You know that Robert Frost poem about the road not taken? About two roads diverged in a yellow wood and being sorry he can't travel both? Well, that's infertility. That worn, cute, know-whats-coming road to the right, aka "natural" pregnancy, ain't gonna happen. And that messy, overgrown, intimidating road to the left? Welcome to IVF.

 

 

Steven and I have been trying to make a baby for over three years. That's over 36 months. Over 1,095 days. The mental, emotional, and physical turmoil feels even longer. Infertility is a lonely, lonely place. It's filled with questions and silence and unsolicited advice and stress and shame and guilt and heartache. Man, the heartache is immeasurable. And let's not forget about money. Along the way, we've racked up over $9,000.00 out-of-pocket on doctors visits, infertility testing, medications, Hysterosalpingography, laparoscopic surgery for my endometriosis (the bane of my existence), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), and therapy. There’s more, but I'll spare you all the details.

 

 

 

After two failed IUIs in 2021, we started to feel like we had hit a brick wall. We talked and talked and talked some more and decided that IVF was our last probable shot at making a babe. Steven and I were lucky enough to secure our spot on the April 2022 waitlist at ORM IVF and Fertility Clinic in 2021 and, with another couple's cancellation, got bumped up to February 2022. We just had our first IVF consultation with a doctor at ORM. It feels hopeful. A word and a feeling that was hard to come by for the last three years. Our doctor sounds confident. And we feel ready. Except for one thing- money. And, boy oh boy, does IVF cost a lot. 

 

So, here we are. Budgeting for $25,000.00 to make a baby and feeling absolutely overwhelmed by it. We are putting aside all that gross shame/pride/guilt/embarrassment that comes with asking for financial help, and we're asking our amazing community of friends and family to give what they can. Every cent counts right now. Your support (monetary or otherwise) means the world to us. And we really, really want this to work.

 

Here's to looking forward- hopeful that this IVF road leads us to Baby S. Who we can't wait to meet.

 

With so much gratitude,

Steven & Parker

(And Mezcal and Vida, of course)

 

 

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and [we]—

[we] took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost