We were ready! I had done my research! I had read countless books, starting taking Folic Acid, found a prenatal workout, began to improve my diet, interviewed midwives, and even bought my first maternity shirt. We had decided five months earlier that we would start trying in four or five months. It was time! If we could get pregnant within the next three months we would have our baby in March, April, or May, which would give us time with our baby before the new school year. God had other plans!
It never occurred to me that we would have a difficult time conceiving; I was healthy, he was healthy, what’s the problem?
After the first few months of trying with no success I was on the verge of freaking out. I easily stress myself out when things don’t go the way I planned, but I told myself that I wouldn’t start to worry yet. If we still hadn’t conceived after trying for a full year, then I would start to worry.
We made a few changes after five or six months of trying. My husband limited his tea intake, we ate more vegetables, we completely cut out processed foods, we found ways to reduce our stress, and I started taking a prenatal vitamin. Neither of us exercised regularly so we tried to go for walks more frequently.
We had gotten to the point that we were going to take a reprieve for a few months. We needed a break from the monthly disappointment of not conceiving. Getting pregnant shouldn’t be this hard! Still we trusted that God had a plan … and he did.
It was when we were going to stop actually trying that we finally conceived! It took seven months for us to finally get pregnant. We were relieved and overjoyed. We were going to have a baby! With a new focus, I began planning for the next nine months!
I learned something new from this experience, conceiving isn’t always easy and it doesn’t always go according to plan.