18 weeks and counting

It is a miracle. I have made it to 18 weeks. Just as some of you said at around 15 weeks I got a cute little baby bulge. I am thrilled beyond imagination. Yesterday, I was reading a magazine and came across an article about women and pregnancy. It was interesting to see the new trends and changes since the 70′s and the 80′s. What caught my attention most was the thought that women today are having children later in life in their 30′s/40′s and that more women today are infertile. I was on a plane this week chatting with a young lady and she shared her in-vitro experience with me. Now, 2 children later and only in her early 30′s she has 2 children both through in-vitro. I met another young lady during a class that I was teaching. She is pregnant with twins. As we chatted I found out that she was only 26 and infertile. She was also pregnant through in-vitro. These experiences lead me to a bigger question. Is fertility becoming a new issue for young women? I am often surprised when I visit the fertility office at the huge number of women in the waiting area. I read another medical article that states 1 in 13 women experience fertility issues. It never crossed my mind until I encountered this journey. It seems that there is some comfort in knowing that I am not alone. With this challenging new discovery there is also hope.

The advances in technology are mind-boggling.

I knew the sex of my baby at 13 weeks. This is a process that is normally done at 20 weeks but because of my age, I had a genetic test and in exactly 1 day, I had results. I didn’t find out the sex of the baby,”yet”. I had the doctor tell my sister. She is sworn to secrecy. I am embellishing every moment of this pregnancy. I learn something new every day and I am filled with awe at this wonderful miracle growing inside me. In the past, I viewed pregnancy as a normal part of life. It was almost “common” for lack of a better word. Now, I understand that it is really not so common and not so easy. It is a true testiment to the fortitude of a woman. Motherhood is more than a word it is an active experience that begins the day the doctor says “you are pregnant”. I thank God everyday for the little one growing in me and I must admit in-vitro is expensive but worth every cent.