Which is more impactful, 1 or 6?
Before you answer that question, there is a catch. There is always a catch.
You see, the one and the six are so much more than numbers… They are children.
We have one…
We lost six…
Which is more impactful?
Roughly two months ago, on August 21st, we found out we lost our 5th, 6th, and 7th try at conceiving… all at the same time. Our bodies have partially failed us so we need assistance in the form of medical science/miracle to have children. This isn’t uncommon. In fact, it is likely more common than your wildest predictions. Unfortunately only recently has it become something couples talk about openly. Doctors cannot tell us what is wrong. They give us hints, suggestions, and likelihoods, but nothing definitive in terms of “why” and that is fine. We don’t need to know. All we need is possibility. Although difficult to stomach, I think we have both come to the conclusion children won’t come easy for us. They do, however, come with the helping hands of doctors and a price tag worthy of the finest purse in an Italian boutique. We have been through this process so many times now the thought of the setback to our retirement goals is absent. There is not one shred of “should we do this again?” in our minds… for now.
Any idea what I’m talking about yet?
IVF… In Vitro Fertilization for the novice. The process is simple in theory: Take the two parts that make a baby, one from a man and one from a woman…combine them in a laboratory setting…put the product back in the hopeful mother and wait.
That’s the theory.
The reality is a mentally draining, physically exhausting, emotionally unstable, expensive, and very painful (for both man and woman, but I’ll spare you the details) roller coaster. Then you wait… and wait… and do some testing… and wait… then, and only then you might have to wait seven more grueling months… or you might start over and do it all again. Sounds like a blast right?
It is worth it. Every tear, every appointment, every failure, every penny… It is worth it.
We don’t think about the 6 nearly as much as the 1. Do we talk about it? Of course, but we simply cannot dwell on “what if?” Instead, we ask “what next?”
We hope to start with our fourth clinic sometime at the turn of the new year. Not because of dissatisfaction, but rather an inherent need to leave no stone unturned. With absolutely no reliable prediction of the outcome we can only be hopeful. Can we turn our 1 into 2? That’s the plan.
So which is more impactful… her or 6?
The Randoman 