Miraculous

I usually share many pictures of Sydney, but lately I've been wanting to share Sydney's story. This story is lengthy because this was quite a journey...

Many of you know that Sydney is a miracle baby, but I wonder how many people realize just how MUCH of a miracle.

Chris and I never imagined that we would be faced with infertility. We just figured that when the timing was right, we would have a family. We were married in 2001 and it was not until 2006 that we finally faced the facts and realized that there was definitely a problem.

That's when the infertility specialist visits began and the, "let's try this and that" began. We did the normal stuff: BBT, (basal body temperature) and OPT (ovulation predictor tests). My doctor checked my blood for progesterone and discovered that my levels were extremely low. Progesterone is absolutely necessary for an early pregnancy to survive. It is what keeps the embryo's home intact. Normal progesterone levels range from 5 (minimal ovulatory activity) to as high as 20. My levels hovered anywhere from barely detectable to 2. Needless to say, EVEN with supplementation, my progesterone was nonexistent.

I also had a diagnostic surgery performed in order to find any other factors affecting my inability to conceive. This surgery concluded that I had endometriosis in a critical area. That's when the lupron shots began and I wouldn't wish these horrible things on anyone! Lupron puts you in premature menopause with all the side effects that accompany it. MISERABLE. My dear friend Janette, who is an experienced nurse, gave me my intramuscular Lupron injections, bless her heart.

Needless to say, I was getting discouraged. I was praying that the Lord would have His way in regards to our future family and to just give us the strength and patience to endure the process. I know He has the perfect plan in mind, it is just up to us to let Him have control. I wish I could say I was upbeat and full of faith during this trial, but there were many nights when I cried myself to sleep thinking I would die childless. I received prayer on MANY occasions at church and was desperate to have the Lord hear our cry for a child.

It was during my Lupron cycles that my friend Ashley told me about IVF. (in-vitro fertilization) I thought, "That's the ticket!" Since I have low progesterone and endometriosis, we'll just let the lab rats perform their magic. So, off to Houston we went and began 3 months of torture. My hats off to those women who have endured more than one IVF cycle. It is unbelievably difficult. After giving myself many shots in the stomach (I lost count) and numerous trips to the doctor, we were ready to begin the IVF cycle. I went back to the specialist so they could ultrasound my ovaries to see how many eggs were forming as a result of the highly potent drugs I was injecting into my body daily. Guess what? There were no eggs. The nurse was shocked and she said, "We'll just up your dosage."

We upped the dosage for a few days (more painful tummy injections) and returned to the doctor a second time. The nurse said, "I can't believe this, but you have no follicles. There's got to be SOMETHING in there. I've never seen this before. We'll up your dosage to the maximum amount you can have without ODing."

At this point I was injecting nealry 900 units of Gonal F into my body. I returned to the specialist a third time. She shook her head in disbelief and said, "Sweetheart, there is nothing there to withdraw. You are not a candidate for IVF. I have no idea what is wrong. I almost never have patients who are completely non-responsive to this treatment. There are no eggs. You most likely have premature ovarian aging, which means you have the ovaries of a 65 year old woman. We can try other things, but my suggestion is to go home and live your life." IVF was out and we were not able to complete the cycle. My doctor gave us a complete refund...doctors do not do that. We had even signed paperwork that said there was no way we could get our money back. That is how astounded she was at my results from the IVF treatment.

Those words hit Chris and me like a ton of bricks. We had reached the end of our rope. There was nothing else to do, nothing else to try, nowhere else to go. I think that is where God wants us sometimes. He wants us to realize that we ARE nothing, HAVE nothing, and can DO nothing without HIS power. I was completely broken into the tiniest pieces you can imagine. Chris did not know what to say to comfort me. My tears were my only solace.

A precious woman of God prayed for me the following Sunday. I didn't want to go to church because I felt let down and discouraged, but I went anyway. She told me about Deuteronomy 28:4 "The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand and in the fruit of your body." She told me to repeat that scripture during my prayer time and to stand on the Word of God. I did just that.

It was exactly 3 weeks later when this same precious lady came up to me at church and said, "You have conceived." I didn't know what to say to her. My first thought was, "What? Don't you dare say that I am pregnant! Don't get my hopes up! Have you lost your mind?"

It was exactly 2 weeks later that I discovered I was pregnant. Yes, that's right. A woman with no eggs, nonexistent progesterone, and endometriosis, was pregnant. It is only by the power of Almighty God that I was able to conceive a child, NATURALLY.

Without a test, there is no testimony.

Without a trial, there is no victory.

Without tears at night, there is no joy that comes in the morning.

He looked past my sorrow and saw an opportunity to bring Him glory.

It is because of His great mercy, unending love, and incomprehensible glory that we are sharing our home with a child who is truly.....

miraculous.