GDDB 009 - Getting pregnant - not as easy for everyone

Some families are able to conceive no problem...other couples have a harder time, and a few need even more help than we did (IVF / Adoption) which we started to contemplate at one time.

• We were careful. We took the usual precautions to not have a kid until we were ready (well, nobody is 100% ready...but until we wanted to start trying).
• Thats when we found out that it wouldnt be so easy to conceive as we thought.
• In the beginning it is exciting to try to conceive...i mean heck, you’re in the sack more often than you were before and you’re trying to create a life to bring into this world!
• After trying for months, my wife’s excitement started to diminish and I didn’t know what to say to change the dynamic in her head.
• It was off to her OBGYN to discuss next steps, figure out if there were reasons and what could be done/tried for a greater success rate (not excluding me, but my wife wanted to get herself checked out first due to existing ovarian cysts.
• After figuring out what was going on (not going to go into details), some steroids and a couple ‘trigger’ shots later - My wife was pregnant!
• If you don’t know, the trigger shot causes ovulation = opportunity to conceive.
• Upside: we know pretty much exactly when our daughter was conceived. Downside: it becomes more of a science instead of a natural thing.
• You do what ya gotta do when you want kid(s)!
• So...first one was dialed in by the Dr. and my wife, so we figured the second one we were going to do the same process...welp thats not what the universe or my wife’s body had in mind. We knew what needed to happen, but the meds were slightly different and we had to go through additional rounds of trigger shots (4 or 5 rounds total).
• Upside: i got to give my wife two of the trigger shots myself (bonus of being a diabetic and knowing how to stick needles into a body). Downside: because it wasnt working the way the first time went, it became even more frustrating for my wife which made me feel bad.
• Additionally, after the last trigger shot...if it didnt work, my wife was ready to take a few months break from trying to conceive. The meds and the stress was getting to be too much for her, for me and on our relationship. Don’t forget - we were also already taking care of a 1.5 yr old.
• Well, that last trigger shot worked (thankfully!) and that was baby no. 2 on her way!
• See...it’s not always easy. Some people can essentially just look at their significant other and almost get pregnant but for others it is a challenge and it is a rough process. It puts your wife’s body under a lot of stress; it stresses your relationship, it impacts your attitude towards your kid and friends...it’s a LOT.
• Something I learned was to be a little more sympathetic and understanding when couples are trying to have a kid and it hasnt happened. I mean shitt...we had discussed IVF and even adoption before we “finally” conceived our first daughter (it was a 9ish maybe 12 month process…?).
• Now...something else we realized was WOW...if we knew what was needed in order to conceive years ago what we know now...we wouldn’t have been trying so hard NOT to have a kid yet before we were ready to start trying! Haha
• Only now can I joke about it, after we have been through all that we have.

NEXT EPISODE: Going to be the start of a 3 part series...going deep on this one, something that has been bothering me for a few years now (about SEVEN)...stay tuned!