Lessons Learned - Brandon's Perspective

When I first started sharing about things I've learned during this journey, I asked Brandon if he would be willing to share from his perspective for the last one. 

Here is what he shared with me: 

1. We are never alone

2. Keep the faith

3. Trust God is in control

We are never alone. God is walking with us. Through this journey we have also met others who are going through the same struggle. I hope ones who have read the blog have a rock they can lean on in their times of trouble as Katey and I have been able to lean on each other. 

Keeping the faith in our struggle has been hard. We don't understand. We get easily discouraged. Our faith has to be at the forefront so we have the strength to continue. 

Trusting God's timing can be so hard too. We live in a place where if we want something we just try to go make it happen. In our case we can't. Only God can! 

Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; 

My God is my Rock, where I seek refuge; 

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

Lessons Learned from Infertility #3 & #4

I did not post #3 last week. This week 3 and 4 are posted together. Here we go: Lessons learned continued...

#3. To let our struggle be a part of our testimony. 

#4. Delay doesn't mean denial. 

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. Ecclesiastes 8:6 

We have hope because... Sara, Rachel, Rebekah, Hannah, and Elizabeth just to name a few. 

It took me a while to open up about our struggle, but as I shared our story and others reached out sharing theirs or telling me ours was inspiring... I knew I had chosen the right thing to do. Letting our trial be a part of my testimony, has had its ups and downs. We've had people give us the dreaded comments/questions/advice, but we've also gained so many that now intercede for us in prayer. That in itself is one of the biggest blessings that has come from sharing our story. 

I also believe that just because we haven't gotten a yes yet, doesn't mean we won't. God's timing is perfect, and we have to trust in it! 

Have a blessed rest of your week! One more lesson learned to share..and then I'll be taking a break through the Christmas Holidays! 

Lessons Learned From Infertility #2

 #2. I am enough because of Christ

How many of us base our worth off of the worldly things? How many followers we have, how many likes we receive on a post, how popular we are, how much money we make, etc. The list could go on and on. For me, it was believing the enemy's lie that my worth as a woman comes from two lines on a pregnancy test. At the beginning of our journey I struggled deeply with this. It took time for me to realize that this was a lie Satan, our true enemy, wanted me to believe. He wares us down with his lie of us being unworthy of God's love. God defines our worth! And He tells us over and over again how much we are loved. But as I say this I'm also reminded that He is greater than I.

I must become less and He must become greater!!! 

I just finished a book a few weeks ago called Captivating and I want to share some of the notes I wrote down from it. It was a great book and just gave me a whole different outlook about how and why God created me. 

We were created because something was missing...one more time.. Women were created because something was missing. 

"We come to God in worship not to get from Him, but to give to Him. Jesus loves it when we offer our hearts to him in devotion."

"You, dear heart, are the crown of creation, His glorious image bearer. And He will do everything it takes to rescue you and set your heart free."

"The things you've struggled with - They came from the enemy who wanted to take your heart captive, make you a prisoner of darkness." 

"How many of us see God as longing to be loved by you? We see Him as strong and powerful, but not as needing us, vulnerable to us, yearning to be desired." 

Prayer from Captivating: Rejecting the Lies

"Jesus, forgive me for embracing these lies. This is not what you have said of me. You said I am your daughter, your beloved, your cherished one. I renounce the agreements I made with (name of specific message you've been living with). I renounce the agreements I've been making with these messages all these years. Bring the truth here, oh Spirit of Truth, I reject these lies." 

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Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He lavished on us in the Beloved One. In Him we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that He purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time -- to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him. In Him we have also received an inheritance because we predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of His will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to His glory. In Him you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:3-14

No Longer Slaves

Happy Thanksgiving! 

And WAR EAGLE! 

FET Update: We will not have a transfer in December. The timing of the transfer is out of our control, so January will hopefully be the transfer. 

5 Lessons Learned from Infertility, lesson 1

After a year and 8 months of blogging our story, I wasn't really sure what to share about in the blog next. This is why I skipped last week. It feels like I have hit all the possible topics. After praying for my heart to continue to be open, I've decided that over the next 5 weeks I am sharing the top 5 lessons I've learned through this process. 

#1. God is Enough

This is the hardest lesson I've learned through this experience. I have to lean on the fact that if this doesn't happen for us... God is Enough! I am watery eyed thinking about this statement. But this statement means that I've finally given over complete surrender of the valley we are in. I know deep down in my heart that we will continue to love Him no matter the results. Even if You don't, my hope is you alone. 

Even if- Mercy Me

Even when I go through the darkest valley: I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and staff - they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Jireh - maverick city music

Biopsy Results

Happy Wednesday! 

Last week we finally received our ERA biopsy results! With the results they were looking at my progesterone and estrogen level to make sure they would be right for a frozen transfer! And guess what? OUR RESULTS CAME BACK PERFECT! We have been thanking the Lord for great results, and hope this will be it for us! Also, we had a great financial gift come our way as well! So we are financially prepared for the FET too! 

What's next? Either a transfer the first week of December or in January! 

Prayer Request:  

• Patience while we wait 
• For the doctors and nurses working with us
• Discipline to try to lose some more weight before the transfer gets here
• For FET to be successful! 

Week 3 Testimony: Trust God & NEVER doubt

Today's testimony is the last one for this year's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This week comes from one of my coworkers! She is not just a coworker, but a friend! A friend that has endured many loses to get to where her and husband are now. A friend that prays for me. A friend that I pray for often too!

Here is Mrs. Bruce and her husband's story: 

Oh what a journey this has been!!! My husband and I married in June of 2013. We knew that we both wanted children, but we didn’t immediately start trying. To our surprise, we got a big fat positive in November of 2014. Happy was a mere understatement. We were scheduled to have an appointment to hear the heartbeat. Here goes the wait...these couple of weeks seemed to take forever. December 9, 2014 we were crushed!!! To our surprise, there was no fetal movement and no heartbeat. The pain that we felt was indescribable. I actually went through depression for a while afterwards.  

As time passed, we made the decision to begin trying again. During this time of trying, people would give all kinds of ‘advice’. Some of the information was from the hearts of those who actually meant well, but some people taught me what not to say to someone who has experienced the loss of a pregnancy. After months of trying, we decided to make an appointment with ART Fertility. During the appointment, we found out that we conceived naturally. Our son was born in February of 2017. We are grateful, yet our journey doesn't end here.

I have always wanted two children. I grew up in the house alone and didn’t want the same for my son. It took a couple of years after having him, but here we go with a surprise positive in April 2020 only to experience a loss in June. I didn’t have any triggers or suspension that would even make me believe that anything was going wrong. I felt fine, growing and glowing. When we arrived at the first ultrasound appointment, I knew something wasn’t quite right. The ultrasound tech was unusually quiet. She then told us that she would be right back, because she needed to get the doctor. I immediately started to cry because I knew something was wrong. To our surprise, something was wrong which resulted in another failed pregnancy. 

My husband was really a great supporter. He kept the faith when it seemed like I had none. The journey isn’t over. May 2021 pregnant again, only to suffer a subchorionic hematoma (This was horrible!) and experience loss June 15, 2021 (our wedding anniversary). I refused to allow my son to watch me get in a deep depression, so I had him to shift my focus on and basically just kept myself busy.  

Here we are again! Another positive August 2021!!!! This time our first appointment went quite well. I am currently 8 weeks, and the baby has a very strong heartbeat at 170 bpm. We have truly been on a bumpy ride, but we know that with faith in God, somehow, someway, He can make things possible if it is in His will!!! The best advice that I could give someone else is to trust God and NEVER doubt Him. The road may seem rough at times, but when God is in it, there is no limit to what He can do. Trust and never doubt...hold on and take the ride...He won’t let go of you, so don’t let go of Him!!! 

Week 2 Testimony!

We are already in the second week of sharing testimonies for pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. The testimony today is from a sweet sweet couple that endured so much! I am thankful to call this wonderful woman my friend! She is also a prayer warrior for Brandon and I, and I got to be the same for her during her adoption process! Please take the time to read her story! Here is my friend and her husband's story...

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My husband and I got married in October 2010. We both had always planned to have children. So, after one year of marriage, we began trying to conceive. After 6 months of failing to conceive naturally, I started taking an oral fertility drug and after 6 more months of no success, we went to the ART Fertility Clinic. Over the next 4 years, we endured 5 unsuccessful IUIs, 3 unsuccessful rounds of IVF, 1 unsuccessful round of egg donation, 1 unsuccessful round of embryo donation, every type of testing you can imagine (including hormone and genetic testing), and 3 miscarriages. I endured hundreds of fertility-drug injections, dozens of ultrasounds, a laparoscopic surgery, 2 hysteroscopies, and I had my blood drawn too many times to count. We spent thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. At the end of that process, 4 Reproductive Endocrinologists, who each had been in this field for many years, couldn't tell us specifically why we couldn't have biological children, and they couldn't remember anybody else doing as much as we had done (basically everything that's available) and, at the end, neither having a baby nor knowing the specific problem. Neither of us has any "missing parts" or anything else wrong that any kind of testing can reveal. The doctors thought that the problem might be "egg quality" and bad luck, but they didn't know for sure. During the IVF treatments, fertilization was never a problem, but the embryos just inexplicably never could survive. We know several other people who have used ART and have been successful. We think the doctors and staff at ART did all they could for us, and we are grateful for their help, but ultimately it just didn’t work out. In the end, even our fertility doctor recommended that we pursue adoption. So, in September 2016, we decided to adopt and started the process.

The adoption process also isn't easy or cheap, but it ended up going much quicker than our infertility process. We were matched in January 2017, and then on March 27, 2017 (my husband's 40th birthday), God blessed us with our daughter. We got the call on March 26 that the birth mom was in labor in Tennessee, and we were fortunate enough to be able to make it to the hospital for the birth. I was even invited to be in the delivery room and got to cut the cord! My husband joined our daughter and I very shortly thereafter in the hospital nursery, and we had the opportunity to be with her and to take care of her continuously from then on. Due to exposure to opiates in utero, our daughter experienced withdrawal symptoms and was transferred from the hospital where she was born to the NICU at East TN Children’s Hospital where she was treated for 13 days.  We were with her the whole time in both hospitals. She was born completely healthy otherwise, and when she was discharged from Children’s on April 12, she was completely over the withdrawal symptoms, doing great, and the doctors told us that there shouldn’t be any long-term effects. We then were finally able to travel back home with our daughter, after living in Tennessee for the first 23 days of her life. We had custody of her since her birth, we then became her guardians, and less than 3 months after her birth, we were able to finalize her adoption! She is the child we prayed for over 5+ years. For all those years, we tried not to complain publicly about our problems, even though our attempt to have a child affected almost every day of our lives in some way for 5+ years. We wanted to wait for a happy ending, and the Lord blessed us with a very happy one!

Our daughter was such a huge blessing and we loved our first adoption so much that we decided to do it again. We began the process in October 2019. Shortly thereafter, the COVID pandemic hit and slowed the process down a little bit, but in July 2020, we were matched with a married couple who was very early in pregnancy and who wanted to place their child for adoption. Fortunately, we were able to be in contact with the birth parents throughout pretty much the entire pregnancy. We were even able to be present for the gender ultrasound back in October 2020.  The birth mother invited me to be in the room with her when we found out that IT'S A BOY! On February 25, 2021, our precious son was born in Ohio!  We lived in a hotel with him there in Ohio for 2 weeks. We had physical custody of him since birth, gained legal custody of him a few days later, and were cleared to bring him home two weeks after his birth. We just finalized his adoption last month.

We are grateful to our son's birth parents for being so great to work with throughout the adoption process, for taking such great care of our son in utero, and for choosing life! When we met the birth parents face-to-face for the first time and had dinner with them back in October of 2020, the birth father told us that when he found out that his wife was pregnant, he initially wanted her to have an abortion but that she wanted to "look into" adoption. Then, he said, after meeting us and seeing that the baby would be taken care of, he was glad that they chose to pursue adoption. I think this situation shows that everyone's mind is not made up concerning whether to have an abortion. In some situations, people are willing to look into alternatives to abortion, and if viable alternatives to abortion, like adoption, exist, they are willing to pursue those alternatives. Of course, that requires having people who are willing to adopt.

Adoption has TREMENDOUSLY blessed our lives TWICE! We are thankul for everyone who helped us throughout both of our adoptions! These individuals include our entire adoption team (our adoption consultants, our social worker, and our attorneys and their staffs). We are also grateful for all our family and great friends who supported us throughout both adoptions! Most of all, we thank God for giving us two precious gifts, our daughter and our son! The adoption process is neither easy nor cheap, but the blessing received at the end of the process is unbelievable!

Angel Fest Story & Other Updates

Last weekend I participated in Angel Fest at a local church in Millbrook. Let me share how this started! I made a facebook post with hymns to sell for our FET, and a family friend commented and said, have you thought about selling at Angel Fest? And of course, I had no idea what she was talking about. I got information from their facebook and noticed that someone I knew was actually over the event! Another cool thing is that the family friend that mentioned it to me, her and her husband paid for my booth fee to lessen my cost! I spent that previous week making and making hymns. I sure was tired! 

So Brandon, mom, and I set everything up that Saturday morning (the 16th). We get set up, and I had designed "business cards" and got my brother in laws company to make them! They also made a sign with my "business" name, Loving Hymn Creations. And they paid for them! I'll post a picture at the end if you didn't see them on facebook. 

The day started off windy with a little rain, but ended up a beautiful day to be outside! Mom and I met people in the community sold around half of what we had making around $250. We sure met some interesting people! One group that stopped by bought an item and then laid their hands on me and prayed! It was so powerful to think they would pray for a complete stranger, but it was known to almost all that visited the table why we were there. Another lady said she was glad she could help bring a baby into the world at 73. A young boy asked me if I tore the pages out of the hymnal, I told him yes and not to tell on me! Another young lady mentioned she had used the exact same doctor's office we did, and they were successful by IUI. It was overall a wonderful day and I am so thankful mom was there to help me! She has been a rock for us through this whole process. 

There are a couple of other things I wanted to share too... 

First, I hope you continue to read the testimonies from my friends. We have two more coming up this Wednesday and next week! They represent a strength that only God can provide and I am proud to call them friends! 

Second, we have not gotten the results of our biopsy yet. We are still waiting.

Third, I have also been on a weight loss journey. When I got off of all the IVF meds, I lost a little weight and continued to go with it. As of today I have lost 23 lbs! I can't really see it, but I can feel it. I am hoping to lose about 20 more before our FET. (which will hopefully be in January) I have started meal prepping lunches. I am only drinking coke zero and water, and trying to avoid sweets and snacking. I started IVF at 225, and currently weigh 202 this morning! First goal is to get into 100s, then to lose the 20 more. And maybe I shouldn't share the actual weight part on here, but I am excited about the change!

Fourth, this tik tok video hit me hard... it starts off by saying how the body doesn't do the one thing it should, the one thing I want it to do. And I just wanted to share what it often feels like experiencing infertility. Women's body's were supposed to be built for this, right? But as of right now, mine isn't. 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8j7Xa6D/

As always, thanks for the love, prayers, and support! 

Katey

Week 1: The Hardin Family

The first testimony (story of hope) comes from one of my sorority sisters. This summer we endured IVF together! Our calendar (days of appointments, medication, retrieval, transfer, etc) were literally two days apart! You don't wish infertility for anyone, but you are thankful to have someone by your side! She was a huge prayer warrior for Brandon and I. We updated each other daily with how we were feeling and what to pray for etc. Read the rest to see where she is now!

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We are Brittani and Adam Hardin. We got married in 2014, and a few years later-we decided we were ready to start a family. 

In 2017-we began trying to get pregnant. We tried for several months, with no luck-and I (Brittani) was diagnosed with severe endometriosis. A few months later-I had surgery to remove several cysts and scarring caused by the Endo in hopes of increasing our chances of getting pregnant. We were told our best chances were in the 6 months following the surgery. 

Unfortunately-after another 6 months, we were still not pregnant and were referred to a fertility specialist in January of 2019. We began our journey at Alabama Fertility Specialists (AFS) and after two rounds of fertility medicine we found out we were pregnant. Unfortunately, a few short weeks later we lost that sweet baby. And decided to take a few months off from the doctor to give ourselves time to heal and process what happened. 

A few months later, I had another surgery to remove severe Endometriosis and large cysts from my ovaries. After surgeries-we did a total of 7 IUI’s (around $500-$800/round depending on monitoring and medications) all of which were unfortunately unsuccessful. 

IUI- Intrauterine Insemination

The next step recommended by our fertility specialist was IVF-which unfortunately is not a covered procedure by insurance in Alabama which led us to wondering how in the world we would come up with $15,000-$17,000 in just 2 months. 

IVF-In Vitro Fertilization

Luckily, we have an amazing group of friends and family that prayed and rallied around us and assisted us with multiple fundraisers that kept us from having to pay anything out of pocket. 

This process was a crazy, wild ride. Starting with birth control for a month, then 1 shot of Lupron in my stomach daily for 2 weeks. Then we added Gonal-F  and Menopur (along with Lupron)-all three in my stomach each night for 1.5 weeks. Then it was time for retrieval. We had our egg retrieval  July 21, 2021, and our transfer 5 days later (July 26, 2021). After the transfer-the dreaded Progesterone shots begin for the next 10 weeks. 

Then comes the LONGGGGG wait for our blood test to *hopefully* confirm pregnancy on August 4, 2021. 

I am the most impatient person EVER and decided to take a pregnancy test on Sunday August 1 just to see what it would say. Then I took 4 more…just to convince myself that the test was right. I AM PREGNANT-the blood test confirmed a few days later. 

As exciting as that is-its still scary. Will this pregnancy stick? Is this time REALLY going to be different? Can I get excited and tell people yet? Or should I just not tell anyone incase something happens?

Since confirming our pregnancy, we have had 4 ultrasound to check on our sweet baby and have since graduated from our fertility specialist and now see my regular OB-which was a very bittersweet moment. We are currently 14 weeks pregnant and baby is growing perfectly. 

Infertility is weird. Its hard. Its scary. Its all of the emotions at some point in time. A literal roller coaster. 

I pray every day for all of the ladies (and their families) struggling through this. Seeing the baby announcements. The happy stories…and wondering when it will be THEIR time. No one should ever have to endure the pain and sadness that comes with infertility and infant loss. If anyone is struggling-reach out. We are here and we understand what you are going through. You are not alone and your blessing and rainbow is coming.

October: Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

     Last year around this time Brandon and I were very much still grieving from the loss of Baby Owens that had happened in August 2020. I was also getting ready to share some amazing testimonies of hope from some of my family members. I feel as if it was only a short time ago that they helped me pursue my dream of sharing hope!

     If you were not friends with me last year, please take the time to go back and read these amazing stories of women who battled back from miscarriages ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS! All of these are special, but especially week 3. This was my mom's story - My sister and I are both rainbow babies! 

https://ourjourneywithgodinfertilityandlife.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-story-of-hope-week-1-glory-to-god.html

https://ourjourneywithgodinfertilityandlife.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-story-of-hope-week-2-trust-him.html

https://ourjourneywithgodinfertilityandlife.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-story-of-hope-week-3-his-grace-is.html

    As October approaches again, I really want to continue sharing that hope. That hope that God is still working, that there is still time, and that there is still possible for the ones of us who have not experienced the other side yet. This month there will be 3 testimonies shared and I am excited that each of these women were willing to be a part of this with me. Be on the look out over the next three Wednesday's for their story! 

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   This past month has been a mind battlefield. It wasn't a hard decision to choose the FET route, due to having one embryo left. But all the fears kept rushing through my head but what if it doesn't work? What will we do next? And right now, I have to keep myself positive (which is hard) that we won't have to worry about making that decision.

Prayer Request: 

To not let the Enemy get us down

To praise God no matter what 

For good results from the biopsy tomorrow

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Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the Law of the Lord. Who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yield fruit in season, and leaf does not whither. Whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

 

   

September: PCOS Awareness Month

September is PCOS awareness month, and I almost missed posting something about it. PCOS is polycystic ovary syndrome and I wanted to share some facts about it since tomorrow brings on a whole different awareness month. 

Facts: 

• It is a serious genetic, hormone, metabolic and reproductive disorder that affects women and girls. 
• It is the leading cause of female infertility and a precursor for other serious conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer.
• Development of cysts (small fluid-filled sacs) in the ovaries. 
• Between 5% and 10% of women between 15 and 44, or during the years you can have children, have PCOS. Most women find out they have PCOS in their 20s and 30s. 
• Symptoms: Irregular cycles, too much hair on face, acne, thinning hair, weight gain, darkening of skin, and skin tags. 
• Women with PCOS can be at higher risk of miscarriage, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. 
• From: https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/polycystic-ovary-syndrome 

Please be in prayer for these women! And all the couples facing infertility! Next month is miscarriage/infant loss awareness month. Hopefully more testimonies will be shared on how God worked in people's lives to overcome what one never expected to happen. 

Our appointment to check levels is tomorrow! Praying for great results! 

Our New Plan: FET

 In the infertility world, FET stands for Frozen Embryo Transfer. That is indeed our next step, but we are going to do a few things before we get there! 

First we are doing what is called an ERA Biopsy. I am not sure that I can explain it very well. Basically I take medicine like I would for the FET, and then one a particular day they do a biopsy, and look at my estrogen and progesterone levels. So this process is already underway.  I started the Estrogen today (09/21/21), and go back to the doctor next week for an ultrasound to see when I am supposed to start the progesterone. I take the progesterone for around 5-6 days, then go in for the biopsy. I will go to Birmingham to have this done. 

Pending results, we then wait for the FET cycle to begin. Our FET could potentially be in November or maybe all the way in January. It just depends on the timing of my cycle, and how many spots that are open within the clinic. 

Prayer Requests: 

*that answers needed come from the biopsy

*that the FET will go smoothly and be successful 

*that the timing is right! 

*for our mentally, emotional, physically, financially, and spiritual well being

We are thanking God for another opportunity, and praying this is the right time! 

Also, I am going to be selling some more framed hymns to help with the financial part! If you are interested be on the lookout on facebook for them! They could make a great Christmas gift for someone! 

Take a Listen to another song I found that I love by Chris McClarney!

Speak to the Mountains

Getting Ready to face our failed IVF again

       I feel like it has been forever since I have wrote in the blog. Thank you all for your support over the past month as we have been sorting through feelings, trying to understand why, and praying about what is next. 

      We are preparing to revisit our failed IVF next week. On September 20th, we have a follow-up appointment to discuss next steps. Since all of this has happened, we've been called twice to move up our appointment, but I just wasn't ready. I'm not sure that I'm ready now, but we are preparing ourselves. What will be our recommendation? To move forward with the frozen embryo transfer, to completely do a new round of IVF so we can do genetic testing, or move on? We pray the next steps will work and bring glory to God, but at this point in our journey it is almost hard to believe it will work. 

     At church we started a new series called Battling against the mind. Let me just say that this journey has definitely been that. It has been full of fear and doubt, but hope has shown up many times in between too. Jennie Allen's Book Get Out of Your Head was mentioned several times, and Brandon and I were both talking about getting it to read. I've heard her talk about in a podcast, but never bought it. If you've read it I'd love to know your thoughts. 

    Prayer Request: 

    - That we make a plan

    - That we feel at peace about the plan

    - That the doctor's hand will be guided when helping us make a decision

    - That we are ready to move forward emotionally, mentally, and financially 

    - That we are giving thanks to God for whatever way is provided 

The Final Part of Our IVF Journey

 

Thursday July 22: 

We left for Birmingham around 8:15, and got to Brookwood around 9:35. We had to be at the ART clinic at 9:45. Right after we arrive they go ahead and take us back. I change into procedure attire, get my IV put in, and go over all paperwork, etc. 

Here is a picture of us while waiting! Our appointment was at 10:45, but I probably didn't go back until around 11:15ish. The last thing I remember was the doctor telling me he was going to take good care of me, and then I woke up in recovery! I woke up in recovery to find out that they retrieved 18, yes you read that right, 18 eggs! Brandon stops on the way home to get me chickfila, and I spend the rest of the afternoon/night napping on and off, and relaxing! Tomorrow we will find out how many of the eggs were mature and how many fertilized! I cannot wait to get the results! Our plan is still to transfer on Tuesday! 

Friday July 23: 

Dear God, 

I am in awe Lord! You continue to amaze us with your mighty power for each step of this process. We thank you Lord so much for the ability to make it through this process and for keeping your hand on us each step of the way! I pray that we have at least 50% back it to day 5, Lord! We can't wait to meet our precious child that you will gift us with one day! We love you, and again praise you for the good report because it was only possibly through you! AMEN 

10 eggs fertilized!! We won't know how many made it to day 5 until Tuesday when we go in for our fresh transfer! 

Tuesday, July 27:

Well, I turned 30 over the weekend, and to be honest I was miserable most of the time. Ever since the retrieval, I haven't felt like myself. I took two naps on my birthday, which tells you I didn't feel good. 

So we get to Birmingham at 10:00. Now, before we get there I was instructed to drink approximately 28-32oz of water, and NOT go to the bathroom. If you know me well, that was difficult. We get dressed in our attire, and ready for our update! The doctor shows us two embryos that are ready for transfer. He tells us that he is not sure if any of the others that fertilized will make it to be frozen. We had already discussed the possibility of transferring two embryos, so that's what we did! 

In 9 days, we will know if we are pregnant! And possibly with twins! 

Wednesday July 28: 

Today we learned that one embryo made it to be frozen! So after this pregnancy (we are claiming it in Jesus' name), we will have the option to have another if we'd like! We are so excited about that possibility! Brandon said we might need a bigger house, but we just moved 11 months ago! 

We are just in prayer that this is working for us as we speak! That these two embryos babies are growing! 

Sunday August 1: 

Today has not been the best mentally. I am all in my head over not having any type of symptoms to show that this transfer was successful. I have had a little cramping and that is it. When we left we were basically told that cramping, spotting, and a few other things might happen but that it was completely normal. Really none of that has happened, and I don't know whether it is a good a bad thing. It made me a little emotional at church while we were singing this song: 

Goodness of God

Then in the sermon, I felt some affirmation for sharing our journey and that is was for a purpose. We have been going through a series called Stages. In the last one today, it was about how we all die physically, and what are we doing now to finish the race that God has called us to start and finish. Pastor Daniel talked about how we should be sharing our testimonies and stories in order to help others through their tough times. We don't know what kind of impact we can make until we share! 

One of my favorite verses was shared: 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you. I have shared this statement many times because this note is written in my Bible right beside that verse: PRAYER EXCHANGES ANXIETY FOR PEACE!    

Dear God, 

I pray that you would take my anxiety right now. Just lift it from me because it is too heavy for me to carry right now! I can't handle it, and it makes me emotional thinking about all of this! We know you are the ultimate miracle worker Lord, and we pray that we see a miracle done in your name on Thursday Lord! That we would be able to see a positive, but if not Lord, help us to love you. Thank you for loving us when we fall short! Amen

Tuesday August 3: 

I thought Sunday was rough, but yesterday was a terrible day (really more of the afternoon). I had an absolute mental breakdown. I couldn't hold back the tears. I cried that morning, cried that afternoon, and balled after we got home from dinner. I told Brandon about a nightmare I had the previous night, regarding everything we are going through, and that I am just exhausted. I am tired. I am tired of taking medicine all the time. I am tired of the shots. I am tired of being strong when I am not. I'm tired of being let down over and over again. I am tired of having to be the one to tell Brandon news each and every time. I am tired of going to family events and being the only one without a kid to chase around. I am tired of feeling like I am the only one not pregnant. I am tired. And I know what most will say, Katey don't give up yet, God's timing is perfect. While, I believe God's timing is perfect, I don't understand why it couldn't have been all these past times! 

Every night, Brandon and I have been praying together. Trying our hardest to fight this in prayer. God knows the desires of our hearts and we continue to pray that this anxious feeling leaves us, and that this is God's plan and timing for this to happen in our lives. Brandon was so positive as I was having this breakdown yesterday! He knows all these feelings have just overwhelmed me over the past few days, and I am so thankful he continues to check on me, and is staying positive. Because in all honesty, I am having a hard time. 

Dear God, 

I pray again, just for all anxiety and negative thoughts to be taken away. They are not from you Lord, and I know you are in control. Help us to keep being positive as we await results day on Thursday. I pray for others that are in similar situations Lord. I pray that they can be strong. I pray they rely on you too. Thank you for the reminder that Your goodness is chasing after us daily! Help us to completely surrender! Amen

Thursday August 5; 

Today was beta day. Today was the worst day. Today my HCG was a 0 with no chance of rising. Today we officially lost our two embabies. We are heart broken. We have no exact plan of what is next. We just know we have an appointment on September 20th with the doctor for a follow-up and to discuss what's next. 

We don't understand why it was not in God's plan at this time. We don't understand why He provided the necessities for us to get through all of this, have great numbers, just for it to fail. We know there is a purpose, but we are honestly tired of trying to find it. 

I just ask that you continue to pray for us as we navigate through this pain. Please be in prayer as I return to school soon just to see every single day what we do not have. We want to thank you all for your love and support through our IVF journey, but this part has officially come to a close. This is not us giving up, but more of us just taking a break! God is good even during this hard time, I just pray the desires of our hearts will be met soon! 

Friday August 6; 

Brandon took the day off today so we could spend time together just the two of us! We ran errands, had a lunch date, and just were able to really talk over what had just happened. We talked about how this next month in a half really needed to be a rest period for us. This process took over my whole summer. We didn't plan a vacation or anything to really do because we knew we had all of this going on. So a break from the infertility world for the next month and half will hopefully be restful! 

Dear God, Please help us to find rest and peace in You. We do not understand why everything was provided for this process to work with no result. I pray that we would just be comforted by You. That you'd give us the strength to make it as our hearts desires have been delayed for some reason. We love you Lord, but it is just so hard to wrap our heads around everything. We lift up other couples that are having the same struggles, other couples that are in the same season, and pray that you'd be with them also. Amen 

Saturday August 7;

Friday and Saturday have been a little better. I haven't cried as much. 

Luckily, I was able to see my two best friends over these past two days! Friday night we went to a JoDee Messina concert in Birmingham and man, she took us to church. I loved her music growing up, but man she sang her hit songs, and Child of Love, My Jesus, and Reckless Love - it was so powerful! I was grateful for a night out with friends to get my mind off of things! 

As I write this, I am not sure when we will actually share this post. Do we share right away to go ahead and get the comments/questions over with? Do we give ourselves more time to process? Do we just hurt alone with the handful of people we've told? 

We've said all this, but I am going to type it again because this is what keeps going through my head: We aren't sure what God is up to in our story! From the beginning when we decided to go through IVF we thought it was what God wanted us to do. He made a way! Everything was provided. But what happened? I don't know that we will ever understand. 

Sunday August 8; 

This morning I had a coworker send me Praise You in the Storm and just remind me that we don't understand the WHY, but our prayers just delayed not denied. 

I was also reminded at church that even though our hurt seems lonely and so big right now, we are not the only ones going through hurt, disappointment, or trials, suffering. This makes me question if we have just been too selfish in our prayers throughout this journey. We have made the past 4 years a lot about our fertility journey instead of making it about our journey with God. So I think a new mindset will be in order for whatever part comes next! I am so thankful for our mentor groups at church that are about to kick off! I really believe it is going to make a great impact on our lives and walk with Christ. 

If you have a prayer request that you need prayer over, I would love to pray for y'all like you all have done for me and Brandon. Fill out this google form and I'll add you to my personal prayer list.  Prayer Request Form 

We decided to go ahead and share the blog today! I am not sure when the next blog will come, but don't worry we will keep all of you updated as we proceed in our journey with God, Infertility, and Life!  As always thank you for all the love and prayers! Love, Katey

IVF Diary Part 3

Saturday July 10th: 

Tonight is the first night of STIMS! We are so excited to finally get started with the process! We are continuing to pray for the follicles to grow and grow, and create many many eggs to retrieve! 

Wednesday July 14th: 

Today was my first follicle scan at the doctor's office.  I was excited to see what all the medicine had done over the past 4 nights. At the appointment they measured 9 follicles growing slowly. Now, growing slowly isn't bad because you don't want 1 or 2 to get bigger than all the rest. You want them to grow together. I was a little disappointed. I would have thought that there would have been more! As I was upset and talking with Brandon this morning, he gave me the best reminder, that it only takes 1 to make a miracle! We are praying our 1 or 2 may be in that 9! The nurse didn't call until 4:00 with bloodwork results, etc. So my medicine amount will stay the same, and I go back on Friday at 8:15.  

Dear God, 

I thank you for the follicles/eggs that we have growing Lord. Please forgive me for doubting that it may not be enough. I pray that we continue to look to you as we journey on through the IVF process! Help us to put our hope and trust in you with every step! We love you and pray for great results on Friday!  AMEN

Friday, July 16th:

Today was a  much better ultrasound! She measured 12 follicles total that were growing! All I can do is praise God for seeing even more follicles growing, and praying they continue to keep going! 

Dear God, 

We thank you for the follicles that are growing right now. We are just so thankful! I pray that everything continues to grow and that the medicine continues to work as we take it for many more days! AMEN 

Monday July 19th: 

Today was follicle check #3. I got to see all my follicles growing on the ultrasound as there were 14 on EACH SIDE! Now, not all of them are near the size they are supposed to be, but I thought it was pretty cool to watch the progression of them from when I had my first ultrasound to now. I have had some cramping still as I continue to take the medicine. And today I felt super bloated too. So I wait on the nurse to call me this afternoon. They finally call around 3:30, and she says I have to come back tomorrow for another check. After another check, we will decide if I will trigger Tuesday for a Thursday Retrieval or Wednesday for a Friday Retrieval. 

If I have a Wednesday trigger, I will have to take my STIM meds for one extra day. Now, we know these meds are expensive, but let me tell you what happen today with trying to order one extra day. So most of the Gonal-f or Follistim cost between 300-500 depending on dosage, etc. We sent to a different pharmacy than normal, and I had to call the doctor back to tell them that I couldn't do that. The pharmacist said it was going to be over $900. So I went back to my normal Fertility Pharmacy and got it for $450. The cool thing about the Fertility Pharmacies is that they will over night your medicine for free to you! The one we use happens to be in GA, and they have never missed a next day delivery. 

Now we wait to see what tomorrow brings! I am so ready to know for sure what day our retrieval will be! We continue to pray that it is super successful, with lots of eggs retrieved and lots of embryos made! 

Tuesday, July 20th: 

In being honest, I was super worried this morning! However, God has come through again and again showing his power! So, I didn't end up needing the extra meds I talked about yesterday! I also didn't end up needing one of the trigger shots either! 

Dear God, 

Thank you for your faithfulness Lord! We pray right now for a successful retrieval, fertilization, and transfer! We pray for our future child that is being made! That we will be able to see him or her in April of next year, Lord! We know all of this is possible through you and we just pray that you guide the doctors, and watch over us through this next week of exciting, but scary events! We thank you that we are able to do a fresh transfer! We thank you for the doctors who have already been there to help us so much! I am just in awe of all of this coming together! I thank you for sweet Brandon, and him being by my side every step of the way through countless shots, and medication! We love you and are so excited for what this next week may bring! In Jesus name, Amen. 

Retrieval Set: 07/22/21 @ 10:45 AM 

07/24/21- Katey turns 30! 

Transfer Set: 07/27/21 @ 12: 00 PM 

All in Birmingham at the ART Fertility Clinic! 

LET'S DO THIS! There will be a part 4, you probably won't see it until September! But all of this was too exciting not to share with you all! Please be in prayer for: Egg retrieval, fertilization, embryos, transfer, for my body to work as it should, and for Baby Owens to be healthy and make it 9 months so we can meet him or her! We love you all and are so thankful for your prayers! 

-Katey and Brandon 

IVF Diary Part 2

Monday, June 28th

There really hasn't been an update since the last blog. Tomorrow is my appointment with the IVF nurse from Birmingham. After the appointment I will be able to order my medicine that is needed, and just learn more about the specifics of the process. I pray that it goes well, and I'll update Part 2 of the blog tomorrow after the appointment at 9:00. 

Tuesday, June 29th

I had my appointment with IVF nurse. We talked on the phone for about 45 minutes going over my calendar, medicines, procedures, financial, and consents to sign. First was the calendar. We set up the suppression appointment for next Wednesday July 7th. At this appointment they will be doing blood work, and making sure the birth control did its job. However, this is the point in the process where many couples journey gets cancelled. So I ask that we pray for everything to go just as it should. As long as everything goes well, I will start STIMS on Saturday July 10th. All of my meds were ordered today and they should be here this Friday. 

We went over how to mix the medicines for the shots. And other medicines that I would potentially have to take during the process. We also went over all of the medicines I am currently taking to make sure nothing would counteract. Everything there was good. So now we just wait for next week and go from there! 

Monday, July 5th

Today is my last day on birth control! Wednesday is the big appointment that I have already explained in the last date of the diary. I am just feeling super nervous about it. My nerves have been way worse than normal. I am so thankful for my little prayer team that I have been sending out messages too. These women have been so encouraging, and prayerful on mine and Brandon's behalf! They have kept me uplifted over the past month and I am so grateful they are there for us! (INSERT: please don't be offended if you are not in this group and reading this. The blog is a great way to keep up with everything too! 

Prayer for Today

Lord, I pray that you would calm my anxious soul. Give us peace about our appointment on Wednesday! I pray that my levels be where they are supposed too, no cysts, and that the birth control did what it was supposed to do. Help us to stay positive and know that you are in control of this situation! We thank you that you have paved a way for this so far, and we can't wait to see what happens with the rest of our testimony. *AMEN*

Wednesday July 7th

As of 9:00, everything looks good. My ultrasound was perfect, and now we just wait on the bloodwork results. We are waiting to see what my estrogen level is. We are wanting it to be super super low! 

As of 2:00, we have the go ahead! STIMS START SATURDAY!!! 

Please be in prayer, that my follicles grow into many many eggs! I probably will not publish part 3 for a while! We just ask for your prayers! Thank you all for the prayers you've already said! 

Dear God, Thank you for letting your plan fall into place! We praise you for our numbers being good, and for my ultrasound being perfect! We could not have made it this far without our hope in you! We continue to trust in you throughout the process, and thank you for the others that are interceding for us! In Jesus Name, Amen. 

IVF Diary Part 1

 Thursday May 27, 2021: 

I finally finally started my cycle! Woohoo! 

Right away, I call to make an appointment at ART for our pre-IVF baseline. I'm just so excited one that I finally started, and two that my cycles weren't 50 days apart this time. I literally. When talking with a friend, I think the thyroid medicine might be helping regulate my cycle! Anyways, appointment was made for 7:45 on Friday! 

Friday May 28, 2021: 

Go into my appointment at 7:45. Blood work first, then ultrasound, and meeting with the nurse. We go over a few different things, I end up having to get blood drawn again. Everything on the ultrasound looks good, and now we waited on blood work to see if we would be able to start. We scheduled the next steps, which is a saline ultrasound and fasting blood work for me, and blood work and analysis for Brandon. 

Our biggest prayer was that my thyroid levels would come down and guess what? They did! We get the news to go ahead and start birth control/blood thinner shots for Saturday. While on the phone with the nurse, she also lets me know that she will have an approximate calendar for me.  This calendar will include dates of appointments, and approximate date for egg retrieval and transfer (Should be early July). 

I get my prescription for the birth control and take it to Adam's Drugs Millbrook. Well Millbrook calls, and they don't have it and would have to order it. I asked if they could see if Pine level or Montgomery had it, and luckily, Pine Level had it in stock! 

Saturday, May 29th

Thursday June 3, 2021: 

Today was saline ultrasound day! And as it was prayed: EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT! 

I also got our approximate calendar. I am going to have to take the birth control a little longer than expected. Then the approximate time for retrieval, etc is for mid-end of July! I am hoping and praying this will be the best birthday present EVER! Unfortunately, we thought that last year would be too, so it is difficult thinking that this is such a similar timeline to 2020 when our IUI was successful on my 29th birthday, and learned we miscarried the first day of school. We have to continue to focus on the positive! 

Friday June 4, 2021: 

Blood work was completed for both Brandon and myself! We will be waiting on results for a while because mine were sent to LabCorp. Hopefully Brandon's will come quicker! 

Saturday June 5, 2021: 

We are now on the second week of lovenox and birth control. So far, I have only had a few of the side effects including low grade fevers and stomach aches. Praying week 2 won't show any side effects. 

Monday June 7, 2021: 

So if you have been following our journey, months ago we had someone that donated around $3,000 worth of medication to us! This was such a huge blessing! Today, I get the quote for the medicine in my email, and it is only $1,800ish. Wow, this bill should have been around $5,000, but isn't, thanks to a wonderful family that wanted to pay it forward after they had gone through IVF too and a God that provides! 

Also on Monday, I got some of the bloodwork results from Friday, June 4th. It scared me to death when the nurse called. Most of my bloodwork was fine, but I had a few things that were higher than normal. First was something with my liver and second was my fasting sugar. Now, I have added another supplement to take; ovasitol. Now this is a powder that you mix and drink with any non-carbonated drink. Brandon's bloodwork came back good as well. 

Also, I spoke with a sorority sister today that is also going through this process. Crazy thing, is we almost have the exact same schedule! Literally, our retrievals are approximately the same week. I thought that was neat that we would be going through everything at similar times. 

Tuesday June 8, 2021: 

Brandon goes to south for an analysis. I leave for Kids Camp with our new church home, Journey. Journey has been such a blessing the past months. I have jumped into working in the children's ministry, and Brandon is getting everything going to be on the security team. 

Sunday June 13, 2021: 

Today is our 6th anniversary. I am just so overwhelmed today, thinking about the fact that we should have had a child by now. We should have had this little front room filled with nursery things, but it isn't. And it just breaks my heart. 

Also Brandon has been sick all weekend! Praying he gets to feeling better soon! 

And, I am pretty sure this Ovasitol is making my stomach super upset. It doesn't have a taste, but drinking it three times a day seems like a lot. 

We also begin week 3 of birth control and lovenox. This week, I only take it until Wednesday, take a break, and then start again at the beginning of next week. I am having to take it longer than the normal protocol. Still praying for side effects to not be bad. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 in a few weeks for another update**

Prayer Request for now: 

-Minimal side effects from medicines

-Strength, Faith, Hope

-Pre-Cycle appointment on June 29th to go well 

-Brandon 

What happens next: 

Continue meds

Pre-cycle appointment with IVF nurse on June 29th 

IVF Baseline once my cycle starts again

Scripture for the heart

 Do you ever have days where you just need a little scripture to help get your heart back right? I realized after a super busy two weeks, that I haven't really set time aside to do my Bible Study or journaling. So I just want to take some time to share a few scriptures with all of you today! Hopefully someone else needs these today besides me! 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Taste and see that the Lord is Good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Psalm 3:3-4

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10 

Let your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. Colossians 1:11 

I will be taking a break for a few weeks from writing in the blog as we are finishing up the school year. I should be heading back to the doctor at the end of May. Prayers are for my Thyroid levels to be lower, so that we can go ahead and start our IVF cycle! I'll update you all in a few weeks! 

Another Year Older

 Another year older, another year without a child...Not me, but him. 

Today is Brandon's 32nd birthday. (April 28th) And for his birthday, he should have been becoming a dad. If we wouldn't have miscarried, baby owens would have made his or her arrival this past week. This week should have been the start of our IVF; however, the records did not get to ART on time. Another year older, another year without a child. 

This past month at church we were in a sermon series titled the Comeback. The series started with the greatest comeback of all time, Jesus' resurrection. Then we went on to discuss Peter, Paul, and David's comebacks with some members of the church's testimonies. 

As Brandon and I were talking about my results not getting to ART in time for us to start our IVF cycle, he mentions, "you know, maybe God is setting us up for a comeback." In my mind, all I could think was well it is definitely possible. 

My prayer today, is for all of those that are in need of a comeback. Jesus is there to welcome you with open arms, if you'll take that leap of faith and turn to Him. I also pray, thanking God for the comebacks that have happened! Don't be afraid to share your testimony with someone else! You never know the positive impact you might make. 

National Infertility Awareness Week 2021

 Journey Update: 

I went back to the hematologist yesterday to get my results from all of my blood work, and shocker...I have Factor V. I have known this for 6 years now, but had to get retested for it. I also previously mentioned that I had to start taking iron pills. So the real reason I had to go in was for the hematologist to make a decision on what to do with the birth control part of IVF. So, I will be taking a blood thinner while going through IVF. This blood thinner is a injectable. The nurse asked me if I would have trouble with it, and I was like no ma'am I have been giving myself shots for a while now. 

Now, the catch to everything is that for some reason my cycle decided to show its face earlier than 50 days. So I started on Monday, which means I am cycle day 3 today. In order to do IVF, the doctor's office has to see you by cycle day 4 (aka tomorrow). Well I called yesterday to make sure my records had been faxed to ART. I cannot make an appointment at ART until the results of the blood work, and the doctor's recommendation have been faxed to ART. When I called them yesterday, and of course the blood work results are ready to fax over, but the doctor's recommendation isn't. So more than likely we will have to wait until my cycle starts again to actually have another baseline IVF appointment. The one good thing, is that the timing would be over the summer. So now, we wait again. 

_____________________________________________________________

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. If you see the hashtag on facebook #niaw, that is what it stands for. So during this week, many many people share their stories on social media, etc. We don't share our stories for the comments, or attention, most of us simply share our story/struggle to raise awareness to an issue that is so hard to talk about casually. 

1 in 8 couples struggle to get pregnant. 

1 in 4 women have had a miscarriage. 

I saw this wonderfully written on facebook and wanted to share it: 

To the woman in target walking by the baby clothes, softly touching everything you pass with your fingertips; but continuing to walk by without buying anything ... I see you

To the woman at the baby shower who slips into the bathroom to hold back the tears and walks back out with a smile on her face... I see you

To the woman at the grocery store seeing the pregnant teenager, and the woman shopping midday with 5 kids in and around the cart; and thinking why not me?! ... I see you

To the woman sitting in her car a little longer than necessary parked at the fertility clinic, before walking in for another appointment or treatment, because nothing good has happened there yet... I see you

To the woman who prays every morning, every night, and a little harder every Sunday at church for a baby that hasn’t come... I see you

To the woman who has the heart of a warrior, and will never give up hope... I see you

To the woman feeling broken... you’re not.

To the woman feeling alone... you’re not.

I see you.

I am you.

________________________________________________________________

Dear God, I pray as we take this week to share stories and raise awareness that we would continue to put our hope in you for your future. I pray for each and everyone couple going through infertility. It is just so hard Lord, but daily we are praying to make a comeback! Help us to believe it! AMEN.