This Mom's IVF Pregnancy Announcement Shows the Struggle and Joy of TTC

Hollee Actman Becker
·3 min read

Lauren and Garyt Walker prayed for a a baby for 953 days. That's 2 years, 7 months, 1 week, 2 days, 22 hours, 6 minutes, and 39 seconds, to be exact. And the journey included 452 Needles, thousands of tears, one corrective surgery, four clomid/letrozole attempts, two IVF rounds, and three failed transfers.

But now, the couple is finally expecting twins this August! And check out the picture they used to announce their happy news on Facebook:

Whoa—That's a LOT of needles! And Lauren says taking them out to prep the shot was a pretty surreal experience. "Halfway through my hands started to quiver, my breath got short, and I had to stop," she admitted in the caption. "I sat down, looked at it and started to cry. Not because I was sad about what it took to get here, but because it was a representation of my world, our world, for the past over two and a half years staring back at me. There was a lot of pain, hope, and fear behind each of these needles. Each one represented a different day, a different path and a different emotion."

So heartbreaking! But the more the expectant mama stared at the image she'd carefully created, the more those needles began to blur together, and suddenly, a different, more hopeful image began to emerge.

"Now all I see are these tiny onesies that so perfectly sum up our journey," Lauren explained. "Worth the wait. And wait and wait and wait."

What an incredible, if bittersweet, tribute! In fact some days, the mom-to-be says she looks back and can't believe she even made it.

"I don't mean that as in I finally got pregnant," she clarifies. "I mean, I MADE it. I'm stronger. It didn't break me. The prize is not these twins. The prize is discovering new found faith. The GIFT is these twins. I didn't know I was capable of such strength and fight."

But capable she was. And now Lauren hopes her story will provide comfort to others who are struggling. "They say 'When you ask God for something He either says 'yes' and gives it to you. Or he says 'ok' and makes you wait. Or he says 'no', makes you wait longer, and gives you something better," she wrote. "Had he answered our prayers way back then, in 2015, we wouldn't have these two angels on their way today. They would be different children and we would have a different life. He was making us wait for THEM. And when we hold them in our arms and kiss their tiny noses, all His plans and all our dreams will have come true."

Truly beautiful.

Hollee Actman Becker is a freelance writer, blogger, and mom of two who writes about parenting and pop culture. Check out her website holleeactmanbecker.com for more, and then follow her on Instagram and Twitter.