I’ve been quietly pondering this post for a number of weeks, turning it over in my mind before I ever sat down to actually write. I know God wants me to write it and I am glad to do so. I believe Christians often go through experiences that aren’t just about them and I firmly believe that my experience with childlessness was not just for me alone.
I say “childlessness” rather than “infertility” because I never considered us infertile. I almost never used that word in relation to our situation. I know this is not true for all couples. Some are told that they are infertile and will not conceive. This was not our experience so I cannot speak from the perspective of definitely knowing I cannot have children. We knew it could be a little more of a challenge, but we were never told it was impossible.
While we never were convinced we had a clear answer from God regarding what was going on or if our situation would ever change, we were quietly confident in our thinking that God had closed my womb for His own purposes, not that we were physically infertile. For us, there was a difference.
I also want to say from the beginning that this is a descriptive narrative, not prescriptive theology. My intention is only to share my experience in hopes that someone else might be encouraged or challenged by it. I certainly do not believe that God will call every couple to make the same decisions we’ve made. My intention is simply to share our story, not to tell others what they should do.
Engagement and Marriage
When we were engaged (1996), we discussed birth control. While we did want to have children eventually, we didn’t want to get pregnant on the honeymoon! David simply assumed I would use birth control pills because it was the easiest option. (In his defense, he knew nothing about the ethical issues associated with the pill.) I had misgivings, but agreed. (My misgivings had to do primarily with the fact that I was not comfortable taking something that seriously altered my body. I, too, knew nothing about the issues associated with the pill.) I took just three pills and thought I would lose my mind. I could not believe how radically they affected me physically and emotionally after just a few. I told David- no way. If this is what happens to my body after only three pills, there is absolutely no way I am going to take these day after day, month after month. When he saw the effect they had on me, he agreed. (In retrospect, my feeling compelled to stop taking the pill – although for physical reasons, not theological ones – was one of the most gracious things God has ever done for me.)
Because we did not want to get pregnant right away, for the first several months of our marriage (1997) we used another means that would not affect me at all. However, during that time we became increasingly convinced that we should not be using any at all and instead believed that we should be open to having children when God chose.
This was a huge step of faith for us. We were not in a position financially to have children nor did we really want to have children yet. But we also knew we did not want to miss out on what God might want to do. So we took a huge step of faith and waited to see what would happen.
It was scary! I honestly mean that. I thought for sure I would get pregnant the first month (1998). I come from fertile stock. Almost no one in my extended family on either side has had any problems having children so I thought for sure I would simply carry on the very fertile tradition. But that didn’t happen. It didn’t concern us too much when we didn’t conceive right away. I wouldn’t even say we were really trying. We just weren’t trying to prevent it.
Our Specific Prayer
In praying about children in the ensuing months our prayer was that we would have the children God wanted us to have at the time He wanted us to have them. Frankly, neither of us wanted a lot of children – two or three, maybe four if I was feeling really adventurous. So there was a bit of apprehension in our praying for whatever God wanted, but we kept praying and walking in faith. We also knew we shouldn’t put off having children too long since we were getting older. We were 29 and 33 when we married so we knew we couldn’t wait forever.
We also prayed something that was perhaps different than what other people pray. I don’t even know if I can provide a biblical defense for it. But we prayed that God would only give us children who would love and honor Him. David and I had discussed this at length and our hearts’ desire was that we would rather have no children than have children who would not love the Lord.
This prayer grew out of a friendship I had as a single with a woman whose parents had prayed a similar prayer. The parents had four living children and several miscarriages. The four living children were all faithfully serving God. The example of this family resonated with me in a significant way. In all honesty, I knew I would rather have no children than have children who would turn their back on God. I knew that if God did give us children it would not necessarily mean that God was giving us a guarantee that they would love and honor Him. But I felt compelled to pray this and often wondered through the years if our lack of children was somehow related to that prayer.
Surgery
About a year and a half after we made our decision (1999), I did have a laparoscopy for endometriosis. I had suffered painful cycles since I was in high school and they were becoming more and more debilitating so the doctor suggested the surgery. He also said that it might help us in our ability to conceive. The surgery did help with the pain, but from what we could tell wasn’t helping with the other situation. During the course of the surgery, it was discovered that I had one tube that was potentially blocked, but it would take another procedure to determine for certain if that was the case. I didn’t feel compelled to have the other procedure, so we just kept that information in the back of our minds.
I can’t say anyone ever pressured us about figuring out how to get pregnant. Everyone around us knew we wanted children because we were open about it. I think my OB/GYN was probably the most perplexed by our attitude. We saw it as walking in faith. I don’t think he ever really understood why we never wanted to pursue infertility options sooner. However, about five years into our experience (2003) we did decide to have David tested. The tests showed that there might be some slight challenges, but nothing significant. However, combined with my potential problem and our increasing ages, we knew that the odds were not necessarily in our favor. However, we made the decision to keep walking in faith and trusting that God was in control.
We decided to purchase a fertility monitor since we suspected that I was not ovulating at regular times. It confirmed that my ovulation dates varied greatly from month to month which of course made it challenging to conceive. It also confirmed that my cycles were not long enough after ovulation (luteal phase defect) which means that even if we did conceive, my womb’s environment might not be ready to support the fertilized egg and it would die.
Moving On
We finally got to the point where we decided we were tired of thinking about it and we were going to just get on with life. Although it never consumed us like it does some couples, we realized that we needed to just start planning our life with the assumption that we were probably not going to have children. We stopped using the fertility monitor and told our close friends and family members that we were not pursuing children any longer and would appreciate it if they would not bring the subject up for discussion. We stopped talking about “when or if we have children”.
Unexpected Disappointment
In October of 2004, I had not been feeling well and decided to take a pregnancy test. I had taken many of them before and they had always been negative. This time it was a faint positive. We were so excited and stunned, but our joy was very short-lived. What we didn’t know at that time was that I had already started miscarrying that baby. I took several more tests over the next few days and they became progressively fainter.
When I went to the doctor he said that apparently something had happened, but it didn’t “take”. Maybe he looked at it that way, but we saw it as a baby we had lost. It was a LOSS for us, not something that didn’t take. So while we were very disappointed that I was no longer pregnant and we went through the grieving process for that child, we were given hope that we were able to conceive, something we had had no affirmation of before this time.
Fertility Specialist
A few months later (2005 – almost seven years after our initial decision) we decided that we would make an appointment with a fertility specialist. I was almost 38 and David was almost 42 and we thought we should at least go once and see how God would lead.
It was the most depressing, numbing, shocking, horrible experience we had in all of our childlessness. There was no compassion, no interest in us as a couple or individuals, no discussion about our concerns or questions, nothing. It was all about how they were going to manipulate our bodies to make a baby.
Of all the things I could have imagined when we went in for the appointment, it never crossed my mind that the intern and the doctor would be so impersonal. Maybe they do this every day, multiple times a day and to them it is routine, but I could not believe how cold and clinical it was. I was stunned and numb when we left. There was no way on God’s green earth I would EVER have chosen to put myself under the care of someone like that.
That experience completely turned me off to pursuing anything related to infertility treatments. Even before we went in we knew there were only a limited number of things we would ethically consider, but after that experience we knew that we would not head in that direction at all.
Doors Closed
Our experience with the fertility specialist was similar to other experiences we had. It seemed every time we moved in any direction that involved doing something substantial, we felt that the door was clearly closed – FIRMLY. We briefly researched adoption and felt clearly we were not to head in that direction. We briefly discussed foster care since we had friends who had adopted a baby in that way. But we knew we were not of the right temperament or personality to do foster care.
The month after our fertility appointment, I developed serious back problems and conceiving a child was the last thing on my mind. I could never have carried a baby when I was so sick. So for most of 2005 the very last thing I wanted was to get pregnant. My body could not have handled the strain. However, late in 2005 I started thinking about the monitor again. I felt compelled to try to use it again (which I believe now was the Holy Spirit). I approached David with the idea in December and he agreed.
In January 2006 I took a pregnancy test rather on a whim to confirm once again that I was not pregnant and to just get it off my mind. Our wonderful ninth anniversary present was a big fat positive. We are expecting a child in October 2006.
The Life Impact Of Childlessness
Unless someone has experienced it first-hand, I don’t think anyone can fully comprehend how childlessness/infertility is an issue that affects every part of your life. It impacts your friendships, your church life, your family life, and your marriage. It impacts your spiritual life and theology. It impacts your finances. It impacts your physical body. There isn’t any part of your life that isn’t impacted by it. It raises questions about the choices you make.
One such question for us was financial. We had worked very hard to get out of debt and were debt-free other than our mortgage. Some people we know have chosen to finance an adoption via their home equity and going into further debt. We wrestled with concept of going into debt for a baby when we had become so convinced that we should get out of debt.
We also wrestled with whether or not I should go back to working full-time in teaching so we would have more income to finance an adoption or fertility treatments. But we had clearly sensed that I should leave teaching. Would God cause me to go against that conviction in order to have a child?
Withholding A Blessing
There are so many hard questions to answer and every one of them has the potential to consume you in the process. It is a battle to keep your eyes focused on God and His purposes and not take matters into your own hands.
Most days I was at peace knowing that there had to be a spiritual reason I was not conceiving. If children are a blessing and a good gift and God was withholding that gift from us, there had to be a reason. Maybe it would be a genetic disaster. Maybe I would not survive a pregnancy. I didn’t know and maybe I would never know this side of heaven. But I knew that if God said no to our years of prayers and the prayers of so many others, there had to be a reason. I believe too much in God’s goodness and His sovereignty to look at it any other way.
One thing that did anchor me in the spiritual aspect was the fact that I had gone through something similar with being single. I had struggled a lot with the issue of singleness and learned a great deal about trusting God’s goodness and sovereignty. Because I saw how God worked in that experience and what a blessing my husband is, it did make it a little easier to trust God with our childlessness. That isn’t to say I never struggled, but I do think the struggle was less intense because I had walked a similar path before.
Hard Questions and Circumstances
However, my faith did not stop me from having questions. I think many of my questions were the same ones that other women ask.
Why do completely irresponsible people get pregnant and I don’t?
- Why is God giving ANOTHER child to that couple when they aren’t even raising the ones they have in the fear and admonition of the Lord?
- Is this related to something in my diet?
- Is it related to stress?
- Am I being punished for some sin?
- If I were a better Christian in X area of my life, would I get pregnant?
I wrestled with many of these kinds of questions at one time or another. I don’t see how a person could go through such an experience and not ask them.
Despite my overall faith in the situation, I did not respond to every baby announcement perfectly. I wish I could say that I was perfectly happy for every friend, church member, coworker, etc. who ever announced she was pregnant. I was not. Sometime it hurt. A lot.
Sometimes I was genuinely thrilled for the mom-to-be. Sometimes in the midst of my own struggles I was only mentally happy for them, but had a hard time expressing it. Sometimes I chose not to attend baby showers because I wasn’t sure how I would handle it and I didn’t want to take away from the enjoyment of the mother-to-be and other guests (or worse, start crying). For a few years, we didn’t go to church on Mother’s Day. It varied from year to year and circumstance to circumstance. I did my best to walk in faith, but also realized that Iâ’m only human and there was no point in putting myself in situations that might blow up in my face.
Something I struggled with is something that I rarely see mentioned in Christian discussions on infertility. (And it is probably because most women who discuss infertility feel very passionately about having a baby.) Sometimes I felt guilty that I didn’t long for a child more. There were stretches where I was actually quite happy to be childless. I was at peace with what God was doing. I enjoyed the freedom. I enjoyed having all my time and energy to myself and I enjoyed not having to share my husband or my home with a needy little person.
And I felt kind of guilty about enjoying my childless state so much. It seemed selfish. I’m sure I’m not the only Christian woman who has ever struggled with this, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone openly discuss this. There were times I thought I could be quite content to never have children (although I always knew in my heart of hearts that if I was pregnant I would be thrilled). But sometimes I felt like a very bad Christian woman because I did not long for a child.
Dealing With How Others Respond
It never ceases to amaze me the wide range of responses one gets when in this situation. There are some very kind and compassionate people out there who have prayed for us for years and have had their hearts break when ours broke. There are some incredibly rude, insensitive folks as well. And there are a lot inbetween – folks who mean well, but aren’t quite sure how to help or encourage you. Fortunately I ran into a lot more in the first and last groups than the middle one.
I personally think one of the hardest places on earth to be a childless couple is in the church. One would think it would be one of the safest and easiest places to be, but in our experience it is not. For the most part, life at church revolves around the family and children. It is very difficult to fit in if you don’t have children. Sunday School classes choose material on parenting. Classes are organized according to how old your children are. Children’s activities at church are a natural way that people get acquainted. Small talk, especially with groups of women, almost always revolves around topics related to children. In some churches, the social networking is also impacted by which school/school district your child attends. If you don’t have children, you simply don’t have those natural bridges and it makes integrating yourself into the life of the church with people your own age significantly more difficult.
I’ve heard people say that childless/infertile couples need to just deal in faith with the lot they have been given by God and move on. They need to not be so selfish and introspective about their childlessness/infertility. And to a certain extent, this is very true. Some couples do become obsessive about it to the point where it is spiritually unhealthy. But I cannot imagine any couple being able to deal with infertility and it not affecting them negatively at times, no matter how strong their faith is. I think that those around them need to understand that a grieving process needs to take place. But when does that process start?
There is a huge difference between a couple who can conceive and doesn’t and the couple that finds out they absolutely cannot have children. The couple that is completely infertile can at least begin the grieving process and start going through the stages of dealing with the reality. Although the pain may never completely go away, there is a sense that the process can begin.
For a couple who can conceive and year after year doesn’t, it is a completely different story. When do you stop “trying”? When do you stop hoping? Do you stop praying? When do you start the grieving process? I don’t think there are cut and dried answers to these questions. And the people around them need to realize that couples dealing with childlessness/infertility are usually dealing with this for YEARS before they ever get to the point of even thinking about the finality of it. While to some around them it is time to just “deal with it and move on”, this in and of itself can also take months or years. I can’t imagine saying to someone who had lost a child or spouse – deal with it and move on. It takes a long time to go through the grieving process. Why wouldn’t it take just as long to grieve the loss of the hope of the child you will never know?
Lastly, while there is a great need in the church to discuss issues of birth control, the blessing of children, etc., my frustration is that in their zeal to do so, some people go WAY over the top. I’ve read articles and website pieces that made my blood run cold. In my opinion, some people who promote quiverfull theology and the like almost make large families and children into idols. The implication is that anyone who does not embrace the same view is highly suspect in their very salvation. Certainly in their zeal to challenge people to think through these issues, there needs to be some thoughtfulness and compassion for those who are childless or who have only one or two children not by choice. The lack of sensitivity I’ve witnessed at times in things I’ve read has been appalling. Having a large family and not using any contraception is not the end all and be all of the Christian life. Not by a longshot.
Looking Ahead
As I write this entry, I am 23 weeks pregnant. This is significant because I’ve reached the point where my baby would have a chance of surviving if she came early. And I rejoice in that.
I don’t mean to sound morbid or faithless, but the reality is that I do not yet actually have a child. Yes, I am pregnant and carrying a baby. However, she is not here yet and I know there are no guarantees. I am trusting God to safely bring this baby into the world, but I am not a parent yet in the fullest sense. My journey through childlessness is not quite through. I still have panicky moments of fearing something could go wrong. Every time she moves around I am thankful to know that she is still ok.
My heart goes out to the women who read this who are still waiting and hoping. I wish I could sprinkle baby dust on each and every one of you so you too could feel your baby moving inside you right now. I don’t have all the answers to the questions. I don’t know why I am pregnant and other women who have been waiting for a child longer than I have are still waiting. It certainly is not because God loves me more than them or I have greater faith.
I would like to wrap up this post with some neat answers, but there are no neat answers in this area. I’ve had enough people give me pat answers and glibly quote Scripture to know that sometimes you wish they would just shut up and go away. So I can only say that I do believe with all my heart that God is a God of purpose. I don’t know why He does what He does, but I know that every answer He gives to our prayers comes from His loving and compassionate heart. It doesn’t mean we will always understand or agree with it, but trusting that God is good and sovereign all the time is the only thing that allows me to go to sleep at night in peace.
Thank you for posting your beautiful story. Every time I stop by here I pray for your health and your baby’s. God is faithful.
Thank you for writing this. It’s true, it affects every aspect of your life. And it is hard to find a place to fit in at church. Sometimes it really hurts to be left out just because we don’t have children.
And thank you for stressing that God has a good and perfect plan in everything – something that I am continually learning every day.
Thank you for sharing. Your story is beautiful. You’re so right – infertility and childlessness is so hard. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Yes, Sallie. And may I offer that the roots of this may be self-glorification, an open manifestation of “how much I trust God, how capable I am, a public declaration of my holiness.” And this attitude breaks the heart of God. Oh, yes, Sallie.
You are so appreciated.
Warmly,
Ann V.
I too struggled with infertility. I had several miscarrages and had to deal with the loss. At the time of going through the process, temperature taking, medications, a husband who already had 2 from a previous marriage, I was not a christian. But toward the end of this process in my life I stated to go to a womans group and it helped me heal a lot of old wounds. I was able to let go that I was going to be childless. My husband (no longer) and I decided that we would stop all the special things after the last month as he was getting ready to go on tour for 6 months. That was when I got pregnant!
Your story reminds me of all the numbing things people would say about why don’t you have kids. You are so good with babies you need one of your own! I use to cry a lot and wonder why not me!
Thanks for sharing your story and I pray others will read it and find a small piece of mind. Knowing how others feel that are in the same boat does help!
Sallie,
Wow…what a wonderful post. Thank you. I could have written so much of this post myself, particularly when you wrote about the decision to not pursue testing for so long. Ryan and I walked down that same path:
We couldn’t quite explain it to our perplexed parents and friends, but the timing (or something) never seemed right. We did have an appointment for Ryan to see the urologist today…and, thank God, we were able to cancel that appointment. 🙂
Thank you for your obedience to the Lord in posting on this subject. You said it all very well. ((HUG))
Sallie,
Thank you for the gentle, humble way you said this. It was a beautiful testimony.
We’ve experienced some hurts—we have lost 2 babies to miscarriage, we have 3 children living, and out of my 3 two of them have a genetic illness and because of that illness we’re carriers for, we have chosen not to have more biological children. I have found the quiverful thinking to be very hurtful in some circles. Many times those mothers have insinuated that I don’t “trust God” enough to have more disabled children…..anyhow I loved how you worded it all.
You are going to be one good mother. Have a blessed day.
What a beautiful story!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Your blog is truly inspirational!
http://livinginabundance-livinginabundance.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I have not dealt with having a hard time becoming pregnant, but my husband and I, last october, lost our first born baby girl. I did experience a lot of the same things with church and with other websites. It’s not that I didn’t want them to rejoice with their “full quiver”, but I didn’t feel like they had any idea what hurt some of their words could have on someone in the situation that I was in (grieving for our daughter). But God was good to get me through that time, with other’s compassion and care (and despite other’s blunders).
thank you again for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your story. I have had my own issues with ‘fertility’. It is so nice to know we’re not alone in our struggle to live for Christ in a sinful world.
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so glad for you and your husband, expecting your little one.
In the last 7 years I’ve experienced so much of what you’ve shared here… barreness, sorrow, and hope all mixed together. It’s deepened me in many ways, truly brought alot of questions and compassion for others. It’s so true what you said about it’s affecting every area of your life. And then I finally became pregnant in March, only to lose the baby ((Judah)) at 6.5 weeks. But truly our Lord is so very faithful, and yes, there is a reason for everything. I cling to trusing Him in this, even when we don’t understand. I still struggle… but He is right here with me, I know this.
thank you.
love & blessings~
Beth
Thanks for sharing. Hopefully it will help others. Interestingly, shortly after you posted this, I noticed this article at Focus on the Family that discusses some of the same things:
http://www.family.org/fofmag/sl/a0040721.cfm
What a BEAUTIFUL blog post!!!!!! (And great new blog look, btw). WOW. Excellent, excellent, excellent post. One of my blog partners, Holly, just wrote about infertility and the Christian woman. She would have LOVED this post of yours, because it was exactly what she was talking about. Well done.
Thank you again for your honesty and tenderness. It it so helpful to hear from some one who is going through things others do not face, and trying to learn how best to respond and support.
My husbands parents prayed the same prayer as you- that any children they had would seek Christ as their Saviour…and all three boys did. I know we have no guarantee, but how amazing that prayers prayed lobg before any conception have been so wonderfully answered.
Thank you, ladies, for your kind comments. They are a blessing to me.
Thank you for posting this. I was very encouraged by it. You say it like I wish I could.
Thank you for your testimony. I think we are the same age (I think I read you graduated HS in 1984). We have had just the opposite situation: getting pregnant very easily. I had the same problems with birth control you mentioned, but also I am very allergic to most of it. We never set out to have a large family (we have 8 children), it has just worked out that way. The sad thing is that just as you received so many hurtful comments when you couldn’t conceive, I receive many hurtful comments because I do conceive easily. Sometimes I think people just don’t think about what they say, or how it can affect others.
Thank you for this post. My husband and I have been trying to conceive since we married, in July of 2004, and have had 2 miscarriages that we know of, one just this past week. It’s a relief in one way, because we know we CAN, but like you said, when do you stop hoping, trying, praying? When do you start the grieving process? Or do you? We also do not feel led to pursue infertility treatments, except for progesterone therapy for luteal phase defect. We also have dealt with insensitive comments but for the most part people have been sweet. We have begun the adoption process, as we feel God is leading us in this way at this time. We know it’s not for everyone, but I feel blessed that God is allowing us to do so.
I didn’t mean to say so much, I was just so touched by what you wrote, it could be me writing a lot of it, especially the part about trusting God’s goodness and sovereignty… I related so much. I don’t know anyone personally who is struggling with/or has struggled with this, so no one really can relate to what we’re going through. I am blessed to have found your post. God bless you.
Thank you for your thoughts. I’ve really appreciated reading it at this late hour, surfing the net on how to deal with childlessness because I’ve felt somewhat lost on the whole issue. I was definitely having a moment tonight.
I truly felt unalone because your questions and thoughts seemed to be the same exact ones in my head. Thank you for directing my eyes toward God because that is the bigger and more important picture. Thank you.
Thank you for writing this. My husband and I are in our 7th month of trying, and I have noticed that church is the hardest place to be, because everyone in my small group is pregnant…we are the only one’s not, and I have heard some pretty ridiculous responses.
Your questions that you asked yourself in time of childlessness mirror mine exactly, and I feel better knowing that it’s not just me.
Thank you
Dear Sallie,
I live halfway across the globe in Malaysia. And I’m surfing the net in search of answers on how to deal with childlessness when I came across your blog. Thank you for sharing something so personal. We too are a Christian couple – we have many non-Christian friends who have children and on top of everything that you have so accurately described in your blog entry, yet another challenge that we face is ‘If your God is so good, how come He doesn’t answer your prayers?’. I’ve said a million and one times that everything happens exactly according to His purpose for me and my husband in our lives but truly Sallie, there are days when I struggle to hold on to that faith and conviction.
We fall within the category of possibly being able to conceive with fertility treatment. My husband was diagnosed with lupus when he was a child and the years of medication and treatment have left him with a very low sperm count. We’ve been blessed with a wonderful, compassionate fertility specialist without having to search too long and have had 3 failed attempts at ICSI with her. I’m now 34 and my husband 31. Like you before, I sometimes wish that I could be one of those couples who are completely unable to conceive. At least then, we can start to accept things and get on with our lives.
As it is, we’re constantly struggling with whether we should make more attempts or just stop. I wish so much that I could hear the audible voice of God telling me to do one thing or another but I don’t. Sometimes I feel that He’s telling me so clearly that we should try again, sometimes it’s the complete opposite. Childlessness has caused much pain and heartache for us and some strain on our marriage. It is a difficult journey and so, it helps so much to read about another’s journey.
I am truly glad that things have turned out so wonderfully for you.
Abby
Hello Sallie
I’m from Malaysia. My wife, Jessica & I married in 2001 at ages 30 and have been trying for children for 5 years. We, too, have come to a point where faith hangs unsteady, and she’s gone for several treatments of assisted insemination (IUI, I’m sure you’re familiar with the jargon). We’re still struggling with the thought of IVF as a next step from a financial (can’t afford it/kill ourselves financially), and spiritual (is this twisting God’s arm?).
It was Jessica who forwarded me your blog. She was encouraged by your story (or maybe just identified with the pain) because your situation is almost identical to ours in almost everyway. And your lamentations about the various responses from people (especially in the church) has really touched a heartstring.
Perhaps you could communicate with her further? I sometimes (often) feel really helpless because I can’t really feel what she’s going through and that comes across as ‘not understanding’ to her. I would appreciate it lots if you could drop her a few words on her email at lowmt@my.ibm.com. Thanks.
I actually daren’t ask, but I trust God has already completed your walk into parenthood and blessed you with a responsibility of joy.
Mike
Hi Sallie
I think God really spoke to you. I really needed to read what you wrote. I am also struggling to fall pregnant after trying for nearly 2 years. We are physically fine, but we just … it doesn’t happen. I have just endured a few days of artificial insemination and it was just plain awful.
It is important to see God in all this.. but its also hard. I do have a lot of faith, and people praying for us.