When my husband and I decided we wanted to start a family, it was a year and a half after the loss of my mom. Although I was a few weeks shy of my 34th birthday when she died, I couldn’t even think about starting a family because I had to figure out how to navigate the rest of my life without my beautiful mom. I was devastated! She was my favorite playmate as a child and, as an adult, she was my best friend, my confidante, my cheerleader. Once we began trying to become pregnant, I had crossed over to what the medical profession calls ‘advanced maternal age’. Yes, I was over 35 and trying to have a baby. My journey to motherhood was seven years in the making. I fought for my fertility in faith and discovered the importance of the difference between ‘can’ and ‘will’.
I did all I could to try to overcome infertility: monitored my body basal temperature, took an oral fertility medication for several months, had IUI treatments, underwent IVF procedures, and had surgeries. During those seven years, I suffered several miscarriages and a heartbreaking stillbirth. But I knew I was meant to be a mother and would not allow the emotional and physical toll and my proverbial maternal clock nearing its last tick extinguish the desire in my heart to become pregnant and have a healthy baby. So I fought for my fertility, in faith. I had to strengthen my faith by God’s promises in order to not just believe that He can answer my prayer to become pregnant and have a healthy baby, but that He will answer my prayer. When my period came right on time month after month, I had to find faith that He will answer my prayer. When I continued to take prescription prenatal vitamins years after my last miscarriage, I had to find faith that He will answer my prayer. When I entered my 40s still longing to have a baby, I had to find faith that He will answer my prayer. In the many disappointments on my fertility journey, I had to find faith that He will answer my prayer. It was tough! But I learned you can build your faith by praying and continuing to inundate your heart and mind with His promises, whether you need encouragement for the day, or, in a rough moment, just to get through the next hour. For some of the Bible promises that kept me from drowning in a sea of stress and hopelessness, see my blog Fight Negative Thoughts and my book SEVEN YEARS TO SYMONE: Finding Faith to Overcome Infertility and Have a Baby After 40.
Believing someone has the ability to do something, that they can do something, is different from believing that they will do it. The Bible says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). I am thankful that I found faith to not give up hope on my fertility journey. I got pregnant with our daughter naturally and gave birth in my 40s……on Christmas! If you are not ready to give up hope, consider fighting for your fertility, in faith.
Find hope and inspiration to fight for your fertility, in faith, from my story SEVEN YEARS TO SYMONE: Finding Faith to Overcome Infertility and Have a Baby After 40.
