My Spiritual Journey

Booklet giving a 'thought for the day'

My husband’s grandmother always gives me a booklet called ‘The Word for Today’ by UCB to read with a thought for the day based on a Bible verse. Throughout the IVF journey, I have found that my readings were very poignant on certain days for my personal journey. I’ve written which blog post each of these refers to so you can look back over my journey:

· {The First Cycle} On day two of my first cycle (the day I started my first medication of Bemfola) Monday 7th January 2019 – “you’re closer to giving birth than you’ve ever been".

· {The First Cycle} On day 8 of this first cycle, I was told to suspend the treatment via a phone message at 6pm on a Sunday evening. The reading on this day was headed “BE PATIENT”.

· {The First Cycle} On day 9, having phoned the clinic back and requested further information they said I should be put on further medication which was to be increased and the reading stated “with God all things are possible…by faith Abraham ‘saw’ his children”. It showed me here that the cycle was not over yet, rather there were changes to be made, and our family was still possible.

· {The First Cycle} At the end of my first cycle, I had a phone call from the IVF Clinic to call me in as blood tests showed my egg may have already been released. On the day I got called for my emergency egg collection, my boss had already given me the day off and I’d planned to not go in to work at all that day. This meant I had the time to go to the clinic without trying to get my duties at work covered.

· {The First Cycle} After the egg collection my AMH level was tested through a blood test. On the day that I was supposed to get the results back, but they were postponed, my reading stated “our greatest concern is getting our needs met but God’s greatest concern is developing our faith”. Faith comes from having it shaken. When I wrote in my diary that I was scared and worried I then read my reading and it said “you’re going to get through this storm”.

· {Cycle 3} In my third cycle once my embryo was transferred, the day I got the call from the clinic to say that the second embryo had failed to grow my reading was “Don’t quit on God and don’t stop trusting in him. Your job is to obey; his job is to make sure you win. And when you do your part you can be sure he will do his”.

· {Cycle 3} My pregnancy test day arrived at the clinic. My reading that day was “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God”.

· {Cycle 3} The day after I found out that I was pregnant I had a friend’s wedding to attend. I left early, worried about overdoing things. That night my reading stated “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear”.

He continues to reassure me as four days after I found out that I was pregnant I read “Whatever God has promised you the seeds are already within you. Begin thanking God for what he’s going to do in your life”. When I worried about some pains I was having, that day’s text read “Stand firm”. I am constantly reassured by these texts.