My husband and I got married in August of 2019. We quickly began trying for a baby. I have dreamed about being a mother since I was a little girl. I was always a mommy to my dolls, babysat and nannied through high school, college and into grad school, and have worked in pediatrics for the last 12 years. I have a love for children, so naturally having a baby was in my deck of cards. But, boy, did I not expect the journey I’d have to motherhood.
After months and months of negative pregnancy tests, I went to the doctor to hopefully get some answers. I found out through many tests, ultrasounds, and even surgery that I have severe endometriosis. I was told that with my diagnosis and age, my chances of getting pregnant were fairly low. It was recommended for me to start with an IUI and consider moving forward with IVF. I scheduled a consultation with a fertility specialist. I prayed hard during this time. Something about fertility treatment did not feel right. I talked with my husband and told him how I was feeling about the IUI and IVF. We began talking about adoption and started researching the process. We soon realized that this was the path we were meant to take.
Once we canceled the consultation with the fertility specialist, our adoption journey quickly began. We hired an amazing adoption lawyer who walked us through the initial steps. It all felt so overwhelming. The mounds of paperwork, the prying into EVERY aspect of our lives, all of the unknowns about when (or even if) we would connect with a birth mother were daunting. But we kept pressing forward. We passed our home study in June of 2022. We were officially able to bring a baby home. But when would that happen?
Our lawyer gave us the best advice during our adoption process. He said, ‘word of mouth and prayer are very powerful.’ So that’s exactly what we did. We prayed, and prayed, and prayed for a little girl to complete our family. I began shouting from the rooftops that we were hoping to adopt and hoping to connect with a birth mother who was considering adoption. And it worked. By the grace of God, we connected with our birth mother in August of 2022.
My husband and I were able to go to every doctor’s appointment to see how our baby girl was growing and developing. We were able to be there for the birth of our baby girl. My husband was even able to cut the cord! Our angel baby was born January 11, 2023. The medical team at the hospital was so supportive of our situation. They cared so much for not only me, my husband, and now our little baby, but also our brave, selfless birth mother.
But the process did not end there. Now that she was home, the county had to come out to do another interview and to see our home. At this point, we were numb to people knowing every detail of our lives, family, and home. The case worker was amazing and we were finally given our adoption date. We headed to the courthouse on May 18, 2023 to finalize our adoption. With family and friends there to support us, we adopted our miracle baby girl. And our world became complete.
Adoption is not for the faint of heart. It can be messy, heartbreaking, beautiful, and grace-filled all at once. I went from being told I could potentially never be a mother, to having the most perfect little girl to call mine. Every adoption story is unique, and I am forever grateful for every detail of our story.