This Is What IVF Looks Like — and It Was Beyond Worth It For 1 Grateful Mom
Lauren and Garyt Walker spent 953 days praying for a child, but that wasn't all they did. During those 31 months, they injected 452 needles, shed thousands of tears, endured one corrective surgery, went through four Clomid attempts, had two rounds of in vitro fertilization, and suffered three failed transfers. But now, they are finally able to announce that they are expecting two miracle babies.
When the expecting parents tried to come up with a creative way to share the news, each idea felt like it fell short of doing their babies justice. However, they decided on a way to honor not only these new lives, but also all of the struggle it took to get to this point. In an incredible photo announcing the news these parents-to-be managed to capture all of the pain and joy that have been their reality and shared an equally powerful message on Facebook.
Taking out these needles by the handful to take this photograph was . . . surreal. Halfway through my hands started to quiver, my breath got short, and I had to stop. I sat down, looked at it and started to cry. Not because I was sad about what it took to get here, but because it was a representation of my world, our world, for the past over two and a half years staring back at me. There was a lot of pain, hope, and fear behind each of these needles. Each one represents a different day, a different path, a different emotion. It's a lot to take in. After a good cry, the more I looked at it, the more the needles started to blur together. Now all I see are these tiny onesies that so perfectly sum up our journey: worth the wait. And wait, and wait, and wait.
For Lauren, the hardest part of her journey to motherhood wasn't the IVF. "My darkest hour was going through an entire cycle and losing embryo after embryo; five. Coming so far only to miscarry. Getting to where all the hope, the money, all of what could have been your children were gone," she shared. "They say God only gives you as much as you can handle. Well, He must think very highly of us."
When Lauren looks back at her struggle, she can't believe she actually made it and is now carrying not one baby, but two. "I mean, I MADE it. I'm stronger. It didn't break me," Lauren wrote. "The prize is not these twins; The prize is discovering newfound faith. The GIFT is these twins. I didn't know I was capable of such strength and fight."
Although Lauren credits her doctors, faith, and her friends for helping her get to where she is, she also knows that this moment wouldn't be possible without her husband. "He is patient when I am not. He's calm. He's gentle in his wording. Even when he is hurting too, he is only concerned about me. He's my pill reminder. My patch reminder. My personal pharmacist. He's my shot drawer-upper and often shot provider. He's my daily pep-talk. My motivator," Lauren wrote. "He's my reason for being so strong, he's my husband and the father of my children, he's my everything. These babies don't know how incredibly lucky they are to have him as a daddy."
As this growing family rejoices in their news, they hope that others can take comfort not only in their announcement, but also in the truth behind their hardships. "I feel like I've won the life lottery. I carry battle scars on my heart that will always remind me of what it took to receive these two precious blessings. And I would do this 2,000 times over and over, again, and again," Lauren wrote. "For anyone struggling, may our story give you comfort and hope."