We're pregant! Well, not really. The baby won't be here until about two years from now. But we already know that she will probably be a girl with brown eyes and brown hair. We are very proud and pleased to announce that we are adopting from China!
We learned in February that I have endometriosis and that my fallopian tubes do not receive eggs from my ovaries. If the eggs cannot get into the tubes, there is simply no way to conceive. The doctors told us that Invetro Fertilization (IVF) would be our only real option for pregnancy. IVF means that eggs are harvested from the mother and fertilized with sperm from the father in a laboratory setting. Once fertilized, the eggs are implanted into the mother's uterus. The procedure works for many couples, but many also suffer miscarriage. Additionally, endometriosis can take a toll on the quality of the eggs themselves, making IVF even more risky. The procedure costs $10,000, and many couples go through several rounds of IVF before they are successful. Insurance companies are not mandated to cover IVF for Ohio residents, and neither of our plans cover it.
We were devastated. We had already faced once-a-month failures for about two years, and we knew that spending $10,000 on the mere possibility of pregnancy was quite a risk to take, both financially and emotionally. Our reproductive endocrinologist (a Cleveland Clinic physician and a pioneering leader in IVF) would have supported us 100% if we chose IVF, but he also respected our decision to take a more sure-fire route to parenthood -- adoption.
We began the adoption process in May and have been working our butts off ever since, trying to get our paperwork to China as soon as possible. Our completed dossier left for Beijing on September 14, and China officially confirmed receipt of it on September 28. Now we wait many moons until we travel to China to meet our daughter. The approximate waiting time we have been given is two years. Our daughter will probably be 9-12 months old when we bring her home.
While we're waiting, I hope to use this blog as a way to keep friends & family updated on our progress and give everyone some information so that they will know more about the origins of their soon-to-be grandaughter, niece, cousin, or buddy. Also, this blog will keep me busy while I wait.
I'm so glad you're reading. Post a comment (don't be shy), and come back soon!!
We learned in February that I have endometriosis and that my fallopian tubes do not receive eggs from my ovaries. If the eggs cannot get into the tubes, there is simply no way to conceive. The doctors told us that Invetro Fertilization (IVF) would be our only real option for pregnancy. IVF means that eggs are harvested from the mother and fertilized with sperm from the father in a laboratory setting. Once fertilized, the eggs are implanted into the mother's uterus. The procedure works for many couples, but many also suffer miscarriage. Additionally, endometriosis can take a toll on the quality of the eggs themselves, making IVF even more risky. The procedure costs $10,000, and many couples go through several rounds of IVF before they are successful. Insurance companies are not mandated to cover IVF for Ohio residents, and neither of our plans cover it.
We were devastated. We had already faced once-a-month failures for about two years, and we knew that spending $10,000 on the mere possibility of pregnancy was quite a risk to take, both financially and emotionally. Our reproductive endocrinologist (a Cleveland Clinic physician and a pioneering leader in IVF) would have supported us 100% if we chose IVF, but he also respected our decision to take a more sure-fire route to parenthood -- adoption.
We began the adoption process in May and have been working our butts off ever since, trying to get our paperwork to China as soon as possible. Our completed dossier left for Beijing on September 14, and China officially confirmed receipt of it on September 28. Now we wait many moons until we travel to China to meet our daughter. The approximate waiting time we have been given is two years. Our daughter will probably be 9-12 months old when we bring her home.
While we're waiting, I hope to use this blog as a way to keep friends & family updated on our progress and give everyone some information so that they will know more about the origins of their soon-to-be grandaughter, niece, cousin, or buddy. Also, this blog will keep me busy while I wait.
I'm so glad you're reading. Post a comment (don't be shy), and come back soon!!
