25 Aug Moms in the Making Testimonies – Part 3

Moms in the Making Testimonies

It’s been a year since I have shared the last round of Moms in the Making testimonies from a faith-based fertility support group that I founded in 2013, so it’s time to share some more. If you haven’t heard of this group before, we meet locally in Dallas and online via facebook. We will also be having our first conference this fall and in 2018 we will be expanding and launching groups throughout other cities and countries. You can head on over to the website, www.MomsInTheMakingGroup.com to find out more. Also, we share testimonies from the online group every Tuesday on facebook and instagram, so make sure to follow along there too.

There is power in sharing testimonies, which is exactly why I do it. Revelation 19:10 says, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Meaning what God does for one, he wants to do for you too. If any of the testimonies resonate with you, then take a hold of them yourself. Ask God to do for you what he did for these ladies below and keep him accountable to what he did all throughout scripture too. PS. You can see prior testimonies from our local group shared here and here.

Christy – PCOS + Endometrosis + a 6 year wait

When Penelope was born, Stephen’s parents gave her a Chinese name:  Shu Hua Le (舒華樂) which basically translates to “Joy of the Lord”.  And that is exactly what she is, the joy of the Lord, the joy of our hearts, and a living reflection of God’s love for us.  While we look ahead with excitement and anticipation for what’s to come, the journey that brought her into our lives was one of patience, heartache, struggle, loneliness, and ultimately trust.

For almost all my adult life, I have felt that God has instilled a desire for motherhood in me.  While this feeling isn’t necessarily unique among most women, it has always felt like a deep part of who I was supposed to be.  I loved being around kids, helped with children’s programs at church, worked with Child Life Specialists at a children’s hospital, and was always being told what a great mother I would one day be.  Among my group of close friends, I was the first to get married.  And not that it was a race, but naturally, I thought we would probably be the first to start having kids.

After spending some time enjoying married life, we decided to start trying to conceive.  The first few unsuccessful months were ok; we were still hopeful, and other than some painful menstrual cycles, we were otherwise healthy.  But soon those months turned into years and seeds of doubt crept in.  We watched as friends got married and started families of their own.  We celebrated and were truly happy for them, however with each passing announcement, I sometimes had tears of sadness that it wasn’t my time yet. During this time, we also moved to a new city where we didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have anyone to talk to and the topic was tip-toed around by friends and family.  I felt very isolated and depressed.  We tried going to a fertility clinic for some preliminary checks, but had such a terrible experience that it deterred me from looking further into medical treatments.  Meanwhile, we tracked cycles/days, measured temperatures, took countless ovulation and pregnancy tests, and of course prayed. But after months of failure frustrating heartache, we finally had to stop and take a break from it all.  I was distraught and confused and starting to lose my patience with God. Why did he put this longing to have kids in my heart and not grant us what we desired the most?

Sometime later, we moved to Dallas and that’s when things began to change.  The new church we joined introduced me to the local Moms in the Making group and this was a blessing that I could not have imagined.  It was such an eye-opening experience to hear just how common infertility is. I had no idea! For the first time, I didn’t feel like an outcast and finally felt like I was in a place where the things I was going through weren’t an anomaly. While in the group I received so much insight and support and after much thought and prayer, we decided to visit a highly-recommended fertility clinic.

The clinic ran some tests on me and I learned I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Endometriosis. While some may find it frustrating to have these diagnoses, I found it to be a relief to have some answers to the years of painful and awful periods and a reason as to why we were having difficulty conceiving. We often prayed for direction and this was God answering those prayers. I ended up getting a diagnostic laparoscopy and had some of the endometriosis removed. A few months later, my husband and I decided to try Clomid and follicle stimulating injections. After being unsuccessful for 6 months, we eventually decided to take the next step and try IUI. And then most amazing thing happened… after just the first attempt we got pregnant with our sweet Penelope!

Though the process was long and at times torturous, I look back and see that God was there every step of the way. During the time we were living away from friends and family, God was strengthening our marriage as Stephen and I had to lean on each other and learn how to support one another.  At the time, we didn’t know if God would grant us our own child, yet the love we had for each other grew the more we surrendered and trusted in Him.  God led us back to Dallas and to the right people at our church that would connect me with MITM. And had it not been for this journey, I would have never met the strong faithful women of MITM who have helped me grow spiritually and taught me so much about putting your faith and trust in Him. And of course, the long, difficult journey just made everything so much sweeter once we finally met our beautiful baby girl!

Penelope was born April 27^th and is our reminder of God’s Faithfulness. Just as the testimonies from the other ladies in the Moms in the Making group have done for me, I hope this one gives you some strength to get out of bed, love your partner just a little more, and most of all, surrender your path to God.

Nicole – 3 miscarriages + One Tube + IVF

About 4 years ago, we decided to stop preventing and start trying. Right away we were blessed to find out we were pregnant. Around 8 weeks, we found out that we were having a miscarriage. We ended up having 3 miscarriages, over a period of 8 months. We decided to take a small break, and when we resumed, we realized, we were no longer getting pregnant. We tried temping, ovulation tests, and just about every natural method that we could.

My husband and I knew it was time for some answers so we started down the path of fertility treatments. We met with several different REs and tried clomid, femara, timed intercourse cycles, as well as an IUI and nothing seemed to work. Over the next two and a half years, we began to really focus in on where God was leading us and we didn’t want to take another step without Him. We waited for His leading. We prayed and sought the guidance of family and Godly friends who prayed with us. After 6 months God lead us to our current RE who solved our problem at our first appointment. We did two surgeries and removed my right fallopian tube. We did an IVF consult and knew that was exactly what we were suppose to do.

On May 3, 2016 we were blessed to find out we were pregnant! We had a healthy baby boy that arrived on January 13, 2017. We have learned that Gods timing is always perfect. That He will speak and He WILL lead you. When He is silent, keep waiting, and keep listening. His plans for our family are perfect. This miracle baby is His miracle and I am so thankful that He is the great physician and gave our earthly physician the wisdom and knowledge to help lead us. There is nothing about this miracle that is unknown to my Great God!

Rachel- 2 miscarriages + Miracle Baby born at 24 Weeks

Ever since I was little, I only wanted to be a mom! That’s what I would say when people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew from a young age that was what the Lord was calling me to. So I assumed it would be easy – this was my life mission! It should just happen! And when my husband was ready to start trying it did just happen. I was so excited! I immediately began making plans for this little life. Shortly after, around 6 weeks, I began to miscarry. I remember laying on the floor of my bedroom wailing because that life had been stolen from me. I immediately wanted to start trying again. I was destined to be a mom and I wanted to do anything I could to make that happen!

After 7 months of either not ovulating or doing medication, we finally got pregnant again! 7 weeks in, we were on vacation in Florida when I woke up in excruciating pain. After a late night ER trip we realized we were miscarrying again. Next step was IUI. The first was unsuccessful and resulted in a golfball sized cyst. We took a short break and then I went in for my baseline sono for IUI number 2. Before going in I prayed for clarity. I wasn’t sure if we should be doing this IUI or if I was trying too hard to control our fertility. I told my husband that we wouldn’t do it if the cyst was still there. Miraculously the cyst was totally gone – no trace of it whatsoever! That is the cycle we became pregnant with our sweet Lainey. Our miracle baby! It was a fairly easy pregnancy until my water broke randomly at 22 weeks 5 days. Lainey made her entrance into the world at 24 weeks on April 9, 2017 – 1lb 4oz and 11 inches long. It has been a long road and will continue to be, but through it all the Lord has shown us that we are not in control and that we can trust Him. He is comforter, protector, fierce fighter, and He loves us more than we could ever know! And I’m excited to share, Lainey came home yesterday, April 27th! Praise God!

Kelly – PCOS + Cyst + Surprise Pregnancy

After 4 years of marriage, my husband and I started trying to get pregnant. My cycles had always been
fairly irregular but not so much for any doctor to think there was any reason for concern. After a little
over a year of trying I was diagnosed with a mild case of PCOS and my cycle was monitored, everything
else looked good so we just continued to try naturally.

Almost a year later I developed an endometrial cyst that would need to be removed through
laparoscopic surgery. This was a low point for me, up until then I had remained relatively positive, even
though we had been trying for over 2 years, we were waiting on and trusting God’s timing. The cyst
changed things; my doctor told me that if I did not get pregnant within 6 months of the surgery then it
would be likely to return. Getting pregnant could prevent this but, “you have to hurry up and get
pregnant” is overwhelming to hear after 2 ½ years of infertility.

The need for surgery also caused me to tell more friends and family about our wait. It was then that my
friend, Christy, introduced me to Caroline and the Moms in the Making group. The girls in this group
have been an amazing blessing in my life and encouragement to me through my journey which suddenly
felt so pressured to explore fertility treatment options that I hadn’t considered yet.
Five months after the surgery I tried my first cycle of Clomid. When I went in for my baseline
ultrasound, they found that my cyst had already come back. I also discovered that my insurance
wouldn’t cover any fertility treatment but that my husband’s would, so it seemed like the best option to
wait 3 more months until January when I could move to his to continue treatment. The fertility doctor
did not think it was best to remove the cyst this time, but since it was there and growing, she wasn’t
optimistic about medicated cycles working and it also put more pressure on the timeline. The plan for
January was to only try two medicated cycles and then move to IVF.

January came and I was anxiously awaiting my cycle to begin so that I could begin treatment. But on
January 8 th I got the surprise of my life when I took a pregnancy test and it was positive! I had gotten
pregnant naturally at the last possible moment, after I had given up all hope in that possibility, after
over 3 years of trying, God showed us that He is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine.
Since becoming pregnant God has confirmed to us in so many ways that His timing is perfect. We can’t
wait to meet our miracle baby boy soon!

Elyse – Miscarriage + IVF

Have you ever read through the old testament astounded at how the Israelites so quickly forget what God has done for them? Over and over again God miraculously provides yet they continue to doubt. Yet, I am just as guilty of this spiritual amnesia. SO MANY times God has provided more than I could every imagine, yet I continue to fall into a pattern of doubt and anxiety.

A year ago, I was in one of my darkest seasons in my faith. After more than 3 years of TTC and multiple failed IUIs, we miscarried after our first IVF cycle. What was supposed to be a joyous holiday season full of spreading the news of our long-awaited pregnancy, became a painful season of dreams deferred. Just like the Israelites, God has NEVER left me alone, yet I felt like he had.

Yet, by His grace God went above and beyond once again. First, he provided me with a community of believers (including this one!) to support me through my darkest times. Second, he gave us the gift of our daughter, Vera Claire. Her beautiful face is my daily reminder of how great our God is. I pray that her life is a testament to Him. It’s also my prayer for each one of you that you would rest in God’s goodness. Let us not forget the wonderful things He has already done and has promised to do!

PS. If you are going through infertility, please head over to Moms in the Making for support on your journey. We share testimonies every Tuesday there!

PPS. Have you picked up a copy of my book? Buy In Due Time, a 60-day devotional for hope + encouragement in the waiting.

PPPS. I created a group on facebook as an extension of my book + blog to discuss anything + everything. Women only! Come join us!

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