infertility treatments up to $25,000. So I'm sure you could imagine our surprise when we were told that despite our insurance that they claimed they accepted we would still owe quite a big chunk of change. We prayed about the challenge we were facing and decided that at that point in time we should seek out another specialist who would indeed accept our health care coverage with no deceptions. After all, when you are dealing with infertility honesty is of up most importance as your emotions are already all over the place.
The next stop on our journey landed us on the doorsteps of ARMS (Arizona Reproductive Medical Specialist). We were assured that our health care coverage would cover all of our cost and quickly scheduled a consult with one of the doctors. After we met with the dr. we left with a much better feeling- although the dr. was brutally honest with us and told us that because of my high FSH level our chances of having a successful IVF cycle went from about 40-50% to 10-15%. We appreciated the doctors honesty because that information was never relayed to us at the office we initially started with (again, another deception from the first specialist). We decided that despite the statistics we would move forward and attempt an IVF cycle- after all, with God all things are possible. He is the creator of ALL life and no task or challenge is to great for Him to complete.
A few weeks ago we started our first attempt at IVF...thus the hiatus from blogging, from crafting, etc. This is what our life has consisted of-
Lot's of meds-
Lot's of shots-
Lot's of bruises, blood test, and ultra sounds-
And mostly- patience, trust in Gods plan for our lives, prayer, and a steadfast FAITH.
Almost 2 weeks to the day was my egg retrieval. The doctors retrieved 8 mature follicles, of the 8 mature follicles, 6 had mature eggs. Of the 6 mature eggs, 5 fertilized. Of the 5 that fertilized, 3 made it to the day 5 blastocyst stage. Of the 3 that made it to the day 5 blastocyst stage, 2 were implanted inside of me and 1 has been frozen (for a future attempt). Now it's the most difficult part- WAITING! We will know shortly if this process through the work of our Lord has answered our prayers- Until then we are praying, trusting in the Lords plan, and growing stronger in our marriage. The Lord is good. We are so Blessed to have so many people praying for us- our families, our church, and our friends- the prayer and support we have been receiving from these individuals is one of the greatest blessings of going through this process.
{David holding pics. of our embryos- Gods gift of life..Amazing}
I pray that I will finally be able to share the precious news that I have a life growing in my womb very soon with you all- I will keep you posted.
PS- I was looking through my previous blog post and I noticed that I have not been crafting for a very long time. That has changed my friends :)- I started this-
A mini book documenting this process. I'll share this with you soon too-
Hope you have all been well.
9 comments:
praying with you!
Hi Heather
Praying for you and David that your seedling is growing and rooted. Good luck and God Bless
Sandi
I left you voicemail yesterday. We have been praying. I'm still in awe about what "could" have been for us! lol!...and I'm believing in a perfect result to prayer. Please call me tomorrow...I'm on pins and needles...and relying on your POSTS...which is no good way for birds to tweet!! :) Email or call tomorrow.
Prayers, Prayers and more Prayers.
Heather, thank you for your honesty in this post. While getting pregnant was never the problem for me and Matt, staying pregnant was. I have been through the shots , as well as the meds, and the waiting! I feel for you both, and you have been in my thoughts and prayers these last few weeks. I will continue to pray for your hearts and bodies over the next few weeks!
Hi Heather,our family is saying a little prayer for you both in hopes that you acheive a pregnancy soon. I too have been down that road, after no luck we adopted, then to our surprise when he was 2 I found myself pregnant...happened on it's own after years of trying with fertility help. Our prayers were answered when we least expected it. May your prayers & wishes come true too! Stay strong!!!
Hi Heather,
I follow you from Unity...
I hope that in God's plans you will be a mother soon. You seem like such a sweet person. I will say a little prayer for you tonight. There are always bumps in the road, but just keep your faith, and you are right all things are possible through Christ.
You are so blessed to have your IVF covered, I have many friends who have paid lots of $$ out of pocket.
best wishes
hugs
latisha
Oh honey!!! Good luck! I am excited for you and I will pray for you!
oxox
Heather, how have you been girl? I miss seeing you around so I came and read your story. I pray that you have some good news by now and if not, that you will be blessed soon:) BIG HUGS girl...thinking of you:)
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