Some Perspective

I saw a mom last week, who has an adorable one-year-old son. She and her husband are elated to finally be parents. Their journey to parenthood was not smooth or easy. In fact they had experienced the heartbreak of infertility, failed IVF procedures and several miscarriages. Knowing them over the years has been a real privilege because of their determination to have the family of their dreams. I’ve been their health care provider in times of joy and times of sorrow, where I felt my own heart breaking when their anguish over a miscarriage overwhelmed them both. When they finally were able to carry a healthy baby and deliver him safely into the world, we were all elated with them. And now, he’s one! It doesn’t seem possible, that time has passed so quickly and he’s growing to be strong and healthy toddler, who walked at 10 months.

She was talking the other day about her experience with breastfeeding, She wasn’t able to produce enough milk though she was determined to exclusively breastfeed. She pumped and did everything she could to increase her supply, yet despite her efforts, there just wasn’t enough milk, so she had to supplement. She mixed the formula with the liquid gold of her pumped milk for her little guy. She said that it bothered her that she couldn’t have the experience with breastfeeding that she wanted, but she knew that she had done the best for her child. Her perspective was that sometimes things don’t work out the way we envision. Her repeated experiences with miscarriage and failed IVFs taught her how to deal with her disappointment with yet another way that her body wasn’t working “perfectly” and to make the necessary adjustments for her child’s health. She told me that she was grateful for so many things, but grateful that there was formula available that she could use to feed her son.