I’ll always remember my first trip to
the fertility doctor. My husband, Ryan,
and I sat awkwardly in a waiting
room, listening to the Backstreet
Boys greatest hits through the ceiling
speaker, while avoiding eye contact
with other couples and commenting
on the unusual art: mermaid family
statue. I’m not kidding. The sculpture
was of a mommy and daddy mermaid
holding up a baby mermaid in the air!
The artwork and music choice created
a nice comedic relief from the anxiety
of wondering what the doctor would
say. What would be my prognosis?
What if she said I had no chances
of carrying a baby to term? What if
there were no answers for why I easily
became pregnant but could never
stay pregnant? The rollercoaster of
three pregnancies, followed by three
miscarriages, was a ride we were
ready to get off. The nurse eventually
called us back to a consultation room
that had all the posters and props
of a high school health class, where
we nervously played on our phones
until the doctor finally came in the
room. She sat down, looked through
my medical history paperwork, and
in no more than 5 minutes told us
what she thought was wrong and how
she planned to fix it. She confidently
assured us she was not worried about
my eventually carrying full term. We
left the doctor’s office feeling very
assured and encouraged. With the
doctor’s help and God’s choosing
to answer our heartfelt prayers for
multiples, our triplets Blair, Barrett, and
Blake were conceived six months later.
We do not believe our triplets were a
result of fertility medication. However,
God chose to use medication to help
bring about our desire for a family, and
maybe He wants to do the same in
your life.
After going public about our
miscarriages and triplet pregnancy,
the questions and comments started
pouring in from women struggling
with the same heartache of infertility
and the same dream of conceiving.
“Your story has encouraged me to
not give up on my dreams of being a
mom” one woman wrote to me. “As a
Christian, how did you justify seeing a
fertility doctor?” was a question sent
to me by another woman who honestly
wondered the spiritual argument for
seeking help. How did we justify seeing
a fertility doctor? Is seeing a fertility
doctor playing God? Are babies born
with fertility help any less miraculous?
How do I talk to my spouse about going
to a fertility doctor? How do I keep
enjoying life with fertility struggles?
1. How did we justify seeing a
fertility doctor?
Last October, I kept getting the flu,
even with the flu shot. No matter what
I did, it seemed like I kept getting sick
and I kept being out of commission for
Solutions • 11