*When You Can’t Get Pregnant
*My IVF Experience
It’s hard to believe that one year ago at this time, Jacob didn’t exist yet. He existed in our hearts and hopes, but not physically. We knew we would start fertility treatments in January. It was supposed to be December but our clinic didn’t start new treatments in December so we had to wait an extra month. By the time I had taken the drugs and gone through all the steps, it was mid-March when we finally got to have our “try.”
Truth be told, when we first sought out fertility treatments, it was in November of 2013. That was our first appointment to discuss our options at Dominion Fertility. Had it been solely up to me, I would have taken out a massive loan and moved forward immediately. I was baby ready. Rick, being more patient and money-wise than I, told me we had to save money instead of heading straight into a pit of debt. I knew he was right and that it was the smart thing to do, despite my anxieties about our age. I guess it didn’t matter if I was 32, 33 or 34 but time felt like it was TICKING.
It was hard to wait. We knew how much we needed to save, and it was A LOT. It seemed like it might be forever to save that much but an interesting thing happened. I am always kind of reading up on or paying attention to financial guidance (not taking it often but…) and I was reading something by either Suze Orman or Dave Ramsay. They noted that when you choose to be wise and save your money for something, rather than taking out a loan, you are more prone to find creative ways to save that money faster.
Saving Money
As many of you know, I was able to get some really effective freelancing opportunities right about the time we began saving. I had a full time job but decided to take the extra work when it appeared because I knew it would lead to our savings adding up a lot quicker. Plus, we were saving our normal paychecks like crazy as well.
I was blessed to have the skills and the opportunity for these jobs, but would I have been so open or available to do them had we just taken out a loan and been focused completely on fertility treatments? Perhaps I would have been consumed with all of that and feel too overwhelmed to take on extra work in addition to my full time job.
Other Benefits
There were other good things that came of waiting. For one, we got to live life as a married couple — just the two of us — for a couple of years before jumping into parenthood. I think this was important for our marriage and a good foundation for becoming parents. Already, our relationship and life together seems so different than before. Obviously, we are still in the midst of newborn-ness and plenty will continue to change, but I can’t imagine taking this one right away.
Waiting and being wise allowed us the opportunity to fully fund our treatments and leave behind no debt whatsoever. I’m certain everything happened at just the right time and therefore, we now have just the right child.
It’s hard to remember that we don’t see the whole picture before things happen. But it’s important to recognize that God does see that — and He’s working to complete it just as it’s supposed to be.
I’m thankful to have a husband that balances me out and I am sure it goes both ways for us. And we literally and sincerely thank God every day for the biggest blessing we have ever received.
