We have news to share, baby girl Lashway #2 is arriving in June! I've been wanting to write that sentence for so long and now that I have, I know that this baby has always been on her way, just in her own time.
I wrote back in October about my IVF experience and
. Right around that time we had a second transfer of a frozen embryo and this little baby continued to grow! We cut a cake (see picture below) this past Friday to reveal the gender, and it was so nice to be surrounded by my mom and Paul's family while face-timing each of my 3 brothers. I was so sure it was going to be a boy, as it's been a very different pregnancy from Roswelle, so much so that I wore blue! I'm so excited to continue this journey and I'm thankful for every moment, even the hard ones.
A dream came true with this pregnancy, but I remember how that dream of a baby can be so hard to bear, as we tried month after month after month to get pregnant.
I used to tell my acupuncturist how difficult it was for me to picture my second baby on my chest. I wanted to see it happening so badly but the
fear of it not happening
was standing in the way, blocking my view. I would to tell Paul that if God would just tell me
WHEN
I was going to have a baby I would feel so much better.
But that's not how things work, and I had to rely on my faith that He loves me and IS listening. I realized that God wants to hear our frustrations just as much as our joy, and so do others. If you are in a season of waiting or feel that your prayers have gone unanswered, I encourage you to share your struggle. This was difficult for me at first, but I'm so glad I shared my experience with IVF, as I found tremendous hope in the outpouring support from friends, family, and even random strangers. And if you are on the receiving end of someone sharing, I encourage you to just listen and not skip to the "let's see how we can fix this" step.
I've learned, through a fair share of difficult times, that as much as the pain hurts, the relief can be just as powerful (in a good way). I often look back on the 18 months of trying and find myself thinking "it wasn't that hard, Lauren." But instead of brushing it off, I continue to revisit the experience, remind myself of the details, and continue to share more. It would have been so easy for me to just announce this pregnancy and move on from IVF, but I don't want to forget. Success stories need the starting point and the journey.
My hope is that you find this inspiring and not just another story of a woman who's pregnant while you wait. I have felt your worry and doubt, and I have shed many tears and I'm here to say joy will come. For me, it came when I let go, and shared my story.
Thanks for the love and support, and I'm sure i'll need more of it as we have no idea what we are getting into with TWO. No more sleeping in until 7:30 I'm sure!
Below are some pictures from the reveal this past weekend. You can watch the video of us cutting the cake on Paul's instagram:
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My mom bought this frame for me, a reminder of what a miracle this baby is! The first picture is of her embryo state when we transferred her, the second is of when we first heard her heartbeat, and the last is of our latest ultrasound at 18wks!
I asked the ultrasound tech to write the gender in an enclosed envelope for us to take with us. I took the envelope straight to the baker at Sweet Life Bakery in Dorchester. It was so fun to find out with everyone; boy or girl, we have a BABY on the way!!!!
