As a motherhood photographer, I have the incredible honor of documenting the journeys of many families who have faced the challenges of infertility on their path to parenthood. This is the first installment in a series, featuring diverse and heartfelt first-hand experiences from individuals and couples who have faced unique fertility challenges. These personal accounts aim to shine a light on the joyous, sometimes painful, and undoubtedly complex experiences that surround what it can sometimes take to become a parent. Each story shared serves as a powerful testament to unwavering determination, resilience, strength, and a profound desire to create a family.
"When my wife and I got married in October 2020, I made it apart of my vows to make us mothers. Describing the process to family and friends I playfully said, "ya know, the turkey baster".
"A few appointments later I found out through a painful procedure called an HSG that both of my fallopian tubes were blocked and that IVF was our best option.
"Outside of my wife and I, it seemed few people really researched IVF and I was surprised that my dad, now a proud first time Poppa, was the one to dive in to educate himself.
"At times our world felt small. Filled with emotional and physical pain, injections, tears, copays, appointments, more medical bills, and Starbucks. Through COVID my wife supported the process as best she could. Sometimes not even allowed in the doctors office. I made an Instagram account and using hashtags made countless friends. From single moms by choice, to straight couples and gay couples going through IVF.
"After our initial egg retrieval I found peace in the repetitive flow of the IVF process... the pineapples, rainbows, the Band-Aids, and my wife and I's unwavering commitment. Over the course of two years we experienced 4 failed transfers (including 1 miscarriage at 9 weeks). For our 5th transfer April 2022, we transferred both a male and female embryo which finally lead us to our son, our rainbow baby, Brighton.
"In good karma we agreed that I had a pretty easy pregnancy, delivery, and post partum period. We chose to let our faith be bigger than our fear. We chose to love each other and tried not overthink constantly. I allowed myself to feel spoiled during the IVF process with pedicures, massages, and eating out. Whatever it took to find pockets of joy. I really believe that's what got us through such a difficult journey.
I journaled my whole IVF process through Instagram and my DM's are always open @our2momjourney2021"
As told by J. F.
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