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late miscarriage, premature birth, baby lying in an awkward position and the list goes on. Cecile was silent and distracted for the rest of the appointment: letting the news sink in was already too energy-consuming, she couldn’t venture into asking questions and more details just yet. She scheduled a follow-up appointment, hopefully with Mark by her side, so they both could learn more about her condition.
It took some time for the couple to come to terms with all the obstacles they were facing on their attempt to expand the family. Adoption was an on-going topic, but after much discussion, they decided that they would like to at least try to have a baby of their own. They used much of their savings into the in vitro fertilization and soon found out that baby Sophie was on her way.
Cecile was convinced that Sophie was a miracle baby. In the beginning, she was afraid of the possibility of having twins. Her small womb would not be able to accommodate two babies. She was also very aware of her high chances of miscarriage, and she wondered how many trials they would have to endure until she actually became pregnant. Conceiving in the first time seemed like such a positive outcome she didn’t even count on that possibility.
Cecile embraced her pregnancy, with a deep faith that it was meant to succeed. She knew Sophie was special, a warrior, a baby who defied the odds and challenges, every day. They both endured a tumultuous pregnancy, and even a slight preterm birth. Sophie was born two weeks earlier than predicted, but perfectly healthy.
Sophie had just turned six when Cecile found out the unthinkable. After almost eight years without using any form of birth control, conceiving naturally didn’t really sound like a possibility for Cecile and Mark - so only when Cecile’s period was 2 months late is that she finally decided to take a pregnancy test.