Fertility and Me

Yesterday was quite possibly one of the oddest days of my life. Abbey and I have prayed about what God would have us do in our quest for parenthood. We believe that God has gifted doctors and scientists with the knowledge of the human body.

We chose to visit Nashville Fertility Clinic and we believe while the purpose of this site is to chronicle the life of our child, we want to minister to others who may face similar situations. Therefore, being open about our process may bring comfort to someone.

Our first visit to NFC (www.nashvillefertility.com) put our minds at ease. We have a fabulous doctor who specializes in PCOS and who respects our moral convictions. For couples facing infertility, this is an excellent clinic. Our doctor recommended Artifcial Insemination (there is some really long medical term, but this is really what it is).

Here's where everything got really weird! It's a very awkward feeling to know that you are going into a clinic to "collect semen" and there are people that know what you are doing! Let's just leave it at that. The sperm is then prepared using a process known as a "sperm wash". I get the idea that it is much like a car wash, except A LOT more expensive!

On Saturday evening, we had dinner with our friends, Travis and Elizabeth and their family at Longhorn Steakhouse. Elizabeth is an R.N. so she gave Abbey her HCG shot in the bathroom of Longhorn.

I collected yesterday morning at the clinic and then went to get Starbucks! I met Abbey at the clinic an hour later. They called us back after a time. They were VERY detailed and placed a high emphasis on security to make sure they were using the correct sperm. I, for one, am thankful that they are so detailed.

They injected the sperm directly into Abbey's uterus using a catheter. It was a pretty quick process. We then waited for about 15 minutes and then rewarded ourselves with P.F. Chang's.

Hopefully, we will only have to do this once.

Our Life

On August 4, 2001, Abbey and I said our vows. I knew very early on in our relationship that she truly was the one that God had created for me to love and care for all of my life.

We have always wanted to have children. Abbey will be a great mom and I know that being a Dad will be the most rewarding job I will ever have.

We started our marriage with the 10 year plan. At that time, we thought we might have children after 10 years. Next we moved to the 5 year plan. Then we went to seminary, so we weren't sure when we would have children. We knew that we didn't want any while we were in seminary.

Everything changed in October of 2004 when we visited a friend of ours in Texas. Her name is Anna and she had just given birth to a baby named Grace. As I held Grace in my arms, I caught Abbey's eye and the look we both gave each other said everything. It was time for us to have a child of our own.

We began praying that God would bless us with a child and in March of 2005 we learned that Abbey was pregnant. Sadly, that same month, we suffered a miscarriage. We had an awesome church to support us. For more information on our miscarriage, check out the June 2006 issue of ParentLife magazine available from www.lifeway.com.

Over the past year, we have learned many things. Abbey was diagnosed with an insulin disorder known as PCOS. Our spiritual walks have been strentgthened, as well as our marriage.

We continue to pray that God would give us a baby, which is the reason why we have this blog.