So attending this celebration, and seeing the faces of the couples who know exactly what a true miracle of science it is to have their children was important to me. I'd guess there were over 100 people in attendance. The kids ranged in age from newborn to about 13 or so. There were a lot of twins and triplets.
It was great to talk to the doctors, nurses, embryologists, and other staff outside of the clinical setting. And throughout the evening, I kept thinking how incredible it was for these brilliant minds to literally watch their life's work running around beside them. What a rush it must be for them to see the lives they helped create. In a lab. With technology so new, it wasn't around when they were born.
It was the perfect beginning to my Mother's Day weekend. And in watching the utter joy and excitement on Isabella's face as she explored the museum, running from one interactive exhibit to another, side-by-side with the other babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school kids, tweens, and teens IVF brought into existence, it made me realize what an incredible gift it is to be her mother.
IVF doesn't make every infertile woman a mother. Its success rate is about 40-45% in my clinic, which means the majority of women who invest a mighty sum of money and who put themselves through the physical and emotional rigors of what it entails don't get the prize as a result of the struggle. I was one of the lucky ones. It's worked twice for me.
Last night helped me reconnect with what it's easy to forget when I'm up to my knees in toddler tantrums and power struggles: that on Mother's Day and every day, having the chance to be a mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. For those still waiting for their chance, I hope your journey ends very, very soon.
What a wonderful post, Kristi!
Happy Mother's Day to you!!
Happy Mother's Day Kristi!
Louise Brown is going to be 30?! But she was just 16. Or so it seems.
You rock.
Happy Mother's Day!
Beautiful. I thought a lot about you yesterday. I'm glad you had a good day. It's easy for all of to get caught up in the *chore* aspects of parenting and start to lose sight of the miracle--no matter how that miracle was achieved. It's always good to stop and reflect on how fortunate all of us who get to experience parenting really are.
It is a pretty amazing thing. We're all so blessed to have these amazing little people in our lives. Happy Mother's Day!
This weekend a woman who lives a couple of suburbs away from us had quintuplets in Arizona (apparently they have a hospital that specializes in multiples there). We think having twins sounds much better than having quintuplets. :)
Happy Mother's Day!